Name: Makeout Reef
Start: 2026-7-1T19-19-30-00
End: 2026-7-1T22-22-00-00
Location: Ukie Club

wed01jul7:30 pmwed10:00 pmMakeout Reef7:30 pm - 10:00 pm Ukie Club, 847 N Franklin Street

thu02jul6:00 pmthu9:00 pmPaola Cruz6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Mercury Lounge, 17 E Houston Street

thu02jul7:00 pmthu10:00 pmCharlie Chimi7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Union Pool, 484 Union Avenue

thu02jul7:30 pmthu10:00 pmThe Bug Club7:30 pm - 10:00 pm Ukie Club, 847 N Franklin Street Event Organized By: WXPN

Time

(Thursday) 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Event Details

The Bug Club are a Welsh indie combo whose creative, garage- and punk-infused songs are as energetic as they are eccentric. Originating as a U.K. blues-style act, their sound grew leaner and catchier at the start of the 2020s with releases like Green Dream in F# (2022) and the double album Rare Birds: Hour of Song (2023). Their reputation grew as well, and in 2024, they signed with Sub Pop, which issued their third studio album, On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System and their 2025 effort Very Human Features. The punkier Every Single Muscle followed just a year later. Members Sam Willmett and Tilly Harris formed the Bug Club in 2016 in the Welsh market town of Caldicot in Monmouthshire. During their early years, they gigged regionally, playing a bluesy style of indie rock mostly written by Willmett. Other members came and went, but the core of the band was always Willmett and Harris. By 2021, they'd developed into a quirky hybrid of rock, punk, and garage that landed somewhere between the Violent Femmes, Jonathan Richman, and AC/DC. They also became very prolific, with a creative, D.I.Y. bent. Amid their various singles and EPs were longer projects like 2021's Pure Particles -- which came with an accompanying board game -- and their official debut album, 2022's Green Dream in F#, released by Bingo Records. In early 2023, they played a run of gigs under the pseudonym Mr. Anyway's Holey Spirits that featured all-new material and was captured on the live album Mr Anyway's Holey Spirits Perform! One Foot in Bethlehem. While touring again as the Bug Club, Willmett and Harris managed to record their next studio set, a 50-track double album of songs, spoken-word bits, and experimental tracks called Rare Birds: Hour of Song. This deluge of creativity helped the band net a deal with Sub Pop, and in August 2024, the label released the Bug Club's third official studio album, On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System. After the release of their spirited stand-alone single "Have You Ever Been to Wales" in February of 2025, the band released their fourth album, Very Human Features, in June of that year. Having written and recorded the album between nearly non-stop touring and festival appearances, the Bug Club's riff-heavy indie garage sound was sharper than ever on Very Human Features, and they continued touring internationally to support its release. The duo returned to the studio in earnest with producer Tom Rees, who had worked on their previous albums. The resulting sessions produced the punkier, 18-track album Every Single Muscle. It was issued in mid-2026. - Biography by Timothy Monger

Organizer

WXPN 3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

sat04jul(jul 4)9:00 pmsun05(jul 5)12:00 amHenry Fong9:00 pm - 12:00 am (5) House Of Independents, 572 Cookman Avenue

Time

4 (Saturday) 9:00 pm - 5 (Sunday) 12:00 am

Location

House Of Independents

572 Cookman Avenue

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Henry Fong has been a driving veteran force in electronic dance music for more than 15 years. A Florida native now based in Los Angeles, he’s built a reputation for his explosive, genre-blending sound that fuses bass house, hard dance, UK bass, and big room with Caribbean and Latin influences inspired by his South Florida roots. With over 2 billion streams worldwide, DJ/producer Henry Fong has has carved out his place as one of dance music’s consistent talents. He’s collaborated with top DJs including Hardwell, Deorro, Knock2, and R3HAB, while also earning producer credits alongside global icons outside of dance music such as Elvis Crespo, Sean Paul, Mr. Vegas, and Pepper. Fong’s official remix work spans some of the biggest names in music—J Balvin, Calvin Harris, Rihanna, Zedd, and DJ Snake further cementing his reputation as a versatile force in the studio. His recent releases, including festival anthems like “Rave Tool” and “What’s the Move” have been championed by the dance music elite on the world’s biggest stages, keeping his sound at the center of the global club and festival circuit. His impressive touring history spans all 7 continents and includes notable festival performances at EDC, Ultra Music Festival, S2O, and Hard Summer. Beyond the stage you can catch him on the Jiu-Jitsu mats or chasing waves around the world surfing. Henry is also trailblazing and passionate educator as well, he’s paved the way for up-and-coming musicians to foster their talent through his very-own Artist Mentorship and Development program where he teaches upcoming DJs how to navigate the dance music industry and take their music careers to the next level.

sun05jul7:00 pmsun11:00 pmBlack Country, New Road7:00 pm - 11:00 pm The Stone Pony, 913 Ocean Ave N

Time

(Sunday) 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Location

The Stone Pony

913 Ocean Ave N

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Multifaceted post-punk group Black Country, New Road combine disparate genres including jazz, math rock, and klezmer to form sprawling tracks that switch between quieter moments and peaks of bristling intensity. They debuted in 2021 with their Mercury Prize-nominated album For the First Time, before quickly following it up with 2022's Ants from Up There. After the departure of original vocalist Isaac Wood, three of the band's members shared vocal duties, and Live at Bush Hall, a film and concert recording consisting of all-new material, appeared in 2023. They cemented this new era with 2025's Forever Howlong, their third studio album. Formed from the ashes of their previous band Nervous Conditions, the initial members of BCNR included Lewis Evans (saxophone), May Kershaw (keyboard), Charlie Wayne (drums), Luke Mark (guitar), Isaac Wood (vocals/guitar), Tyler Hyde (bass), and Georgia Ellery (violin). Having cut their teeth at the infamous Brixton venue the Windmill, they established themselves with their raucous live shows -- their live reputation and just two singles, 2019's "Sunglasses" and "Athen's, France," generated a lot of hype before the release of their debut, For the First Time, in 2021. The album was nominated for the 2021 Mercury Music Award while also peaking at number four in the U.K. album charts. With touring on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the group returned to the studio with long-time collaborator Sergio Maschetzko to work on their follow-up. Pushing their sound further into other sonic territories, the resulting album, Ants from Up There, was issued in February 2022, just days after the sudden departure of singer/guitarist Isaac Wood. Though the album garnered widespread acclaim, the remaining bandmembers declined to perform any of it without Wood. With Hyde, Kershaw, and Evans all sharing lead vocal duties, they retired their previous material and wrote an entirely new set of songs to reflect their current lineup. During a two-night stand at London's Bush Hall, the reconstituted Black Country, New Road made a concert film and album featuring these new songs. Live at Bush Hall was released in early 2023. Working with producer James Ford, BCNR returned to the studio to create a proper follow-up to Ants from Up There. Building on the theatrical chamber pop from their Bush Hall era, the group's new material was sung by Hyde, Ellery, and Kershaw, giving them an entirely female-fronted sound. The resulting album, Forever Howlong, was released by Ninja Tune in April 2025. - Biography by Liam Martin

sun05jul8:00 pmsun11:00 pmJeena8:00 pm - 11:00 pm Mercury Lounge, 17 E Houston Street

mon06jul6:00 pmmon10:00 pmMatter of Minutes6:00 pm - 10:00 pm Mercury Lounge, 17 E Houston Street

wed08jul6:00 pmwed9:00 pmJejune6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Mercury Lounge, 17 E Houston Street

wed08jul7:00 pmwed10:00 pmVivian Girls7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Elsewhere Space, 599 Johnson Avenue

Time

(Wednesday) 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Location

Elsewhere Space

599 Johnson Avenue

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Brooklyn trio Vivian Girls were one of the more exciting and accessible groups to emerge from a scene of late-2000s lo-fi indie bands. Deriving their name from the ill-fated characters featured in the work of writer/illustrator Henry Darger, the Vivian Girls paired girl group melancholy with punk nihilism in reverb-heavy songs that recalled the raw, grainy beauty of lesser-known '90s independents like Black Tambourine, Talulah Gosh, and Tiger Trap. In their initial seven-year run, the band toured the world and released new music constantly, the economic hooks and fuzzy urgency of their 2008 self-titled debut album becoming influential in their own right. Vivian Girls formed in 2007, made up of guitarist/vocalist Cassie Ramone (Grzymkowski), bassist/vocalist Kickball Katy (Goodman), and drummer/vocalist Frankie Rose. The group recorded a hasty demo and played in New York often. Their gritty-yet-melodic sound caught on quickly, and within months of forming, Vivian Girls were opening big gigs for national acts like Sonic Youth and headlining club shows in Brooklyn. Throughout 2008 they released a handful of 7" singles on a passel of small labels, including "Wild Eyes" (Plays with Dolls Records), "Orphanage" (Woodsist Records), and "I Can't Stay" (In the Red Records). Rose left the band in July of 2008, but not before recording the material that would make up the group's first album. That self-titled debut full-length was released on Mauled by Tigers in September of the same year and the entire vinyl pressing of 500 copies sold out in ten days. In the Red quickly re-released the album to wider distribution and the trio (now joined by new drummer Ali Koehler), spent the year touring and gaining fans the world over. The group's quickly recorded follow-up album, Everything Goes Wrong, was released in late summer of 2009. After switching out drummers in the summer of 2010 (Koehler joined Best Coast and was replaced by Coasting's drummer Fiona Campbell) and taking a break for other projects (Ramone formed Babies with Woods' bass player Kevin Morby, Goodman formed La Sera with Brady Hall), the Vivian Girls hit the studio in late 2010 to record their third album. Share the Joy was released in April 2011 on their new label Polyvinyl. The band spilt in 2014, and the members focused on their individual projects. They remained friends, though, and in 2018, Ramone, Goodman, and Koehler met up in secret to begin recording a new album with producer Rob Barbato. The result was 2019's Memory, which was released by Polyvinyl in September. - Biography by Tim Sendra

wed08jul7:00 pmwed11:00 pmLouis TomlinsonHow Did We Get Here? World Tour7:00 pm - 11:00 pm Madison Square Garden, 7th Ave & 32nd Street

Time

(Wednesday) 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Location

Madison Square Garden

7th Ave & 32nd Street

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Best known as a member of English boy band One Direction, pop vocalist Louis Tomlinson embarked on a solo career after the group ended their record-breaking early-2010s run in 2016. After years of releasing singles and appearing on The X Factor -- the same show that pushed him into the limelight -- he issued his official debut album, Walls, in 2020. The Brit-pop-leaning Faith in the Future followed in 2022, topping the charts in his home country. A 2023 documentary, All of Those Voices, kept his momentum going, as did a 2024 live album. Born Louis Troy Austin in Doncaster, England, he shot to stardom after appearing on the 2010 edition of The X Factor. He attended school in his hometown, where, by his own admission, he didn't pay that much attention academically; instead, he was drawn to anything related to music and acting. After playing the role of Danny Zuko in his school production of Grease, he was motivated to audition for The X Factor in 2009, but he failed to make the cut. Undeterred, Tomlinson auditioned the following year, this time making it through the preliminary stages. Initially, he performed as a solo act, but just as he and four others -- Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik -- were set to be ejected from the solo competition, guest judge Nicole Scherzinger suggested putting them together and allowing them to continue as One Direction in the group competition. Although One Direction came in third on the show, they went on to become one of The X Factor's biggest success stories, regularly topping charts worldwide and selling over 50 million records within a decade. Outside of the band, Tomlinson gained a reputation for philanthropy, as he constantly campaigned for, and donated to, various charities. In early 2016, One Direction began an indefinite hiatus, giving the individual members time to pursue their own interests. For Tomlinson, this included becoming a father. Later that year, he released his debut solo single, the platinum-certified "Just Hold On," a collaboration with Steve Aoki. Months later, he hit a U.S. chart peak with "Back to You," a group effort with Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals. He continued into 2019 with a series of singles that eventually landed on his official full-length debut. Arriving in early 2020, Walls (Syco/Arista) featured a distinct Brit-pop influence, echoing U.K. forebears like Robbie Williams and Oasis. The LP peaked at number nine on the U.S. Billboard 200 and charted at number one in Mexico, Argentina, Portugal, and Scotland. Two years later, Tomlinson released his anthemic sophomore long-player, Faith in the Future, which included the stadium-sized single "Bigger Than Me." The set became his first chart-topper in the U.K. and landed in the Top Five across Europe, Oceania, and in the U.S. His career was the subject of the 2023 documentary film All of Those Voices, and a year later, the concert album Live captured peformances from Tomlinson's world tour. - Biography by Liam Martin

wed08jul8:00 pmwed9:30 pmFlying Lotus8:00 pm - 9:30 pm Blue Note, 131 W 3rd Street

Time

(Wednesday) 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm

Location

Blue Note

131 W 3rd Street

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Whether in solitude or supported by a cast of musicians, Flying Lotus distills a uniquely crisp, spasmodic, and heady sound with elements of hip-hop, experimental electronic music, and avant-garde jazz. Regarded upon his 2006 arrival as a promising beatmaker looming in the shadows of J Dilla, Madlib, and Dabrye, Steven Ellison -- the producer known as Flying Lotus -- nullified all comparisons only two years later with Los Angeles. On that album, his first of five for the Warp label, Ellison advanced a progressive collision of styles that typified the L.A. beat scene of which he was part. While the abovementioned producers fueled Ellison, he had also been excited as a youngster by the '90s West Coast rap classics that combined programming and live instrumentation. His sound continued to develop as he put his own twist on the approach, recording with a crop of jazz artists including the indispensable likes of bassist Thundercat and strings master Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. This process began with the turbulent 2010 set Cosmogramma and peaked in terms of acclaim in 2014 with You're Dead!, which crashed the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 and spawned the Kendrick Lamar collaboration "Never Catch Me," a Grammy nominee for Best Dance Recording. Ellison devoted a few years to various forms of film work and the operation of his revered Brainfeeder label, and returned in 2019 with Flamagra, his second consecutive album to top Billboard's Dance/Electronic chart. After he was Grammy-nominated for Producer of the Year, he provided the score for the 2021 anime series Yasuke. He directed and scored the sci-fi horror film ASH in 2025. The EP Big Mama (2026) was his first release on his own Brainfeeder label. Steven Ellison was born in Los Angeles and raised in the city's Winnetka neighborhood. He is the grandson of Marilyn McLeod, a songwriter and producer known for co-writing hits such as Diana Ross' "Love Hangover" and Jermaine Jackson's "Let Me Tickle Your Fancy." Additionally, Ellison is the grand-nephew of visionary jazz artists Alice Coltrane (McLeod's sister) and John Coltrane. His cousins include Ravi and Oran Coltrane, the latter of whom introduced him to electronic music production and gave him his first piece of gear, a Roland MC-505 groovebox. Drawn first to filmmaking -- he made stop-motion clips in his youth, using action figures and a camcorder -- Ellison obtained a degree from Los Angeles Film School and continued at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. After a short period in the Bay Area, he returned to L.A. and in 2004 started working as an intern for Peanut Butter Wolf's Stones Throw label, which enabled him to cross paths with inspirations such as J Dilla and Madlib. All the while, Ellison had continued to work on music, particularly taken with the Akai MPC sampler. In response to an open call from Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block, Ellison submitted tracks, and soon had them licensed for use between segments and commercial breaks. Ellison debuted officially as Flying Lotus in 2006, the year he connected with Plug Research, a crucial outlet of Los Angeles' emerging beat scene. His "Two Bottom Blues" appeared beside tracks by established contemporaries such as Daedelus, Sa-Ra, and Georgia Anne Muldrow on Carlos Niño Presents the Sound of L.A. A couple months later, he provided a remix for Mia Doi Todd's La Ninja: Amor and Other Dreams. That October, Plug Research released 1983, Ellison's first album. Titled after his birth year, it was created in solitude with the exception of the cosmic "Unexpected Delight," featuring vocals from Laura Darlington -- a frequent collaborator for years to come. Signal-boosting support came most prominently from BBC DJ Gilles Peterson. The next year, U.K. underground institution Warp Records signed Ellison and issued the Reset EP -- another October delivery -- on which Ellison's sound became more distinct. This time, Andreya Triana joined Ellison on the woozy opener "Tea Leaf Dancers," a signature early track. Meanwhile, Ellison had become a major catalyst in the activity emanating from Low End Theory, a weekly club night -- and public salon of sorts for aspiring beatmakers and other musicians -- held in L.A.'s Lincoln Heights neighborhood. Local groundswell and an increasing international profile combined to make Ellison's first Warp LP a subcultural event. The definitively titled Los Angeles arrived in June 2008, entered Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart at number 16, and months later was hailed by several music publications as one of the year's best albums. Ellison incorporated vocals from Laura Darlington, Gonjasufi, and Dolly, but he also received co-production input from fellow native Californians and L.A. transplants. Three of them -- Gaslamp Killer, Samiyam, and MatthewDavid -- soon helped build the catalog of Ellison's Brainfeeder label, launched the same year and named after the opening track of Los Angeles. By August 2009, Warp had also dispersed L.A. EP 1 X 3, L.A. EP 2 X 3, and L.A. EP 3 X 3, a trilogy of short-form releases containing previously unreleased cuts and remixes. One of the remixes came from eventual Brainfeeder artist Martyn, affirming Ellison's enthusiastic tracking of pre-commercial dubstep. Around that time, Ellison also remixed a Martyn production and made his first in a handful of appearances on the Hyperdub label. One of many formative inspirations for Ellison was West Coast rap -- G-funk especially -- that integrated programming and live instrumentation. For the producer's next album, he took the concept to the hilt, albeit with a result that moved him closer to modern electric avant-garde jazz than to lowrider classics. Released in May 2010, Cosmogramma was a turning point for Ellison, made with instrumentalists such as bassist and vocalist Thundercat, violinist and arranger Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, harpist Rebekah Raff, and Ellison's cousin, tenor saxophonist Ravi Coltrane. Darlington, Niki Randa, and Radiohead's Thom Yorke also provided vocals on one track each. Just as significantly, Ellison incorporated sounds from medical equipment recorded in the hospital room of his mother, who died just before the album began to take shape. Even though the placement of those recordings isn't as obvious as, say, a Thundercat bassline, heavy-hearted sentiments were made evident throughout. Cosmogramma reached number three on the Dance/Electronic Albums chart and was the first Flying Lotus LP to hit the Billboard 200, registering at number 88. The supplemental Pattern+Grid World EP was out a few months later. Until the Quiet Comes, the dreamlike fourth Flying Lotus album, was out in September 2012. Spacier and pared down in relation to Cosmogramma, it still found room for the likes of Thundercat, other Brainfeeder affiliates including keyboardists Austin Peralta and Brandon Coleman, and Atwood-Ferguson. Darlington, Randa, and Yorke likewise added ghostly vocals, as did Erykah Badu. It cracked the Top 40 of the Billboard 200, peaking at number 34, and narrowly missed the top of the Dance/Electronic chart. Ellison then bolted in the opposite direction and reached a new level of acclaim with his next work. You're Dead!, released in October 2014, used many of the players familiar to Flying Lotus sessions -- plus Herbie Hancock, rising Brainfeeder addition Kamasi Washington, and Snoop Dogg, as well as Ellison under his rapping Captain Murphy guise -- and multiplied the intensity. The thrashing LP scraped the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 and topped Dance/Electronic Albums. "Never Catch Me," featuring Kendrick Lamar, was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Dance Recording. Ellison had co-produced "Wesley's Theory" for Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly, a contender for Album of the Year, making him a two-time nominee. Brainfeeder inevitably branched into film production, beginning with the biological horror-comedy vignette Royal and the 2017 parent feature Kuso, both directed by (and featuring music from) Ellison. Additionally, Flying Lotus was the name credited with the music for the short Blade Runner Black Out 2022, among some other visual projects that reached the public in the mid- to late 2010s. Ellison ended the longest period between Flying Lotus albums in May 2019 with Flamagra. Put together over the intervening years, it threw Brainfeeder signee George Clinton, Solange, Anderson .Paak, Shabazz Palaces, and Tierra Whack, among several other guests, into the mix. A central role was played by director David Lynch, who spun a tale about an inferno threatening to engulf a neighborhood. Flamagra became the second Flying Lotus LP to top the Dance/Electronic Albums chart, and debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 45. He continued to work closely with Thundercat on the bassist's 2020 release It Is What It Is; it won a Grammy for Best Progressive R&B Album, and the same year, Ellison was among the nominees for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. Returning to film work, Ellison composed the soundtrack to the 2021 Netflix anime series Yasuke, based on a 16th century Black samurai. "The Room," a neo-soul single featuring singer Devin Tracy, appeared in 2022, the same year Ellison co-wrote, directed, and scored the "Ozzy's Dungeon" segment of the horror anthology film V/H/S/99. He and Smoke DZA partnered for Flying Objects, an EP that featured appearances from Black Thought, Estelle, and Conway the Machine, in 2023. Still inspired by David Lynch -- Twin Peaks in particular -- Ellison returned in 2024 with the woozy single "Garmonbozia," on which he sang about being confined to "the red room." The song was featured on the house-influenced Spirit Box EP. Ellison directed, starred in, and scored the horror-thriller ASH, which was released in 2025. He experimented with FM synthesis on Big Mama, a 2026 EP issued by Brainfeeder rather than longtime home Warp. - Biography by Andy Kellman

wed08jul8:00 pmwed11:00 pmHunter RootCrooked Home Tour8:00 pm - 11:00 pm MilkBoy, 1100 Chestnut Street

wed08jul(jul 8)8:00 pmthu09(jul 9)12:00 amJesse Royal8:00 pm - 12:00 am (9) SOBs (Sounds of Brazil), 204 Varick Street

Time

8 (Wednesday) 8:00 pm - 9 (Thursday) 12:00 am

Location

SOBs (Sounds of Brazil)

204 Varick Street

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Jesse Royal is a Grammy-nominated, internationally acclaimed reggae singer, songwriter, and cultural voice of his generation. Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Jesse has become a torchbearer for modern roots reggae, infusing conscious lyricism with contemporary rhythm and Rastafarian spirit. Known for breakout anthems like “Modern Day Judas” and “Finally”, a track heralding Jamaica’s long-overdue marijuana reform, he has consistently used his music to challenge oppression, uplift communities, and celebrate heritage. His debut album, Lily of Da Valley (2017), debuted at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Reggae Albums Chart, and his 2021 follow-up, Royal, garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Reggae Album, cementing his place among the genre’s most respected voices. Jesse recently expanded his global footprint with a celebrated tour across Brazil, where his electrifying performances connected reggae’s roots to the diaspora’s heartbeat. He then returned home to co-create something deeply personal and culturally transformative: The High Life Festival. Curated by Jesse and his dedicated festival team, the inaugural event brought together music, community, and elevated consciousness in the heart of Kingston. With an exceptional turnout and heartfelt reception, the festival was more than a concert — it was a movement in the making, one Jesse hopes will grow into a cornerstone of Jamaican cultural life for years to come.

wed08jul10:30 pmwed11:59 pmFlying Lotus10:30 pm - 11:59 pm Blue Note, 131 W 3rd Street

Time

(Wednesday) 10:30 pm - 11:59 pm

Location

Blue Note

131 W 3rd Street

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Whether in solitude or supported by a cast of musicians, Flying Lotus distills a uniquely crisp, spasmodic, and heady sound with elements of hip-hop, experimental electronic music, and avant-garde jazz. Regarded upon his 2006 arrival as a promising beatmaker looming in the shadows of J Dilla, Madlib, and Dabrye, Steven Ellison -- the producer known as Flying Lotus -- nullified all comparisons only two years later with Los Angeles. On that album, his first of five for the Warp label, Ellison advanced a progressive collision of styles that typified the L.A. beat scene of which he was part. While the abovementioned producers fueled Ellison, he had also been excited as a youngster by the '90s West Coast rap classics that combined programming and live instrumentation. His sound continued to develop as he put his own twist on the approach, recording with a crop of jazz artists including the indispensable likes of bassist Thundercat and strings master Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. This process began with the turbulent 2010 set Cosmogramma and peaked in terms of acclaim in 2014 with You're Dead!, which crashed the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 and spawned the Kendrick Lamar collaboration "Never Catch Me," a Grammy nominee for Best Dance Recording. Ellison devoted a few years to various forms of film work and the operation of his revered Brainfeeder label, and returned in 2019 with Flamagra, his second consecutive album to top Billboard's Dance/Electronic chart. After he was Grammy-nominated for Producer of the Year, he provided the score for the 2021 anime series Yasuke. He directed and scored the sci-fi horror film ASH in 2025. The EP Big Mama (2026) was his first release on his own Brainfeeder label. Steven Ellison was born in Los Angeles and raised in the city's Winnetka neighborhood. He is the grandson of Marilyn McLeod, a songwriter and producer known for co-writing hits such as Diana Ross' "Love Hangover" and Jermaine Jackson's "Let Me Tickle Your Fancy." Additionally, Ellison is the grand-nephew of visionary jazz artists Alice Coltrane (McLeod's sister) and John Coltrane. His cousins include Ravi and Oran Coltrane, the latter of whom introduced him to electronic music production and gave him his first piece of gear, a Roland MC-505 groovebox. Drawn first to filmmaking -- he made stop-motion clips in his youth, using action figures and a camcorder -- Ellison obtained a degree from Los Angeles Film School and continued at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. After a short period in the Bay Area, he returned to L.A. and in 2004 started working as an intern for Peanut Butter Wolf's Stones Throw label, which enabled him to cross paths with inspirations such as J Dilla and Madlib. All the while, Ellison had continued to work on music, particularly taken with the Akai MPC sampler. In response to an open call from Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block, Ellison submitted tracks, and soon had them licensed for use between segments and commercial breaks. Ellison debuted officially as Flying Lotus in 2006, the year he connected with Plug Research, a crucial outlet of Los Angeles' emerging beat scene. His "Two Bottom Blues" appeared beside tracks by established contemporaries such as Daedelus, Sa-Ra, and Georgia Anne Muldrow on Carlos Niño Presents the Sound of L.A. A couple months later, he provided a remix for Mia Doi Todd's La Ninja: Amor and Other Dreams. That October, Plug Research released 1983, Ellison's first album. Titled after his birth year, it was created in solitude with the exception of the cosmic "Unexpected Delight," featuring vocals from Laura Darlington -- a frequent collaborator for years to come. Signal-boosting support came most prominently from BBC DJ Gilles Peterson. The next year, U.K. underground institution Warp Records signed Ellison and issued the Reset EP -- another October delivery -- on which Ellison's sound became more distinct. This time, Andreya Triana joined Ellison on the woozy opener "Tea Leaf Dancers," a signature early track. Meanwhile, Ellison had become a major catalyst in the activity emanating from Low End Theory, a weekly club night -- and public salon of sorts for aspiring beatmakers and other musicians -- held in L.A.'s Lincoln Heights neighborhood. Local groundswell and an increasing international profile combined to make Ellison's first Warp LP a subcultural event. The definitively titled Los Angeles arrived in June 2008, entered Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart at number 16, and months later was hailed by several music publications as one of the year's best albums. Ellison incorporated vocals from Laura Darlington, Gonjasufi, and Dolly, but he also received co-production input from fellow native Californians and L.A. transplants. Three of them -- Gaslamp Killer, Samiyam, and MatthewDavid -- soon helped build the catalog of Ellison's Brainfeeder label, launched the same year and named after the opening track of Los Angeles. By August 2009, Warp had also dispersed L.A. EP 1 X 3, L.A. EP 2 X 3, and L.A. EP 3 X 3, a trilogy of short-form releases containing previously unreleased cuts and remixes. One of the remixes came from eventual Brainfeeder artist Martyn, affirming Ellison's enthusiastic tracking of pre-commercial dubstep. Around that time, Ellison also remixed a Martyn production and made his first in a handful of appearances on the Hyperdub label. One of many formative inspirations for Ellison was West Coast rap -- G-funk especially -- that integrated programming and live instrumentation. For the producer's next album, he took the concept to the hilt, albeit with a result that moved him closer to modern electric avant-garde jazz than to lowrider classics. Released in May 2010, Cosmogramma was a turning point for Ellison, made with instrumentalists such as bassist and vocalist Thundercat, violinist and arranger Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, harpist Rebekah Raff, and Ellison's cousin, tenor saxophonist Ravi Coltrane. Darlington, Niki Randa, and Radiohead's Thom Yorke also provided vocals on one track each. Just as significantly, Ellison incorporated sounds from medical equipment recorded in the hospital room of his mother, who died just before the album began to take shape. Even though the placement of those recordings isn't as obvious as, say, a Thundercat bassline, heavy-hearted sentiments were made evident throughout. Cosmogramma reached number three on the Dance/Electronic Albums chart and was the first Flying Lotus LP to hit the Billboard 200, registering at number 88. The supplemental Pattern+Grid World EP was out a few months later. Until the Quiet Comes, the dreamlike fourth Flying Lotus album, was out in September 2012. Spacier and pared down in relation to Cosmogramma, it still found room for the likes of Thundercat, other Brainfeeder affiliates including keyboardists Austin Peralta and Brandon Coleman, and Atwood-Ferguson. Darlington, Randa, and Yorke likewise added ghostly vocals, as did Erykah Badu. It cracked the Top 40 of the Billboard 200, peaking at number 34, and narrowly missed the top of the Dance/Electronic chart. Ellison then bolted in the opposite direction and reached a new level of acclaim with his next work. You're Dead!, released in October 2014, used many of the players familiar to Flying Lotus sessions -- plus Herbie Hancock, rising Brainfeeder addition Kamasi Washington, and Snoop Dogg, as well as Ellison under his rapping Captain Murphy guise -- and multiplied the intensity. The thrashing LP scraped the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 and topped Dance/Electronic Albums. "Never Catch Me," featuring Kendrick Lamar, was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Dance Recording. Ellison had co-produced "Wesley's Theory" for Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly, a contender for Album of the Year, making him a two-time nominee. Brainfeeder inevitably branched into film production, beginning with the biological horror-comedy vignette Royal and the 2017 parent feature Kuso, both directed by (and featuring music from) Ellison. Additionally, Flying Lotus was the name credited with the music for the short Blade Runner Black Out 2022, among some other visual projects that reached the public in the mid- to late 2010s. Ellison ended the longest period between Flying Lotus albums in May 2019 with Flamagra. Put together over the intervening years, it threw Brainfeeder signee George Clinton, Solange, Anderson .Paak, Shabazz Palaces, and Tierra Whack, among several other guests, into the mix. A central role was played by director David Lynch, who spun a tale about an inferno threatening to engulf a neighborhood. Flamagra became the second Flying Lotus LP to top the Dance/Electronic Albums chart, and debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 45. He continued to work closely with Thundercat on the bassist's 2020 release It Is What It Is; it won a Grammy for Best Progressive R&B Album, and the same year, Ellison was among the nominees for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. Returning to film work, Ellison composed the soundtrack to the 2021 Netflix anime series Yasuke, based on a 16th century Black samurai. "The Room," a neo-soul single featuring singer Devin Tracy, appeared in 2022, the same year Ellison co-wrote, directed, and scored the "Ozzy's Dungeon" segment of the horror anthology film V/H/S/99. He and Smoke DZA partnered for Flying Objects, an EP that featured appearances from Black Thought, Estelle, and Conway the Machine, in 2023. Still inspired by David Lynch -- Twin Peaks in particular -- Ellison returned in 2024 with the woozy single "Garmonbozia," on which he sang about being confined to "the red room." The song was featured on the house-influenced Spirit Box EP. Ellison directed, starred in, and scored the horror-thriller ASH, which was released in 2025. He experimented with FM synthesis on Big Mama, a 2026 EP issued by Brainfeeder rather than longtime home Warp. - Biography by Andy Kellman

thu09jul6:00 pmthu9:00 pmInnlet6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Baronet Rooftop at The Asbury Hotel, 210 5th Avenue

thu09jul7:00 pmthu10:00 pmWAAXAngel's Mess Tour7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Baby's All Right, 146 Broadway

thu09jul8:00 pmthu9:30 pmFlying Lotus8:00 pm - 9:30 pm Blue Note, 131 W 3rd Street

Time

(Thursday) 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm

Location

Blue Note

131 W 3rd Street

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Whether in solitude or supported by a cast of musicians, Flying Lotus distills a uniquely crisp, spasmodic, and heady sound with elements of hip-hop, experimental electronic music, and avant-garde jazz. Regarded upon his 2006 arrival as a promising beatmaker looming in the shadows of J Dilla, Madlib, and Dabrye, Steven Ellison -- the producer known as Flying Lotus -- nullified all comparisons only two years later with Los Angeles. On that album, his first of five for the Warp label, Ellison advanced a progressive collision of styles that typified the L.A. beat scene of which he was part. While the abovementioned producers fueled Ellison, he had also been excited as a youngster by the '90s West Coast rap classics that combined programming and live instrumentation. His sound continued to develop as he put his own twist on the approach, recording with a crop of jazz artists including the indispensable likes of bassist Thundercat and strings master Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. This process began with the turbulent 2010 set Cosmogramma and peaked in terms of acclaim in 2014 with You're Dead!, which crashed the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 and spawned the Kendrick Lamar collaboration "Never Catch Me," a Grammy nominee for Best Dance Recording. Ellison devoted a few years to various forms of film work and the operation of his revered Brainfeeder label, and returned in 2019 with Flamagra, his second consecutive album to top Billboard's Dance/Electronic chart. After he was Grammy-nominated for Producer of the Year, he provided the score for the 2021 anime series Yasuke. He directed and scored the sci-fi horror film ASH in 2025. The EP Big Mama (2026) was his first release on his own Brainfeeder label. Steven Ellison was born in Los Angeles and raised in the city's Winnetka neighborhood. He is the grandson of Marilyn McLeod, a songwriter and producer known for co-writing hits such as Diana Ross' "Love Hangover" and Jermaine Jackson's "Let Me Tickle Your Fancy." Additionally, Ellison is the grand-nephew of visionary jazz artists Alice Coltrane (McLeod's sister) and John Coltrane. His cousins include Ravi and Oran Coltrane, the latter of whom introduced him to electronic music production and gave him his first piece of gear, a Roland MC-505 groovebox. Drawn first to filmmaking -- he made stop-motion clips in his youth, using action figures and a camcorder -- Ellison obtained a degree from Los Angeles Film School and continued at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. After a short period in the Bay Area, he returned to L.A. and in 2004 started working as an intern for Peanut Butter Wolf's Stones Throw label, which enabled him to cross paths with inspirations such as J Dilla and Madlib. All the while, Ellison had continued to work on music, particularly taken with the Akai MPC sampler. In response to an open call from Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block, Ellison submitted tracks, and soon had them licensed for use between segments and commercial breaks. Ellison debuted officially as Flying Lotus in 2006, the year he connected with Plug Research, a crucial outlet of Los Angeles' emerging beat scene. His "Two Bottom Blues" appeared beside tracks by established contemporaries such as Daedelus, Sa-Ra, and Georgia Anne Muldrow on Carlos Niño Presents the Sound of L.A. A couple months later, he provided a remix for Mia Doi Todd's La Ninja: Amor and Other Dreams. That October, Plug Research released 1983, Ellison's first album. Titled after his birth year, it was created in solitude with the exception of the cosmic "Unexpected Delight," featuring vocals from Laura Darlington -- a frequent collaborator for years to come. Signal-boosting support came most prominently from BBC DJ Gilles Peterson. The next year, U.K. underground institution Warp Records signed Ellison and issued the Reset EP -- another October delivery -- on which Ellison's sound became more distinct. This time, Andreya Triana joined Ellison on the woozy opener "Tea Leaf Dancers," a signature early track. Meanwhile, Ellison had become a major catalyst in the activity emanating from Low End Theory, a weekly club night -- and public salon of sorts for aspiring beatmakers and other musicians -- held in L.A.'s Lincoln Heights neighborhood. Local groundswell and an increasing international profile combined to make Ellison's first Warp LP a subcultural event. The definitively titled Los Angeles arrived in June 2008, entered Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart at number 16, and months later was hailed by several music publications as one of the year's best albums. Ellison incorporated vocals from Laura Darlington, Gonjasufi, and Dolly, but he also received co-production input from fellow native Californians and L.A. transplants. Three of them -- Gaslamp Killer, Samiyam, and MatthewDavid -- soon helped build the catalog of Ellison's Brainfeeder label, launched the same year and named after the opening track of Los Angeles. By August 2009, Warp had also dispersed L.A. EP 1 X 3, L.A. EP 2 X 3, and L.A. EP 3 X 3, a trilogy of short-form releases containing previously unreleased cuts and remixes. One of the remixes came from eventual Brainfeeder artist Martyn, affirming Ellison's enthusiastic tracking of pre-commercial dubstep. Around that time, Ellison also remixed a Martyn production and made his first in a handful of appearances on the Hyperdub label. One of many formative inspirations for Ellison was West Coast rap -- G-funk especially -- that integrated programming and live instrumentation. For the producer's next album, he took the concept to the hilt, albeit with a result that moved him closer to modern electric avant-garde jazz than to lowrider classics. Released in May 2010, Cosmogramma was a turning point for Ellison, made with instrumentalists such as bassist and vocalist Thundercat, violinist and arranger Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, harpist Rebekah Raff, and Ellison's cousin, tenor saxophonist Ravi Coltrane. Darlington, Niki Randa, and Radiohead's Thom Yorke also provided vocals on one track each. Just as significantly, Ellison incorporated sounds from medical equipment recorded in the hospital room of his mother, who died just before the album began to take shape. Even though the placement of those recordings isn't as obvious as, say, a Thundercat bassline, heavy-hearted sentiments were made evident throughout. Cosmogramma reached number three on the Dance/Electronic Albums chart and was the first Flying Lotus LP to hit the Billboard 200, registering at number 88. The supplemental Pattern+Grid World EP was out a few months later. Until the Quiet Comes, the dreamlike fourth Flying Lotus album, was out in September 2012. Spacier and pared down in relation to Cosmogramma, it still found room for the likes of Thundercat, other Brainfeeder affiliates including keyboardists Austin Peralta and Brandon Coleman, and Atwood-Ferguson. Darlington, Randa, and Yorke likewise added ghostly vocals, as did Erykah Badu. It cracked the Top 40 of the Billboard 200, peaking at number 34, and narrowly missed the top of the Dance/Electronic chart. Ellison then bolted in the opposite direction and reached a new level of acclaim with his next work. You're Dead!, released in October 2014, used many of the players familiar to Flying Lotus sessions -- plus Herbie Hancock, rising Brainfeeder addition Kamasi Washington, and Snoop Dogg, as well as Ellison under his rapping Captain Murphy guise -- and multiplied the intensity. The thrashing LP scraped the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 and topped Dance/Electronic Albums. "Never Catch Me," featuring Kendrick Lamar, was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Dance Recording. Ellison had co-produced "Wesley's Theory" for Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly, a contender for Album of the Year, making him a two-time nominee. Brainfeeder inevitably branched into film production, beginning with the biological horror-comedy vignette Royal and the 2017 parent feature Kuso, both directed by (and featuring music from) Ellison. Additionally, Flying Lotus was the name credited with the music for the short Blade Runner Black Out 2022, among some other visual projects that reached the public in the mid- to late 2010s. Ellison ended the longest period between Flying Lotus albums in May 2019 with Flamagra. Put together over the intervening years, it threw Brainfeeder signee George Clinton, Solange, Anderson .Paak, Shabazz Palaces, and Tierra Whack, among several other guests, into the mix. A central role was played by director David Lynch, who spun a tale about an inferno threatening to engulf a neighborhood. Flamagra became the second Flying Lotus LP to top the Dance/Electronic Albums chart, and debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 45. He continued to work closely with Thundercat on the bassist's 2020 release It Is What It Is; it won a Grammy for Best Progressive R&B Album, and the same year, Ellison was among the nominees for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. Returning to film work, Ellison composed the soundtrack to the 2021 Netflix anime series Yasuke, based on a 16th century Black samurai. "The Room," a neo-soul single featuring singer Devin Tracy, appeared in 2022, the same year Ellison co-wrote, directed, and scored the "Ozzy's Dungeon" segment of the horror anthology film V/H/S/99. He and Smoke DZA partnered for Flying Objects, an EP that featured appearances from Black Thought, Estelle, and Conway the Machine, in 2023. Still inspired by David Lynch -- Twin Peaks in particular -- Ellison returned in 2024 with the woozy single "Garmonbozia," on which he sang about being confined to "the red room." The song was featured on the house-influenced Spirit Box EP. Ellison directed, starred in, and scored the horror-thriller ASH, which was released in 2025. He experimented with FM synthesis on Big Mama, a 2026 EP issued by Brainfeeder rather than longtime home Warp. - Biography by Andy Kellman

thu09jul8:00 pmthu11:00 pmMack KeaneThe Wide Eyed Tour8:00 pm - 11:00 pm MilkBoy, 1100 Chestnut Street

Time

(Thursday) 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Location

MilkBoy

1100 Chestnut Street

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Singer and songwriter Mack Keane makes lyrical neo-soul- and R&B-infused pop. He first garnered attention with his 2016 single "Model Behavior" before further defining his intimately emotive style with a trilogy of EPs: 2019's Donna Ave and Aquanetta Dr, and 2020's Dry Creek Rd. In 2022, he collaborated with ESTA. on the EP Intersections, and he delivered the full-length Entries in 2025. The sonically atmospheric Wide Eyed arrived in 2026. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Keane grew up in a creative household the son of veteran producer Tom Keane and actress/singer Paula Mulcahy, as well as the grandson of Del-Fi Records founder Bob Keane. Interested in performing from a young age, he started playing piano while in elementary school and spent time listening to his parents' record collection, imbibing the sounds of classic soul and R&B artists like Donny Hathaway, Earth, Wind & Fire, Steely Dan, and others. More contemporary influences followed as Keane discovered OutKast, Pharrell Williams, and Frank Ocean. By his teens, he was already an adept songwriter and performer, skills that found him enrolling at NYU's Clive Davis Institute of Music, where he began recording his material during his freshman year. In 2016, Keane made a splash online with the '70s soul-inspired track "Model Behavior." A year later, he returned with his self-titled debut EP, featuring co-production from his father and Nathan East. From 2019 to 2020, Keane released a trilogy of deeply personal EPs, each named after a significant place in his childhood: Donna Ave, Aquanetta Dr, and Dry Creek Rd. An atmospheric stand-alone single, "Aaliyah," arrived in June 2021. In March 2022, he issued the Intersections EP, a collaboration with ESTA., also featuring contributions by Destin Conrad and Joyce Wrice. Included was the laid-back and soulful track "O.M.L." Keane took his time with his next project, writing and developing tracks. He eventually began posting videos to social media, reading from his journal over beats. The process helped inspire his first full-length album, 2025's Entries. Self-produced, it found him embracing a synthy yet still organic '80s soul vibe, as evidenced by singles like "Y?," "All Talk," and the romantic "Sophia." He returned in 2026 with his sophomore album, Wide Eyed. Produced with Zack Sekoff and Sol Was, it found Keane embracing an even more sonically textural approach, weaving together atmospheric soul, psych, and gospel touches. Included were the singles "Candy Crush," "Bloodshot," and "Ordinary Feelings."

thu09jul10:30 pmthu11:59 pmFlying Lotus10:30 pm - 11:59 pm Blue Note, 131 W 3rd Street

Time

(Thursday) 10:30 pm - 11:59 pm

Location

Blue Note

131 W 3rd Street

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Whether in solitude or supported by a cast of musicians, Flying Lotus distills a uniquely crisp, spasmodic, and heady sound with elements of hip-hop, experimental electronic music, and avant-garde jazz. Regarded upon his 2006 arrival as a promising beatmaker looming in the shadows of J Dilla, Madlib, and Dabrye, Steven Ellison -- the producer known as Flying Lotus -- nullified all comparisons only two years later with Los Angeles. On that album, his first of five for the Warp label, Ellison advanced a progressive collision of styles that typified the L.A. beat scene of which he was part. While the abovementioned producers fueled Ellison, he had also been excited as a youngster by the '90s West Coast rap classics that combined programming and live instrumentation. His sound continued to develop as he put his own twist on the approach, recording with a crop of jazz artists including the indispensable likes of bassist Thundercat and strings master Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. This process began with the turbulent 2010 set Cosmogramma and peaked in terms of acclaim in 2014 with You're Dead!, which crashed the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 and spawned the Kendrick Lamar collaboration "Never Catch Me," a Grammy nominee for Best Dance Recording. Ellison devoted a few years to various forms of film work and the operation of his revered Brainfeeder label, and returned in 2019 with Flamagra, his second consecutive album to top Billboard's Dance/Electronic chart. After he was Grammy-nominated for Producer of the Year, he provided the score for the 2021 anime series Yasuke. He directed and scored the sci-fi horror film ASH in 2025. The EP Big Mama (2026) was his first release on his own Brainfeeder label. Steven Ellison was born in Los Angeles and raised in the city's Winnetka neighborhood. He is the grandson of Marilyn McLeod, a songwriter and producer known for co-writing hits such as Diana Ross' "Love Hangover" and Jermaine Jackson's "Let Me Tickle Your Fancy." Additionally, Ellison is the grand-nephew of visionary jazz artists Alice Coltrane (McLeod's sister) and John Coltrane. His cousins include Ravi and Oran Coltrane, the latter of whom introduced him to electronic music production and gave him his first piece of gear, a Roland MC-505 groovebox. Drawn first to filmmaking -- he made stop-motion clips in his youth, using action figures and a camcorder -- Ellison obtained a degree from Los Angeles Film School and continued at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. After a short period in the Bay Area, he returned to L.A. and in 2004 started working as an intern for Peanut Butter Wolf's Stones Throw label, which enabled him to cross paths with inspirations such as J Dilla and Madlib. All the while, Ellison had continued to work on music, particularly taken with the Akai MPC sampler. In response to an open call from Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block, Ellison submitted tracks, and soon had them licensed for use between segments and commercial breaks. Ellison debuted officially as Flying Lotus in 2006, the year he connected with Plug Research, a crucial outlet of Los Angeles' emerging beat scene. His "Two Bottom Blues" appeared beside tracks by established contemporaries such as Daedelus, Sa-Ra, and Georgia Anne Muldrow on Carlos Niño Presents the Sound of L.A. A couple months later, he provided a remix for Mia Doi Todd's La Ninja: Amor and Other Dreams. That October, Plug Research released 1983, Ellison's first album. Titled after his birth year, it was created in solitude with the exception of the cosmic "Unexpected Delight," featuring vocals from Laura Darlington -- a frequent collaborator for years to come. Signal-boosting support came most prominently from BBC DJ Gilles Peterson. The next year, U.K. underground institution Warp Records signed Ellison and issued the Reset EP -- another October delivery -- on which Ellison's sound became more distinct. This time, Andreya Triana joined Ellison on the woozy opener "Tea Leaf Dancers," a signature early track. Meanwhile, Ellison had become a major catalyst in the activity emanating from Low End Theory, a weekly club night -- and public salon of sorts for aspiring beatmakers and other musicians -- held in L.A.'s Lincoln Heights neighborhood. Local groundswell and an increasing international profile combined to make Ellison's first Warp LP a subcultural event. The definitively titled Los Angeles arrived in June 2008, entered Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart at number 16, and months later was hailed by several music publications as one of the year's best albums. Ellison incorporated vocals from Laura Darlington, Gonjasufi, and Dolly, but he also received co-production input from fellow native Californians and L.A. transplants. Three of them -- Gaslamp Killer, Samiyam, and MatthewDavid -- soon helped build the catalog of Ellison's Brainfeeder label, launched the same year and named after the opening track of Los Angeles. By August 2009, Warp had also dispersed L.A. EP 1 X 3, L.A. EP 2 X 3, and L.A. EP 3 X 3, a trilogy of short-form releases containing previously unreleased cuts and remixes. One of the remixes came from eventual Brainfeeder artist Martyn, affirming Ellison's enthusiastic tracking of pre-commercial dubstep. Around that time, Ellison also remixed a Martyn production and made his first in a handful of appearances on the Hyperdub label. One of many formative inspirations for Ellison was West Coast rap -- G-funk especially -- that integrated programming and live instrumentation. For the producer's next album, he took the concept to the hilt, albeit with a result that moved him closer to modern electric avant-garde jazz than to lowrider classics. Released in May 2010, Cosmogramma was a turning point for Ellison, made with instrumentalists such as bassist and vocalist Thundercat, violinist and arranger Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, harpist Rebekah Raff, and Ellison's cousin, tenor saxophonist Ravi Coltrane. Darlington, Niki Randa, and Radiohead's Thom Yorke also provided vocals on one track each. Just as significantly, Ellison incorporated sounds from medical equipment recorded in the hospital room of his mother, who died just before the album began to take shape. Even though the placement of those recordings isn't as obvious as, say, a Thundercat bassline, heavy-hearted sentiments were made evident throughout. Cosmogramma reached number three on the Dance/Electronic Albums chart and was the first Flying Lotus LP to hit the Billboard 200, registering at number 88. The supplemental Pattern+Grid World EP was out a few months later. Until the Quiet Comes, the dreamlike fourth Flying Lotus album, was out in September 2012. Spacier and pared down in relation to Cosmogramma, it still found room for the likes of Thundercat, other Brainfeeder affiliates including keyboardists Austin Peralta and Brandon Coleman, and Atwood-Ferguson. Darlington, Randa, and Yorke likewise added ghostly vocals, as did Erykah Badu. It cracked the Top 40 of the Billboard 200, peaking at number 34, and narrowly missed the top of the Dance/Electronic chart. Ellison then bolted in the opposite direction and reached a new level of acclaim with his next work. You're Dead!, released in October 2014, used many of the players familiar to Flying Lotus sessions -- plus Herbie Hancock, rising Brainfeeder addition Kamasi Washington, and Snoop Dogg, as well as Ellison under his rapping Captain Murphy guise -- and multiplied the intensity. The thrashing LP scraped the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 and topped Dance/Electronic Albums. "Never Catch Me," featuring Kendrick Lamar, was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Dance Recording. Ellison had co-produced "Wesley's Theory" for Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly, a contender for Album of the Year, making him a two-time nominee. Brainfeeder inevitably branched into film production, beginning with the biological horror-comedy vignette Royal and the 2017 parent feature Kuso, both directed by (and featuring music from) Ellison. Additionally, Flying Lotus was the name credited with the music for the short Blade Runner Black Out 2022, among some other visual projects that reached the public in the mid- to late 2010s. Ellison ended the longest period between Flying Lotus albums in May 2019 with Flamagra. Put together over the intervening years, it threw Brainfeeder signee George Clinton, Solange, Anderson .Paak, Shabazz Palaces, and Tierra Whack, among several other guests, into the mix. A central role was played by director David Lynch, who spun a tale about an inferno threatening to engulf a neighborhood. Flamagra became the second Flying Lotus LP to top the Dance/Electronic Albums chart, and debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 45. He continued to work closely with Thundercat on the bassist's 2020 release It Is What It Is; it won a Grammy for Best Progressive R&B Album, and the same year, Ellison was among the nominees for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. Returning to film work, Ellison composed the soundtrack to the 2021 Netflix anime series Yasuke, based on a 16th century Black samurai. "The Room," a neo-soul single featuring singer Devin Tracy, appeared in 2022, the same year Ellison co-wrote, directed, and scored the "Ozzy's Dungeon" segment of the horror anthology film V/H/S/99. He and Smoke DZA partnered for Flying Objects, an EP that featured appearances from Black Thought, Estelle, and Conway the Machine, in 2023. Still inspired by David Lynch -- Twin Peaks in particular -- Ellison returned in 2024 with the woozy single "Garmonbozia," on which he sang about being confined to "the red room." The song was featured on the house-influenced Spirit Box EP. Ellison directed, starred in, and scored the horror-thriller ASH, which was released in 2025. He experimented with FM synthesis on Big Mama, a 2026 EP issued by Brainfeeder rather than longtime home Warp. - Biography by Andy Kellman

fri10jul6:00 pmfri9:00 pmJejune6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Mercury Lounge, 17 E Houston Street

fri10jul7:00 pmfri10:00 pmKing WomanCelestial Blues7:00 pm - 10:00 pm (le) poisson rouge, 158 Bleecker Street

Time

(Friday) 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Location

(le) poisson rouge

158 Bleecker Street

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Blending drone, shoegaze, and doom metal with more ethereal influences, King Woman began as the solo project of Kristina Esfandiari before becoming a full-fledged band in 2017 with the release of Created in the Image of Suffering. Four years later the group returned with the dynamic Celestial Blues, which added elements of post-rock and grunge to their sonic arsenal. Also known for her work with/as Miserable, Dalmatian, Sugar High, and NGHTCRWLR, Esfandiari founded King Woman in 2009, but her duties with her other bands meant that the project's first single, "Degrida/Sick Bed" -- which featured Tied to the Branches and Chasms' Jess Labrador as her backing band -- didn't appear until 2013. The following year's "Dove/Fond Affections" single was King Woman's final release as Esfandiari's solo project; by the time of 2015's Doubt EP, the group included drummer Joey Raygoza, bassist Peter Arensdorf, and guitarist Colin Gallagher. The band signed to Relapse Records in 2016, and released their debut album, the mystical and towering Created in the Image of Suffering, in early 2017. In 2021 they issued their hypnotic sophomore long-player Celestial Blues which, like its predecessor, drew on themes of trauma and religion inspired by Esfandiari's childhood with her charismatic Christian parents. - Biography by Heather Phares

fri10jul8:00 pmfri11:00 pmRatboys8:00 pm - 11:00 pm White Eagle Hall, 337 Newark Avenue

Time

(Friday) 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Location

White Eagle Hall

337 Newark Avenue

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Chicago's Ratboys color their sauntering, reflective indie rock with distortion and hints of rustic alt-country. After emerging with their first EP, the homespun Ratboy, in 2015, they fleshed out their palette, adding pedal steel, strings, and more by the time they recorded their second full-length, 2017's GN. Released in 2023, their fourth album, the Chris Walla-produced The Window, found them expanding their indie toolbox further, with instruments such as rototoms and talk boxes in the mix. With singles including 2025's "Anywhere," they continued along a more assertive path on the next year's separation-themed Singin' to an Empty Chair, another collaboration with Walla. Ratboys founding members Julia Steiner and David Sagan met as freshman at the University of Notre Dame and had begun recording together by the end of the school year. By their sophomore year, they were performing at private shows, at first as an acoustic duo. Swerp Records issued their debut EP, Ratboy, in 2012. By the time they graduated (Steiner in 2014 and Sagan a year later), they had gone electric, added bassist William Lange and drummer Jordan Parel to the lineup, and signed with Topshelf Records. The label released Ratboys' debut album, AOID, in June 2015. With stops in the U.S. and Europe, they toured for over a year in support of the record, adding trumpet player Cody Owens to the group and replacing Parel with drummer Pat Kennedy along the way. Without relinquishing their easygoing mix of jangle and distortion, they had friends contribute instruments like pedal steel, accordion, and strings to their second album, 2017's GN (short for "goodnight"). It featured Sean Neumann on bass and Danny Lyons on drums. The heartache-themed EP GL ("good luck") followed a year later. Ratboys' third long-player, Printer's Devil, arrived on Topshelf in February 2020. Recorded live at Decade Music Studios in Chicago with co-producer Erik Rasmussen, it saw the core duo joined by Neumann and drummer Marcus Nuccio (Dowsing, Pet Symmetry). An album of re-recorded early songs, Happy Birthday, Ratboy, emerged in April 2021 amid a series of COVID-19-prompted online performances. The group headed to a studio outside of Chicago for the first time in order to record their next album with producer Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie) in Seattle. Further expanding their sound and stylistic reach to include plaintive folk, warm country-rock, and fuzzy guitar pop while incorporating sounds like rototoms and additional effects, The Window arrived on Topshelf in August 2023. A split single with T.V. Not January released in honor of the groups' 2024 tour of Japan appeared in February 2024. Following a move to New West Records, Ratboys stuck with a more assertive, effects-bolstered sound on 2025 singles like "Light Night Mountains All That" and "Anywhere" from 2026's Singin' to an Empty Chair, the band's sixth LP. Heavily influenced by Steiner's estrangement from a loved one and a related therapy exercise, the album was recorded with Walla in sessions in rural Wisconsin, at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studio in Chicago, and in nearby Evanston. - Biography by Marcy Donelson

fri10jul8:00 pmfri11:00 pmAmerican Football8:00 pm - 11:00 pm Franklin Music Hall, 421 N. 7th Street

Time

(Friday) 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Location

Franklin Music Hall

421 N. 7th Street

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Before attaining global recognition as a defining pillar of the “Midwest Emo” sub-genre, American Football was a humble University of Illinois-based indie rock band led by Mike Kinsella (founding Cap’n Jazz drummer-turned- vocalist-and-guitarist) along with Steve Holmes (guitar) and Steve Lamos (drums / trumpet). They were influenced at the time by artists including Steve Reich, Tortoise, and The Sea and Cake. Together, American Football would play no more than a dozen sparsely attended shows before going their separate ways. With college graduation and some variation of adulthood looming, the band’s parting gift would be shared in the form of a self-titled album, released in September of 1999 via the locally founded Polyvinyl Record Co. What would transpire over the ensuing fifteen years, however, is something made of rock and roll legend – where word of mouth meets message boards, and mixtapes, burned CDs, and early file sharing platforms allowed for the lore of an otherwise unknown band, with a nondescript house on their lone album cover, to grow into something much larger. In 2014, answering the call from a growing legion of dedicated fans, American Football would reunite to international acclaim. With the addition of bassist/multi-instrumentalist and cousin Nate Kinsella, the quartet has since released two additional (and equally beloved) self-titled records in 2016 and 2019, while steering a natural evolution in their evergreen sound towards post-rock, post-punk, and more experimental influences. They’ve collaborated with admired peers and fans alike, including Paramore’s Hayley Williams, Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell, and Ethel Cain, among others. The band has been touted among the most important artists of their class by the likes of Alternative Press, The FADER, GQ, The Guardian, NME, NPR Music, KEXP, Vulture, Rolling Stone, and elsewhere. Hailed as the “most influential album in the genre” by Pitchfork, American Football spent the last two years honoring its 25th anniversary of their self-titled debut – colloquially known as “LP1,” by embarking on a sold out world tour. In the process, they shared a remastered edition of the landmark record, compiled an LP1 covers album by artists of mutual inspiration, put out their first live album, and released a companion concert film of its recording. Having recently ventured into parts of the globe for the first time, the band has also found an overwhelming embrace among a new generation of fans. Many of these fans have never been to the American Midwest, yet have all felt that same emotional connection to its vast geography and rich creative soil. As spring approaches in 2026, so does new growth…

fri10jul8:00 pmfri11:00 pmWAAXAngel's Mess Tour8:00 pm - 11:00 pm Kung Fu Necktie, 1248 N Front Street

Time

(Friday) 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Location

Kung Fu Necktie

1248 N Front Street

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With their fiery, euphoric brand of punk, Brisbane five-piece WAAX capture a universe of heartbreak and excitement, loss and freedom, pain and joy. Led by frontwoman Maz DeVita, WAAX typify the feeling of being young and alive during this point in time: Worn down, world-weary, but, in spite of it all, still fucking dancing. WAAX formed in 2013 and spent the next seven-odd years touring, releasing, and grinding through the Australian music industry. Their hard work had paid off: A song from their debut album Big Grief placed in the Hottest 100, they’ve toured the States and played SXSW, and performed triumphant sets at UNIFY and Splendour. 2022 sees a new version of WAAX unleashed — a more ambitious, higher-reaching version of an already beloved punk band. Their sophomore album At Least I’m Free contains some of the band’s most vibrant, emotionally nuanced songs to date — it’s a creative and emotional rebirth. Awash in samples and programmed beats as well as gargantuan riffs and, of course, DeVita’s spine-tingling howl, it’s a record that telegraphs the band’s ambition to step beyond ‘Australian rock’ and into a weirder, wilder landscape. WAAX have been to hell and back and, now, they’re charging forward.

sat11jul3:00 pmsat7:00 pmHoney Dijon3:00 pm - 7:00 pm Knockdown Center, 52-19 Flushing Avenue

sat11jul6:00 pmsat9:00 pmFather of PeaceThe Year Of Madness & The Mystery Century Tour6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Mercury Lounge, 17 E Houston Street

sat11jul7:00 pmsat10:00 pmFather7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Zone One at Elsewhere, 599 Johnson Avenue

sat11jul7:00 pmsat11:00 pmLouis TomlinsonHow Did We Get Here? World Tour7:00 pm - 11:00 pm The Mann, 5201 Parkside Avenue

Time

(Saturday) 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Location

The Mann

5201 Parkside Avenue

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Best known as a member of English boy band One Direction, pop vocalist Louis Tomlinson embarked on a solo career after the group ended their record-breaking early-2010s run in 2016. After years of releasing singles and appearing on The X Factor -- the same show that pushed him into the limelight -- he issued his official debut album, Walls, in 2020. The Brit-pop-leaning Faith in the Future followed in 2022, topping the charts in his home country. A 2023 documentary, All of Those Voices, kept his momentum going, as did a 2024 live album. Born Louis Troy Austin in Doncaster, England, he shot to stardom after appearing on the 2010 edition of The X Factor. He attended school in his hometown, where, by his own admission, he didn't pay that much attention academically; instead, he was drawn to anything related to music and acting. After playing the role of Danny Zuko in his school production of Grease, he was motivated to audition for The X Factor in 2009, but he failed to make the cut. Undeterred, Tomlinson auditioned the following year, this time making it through the preliminary stages. Initially, he performed as a solo act, but just as he and four others -- Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik -- were set to be ejected from the solo competition, guest judge Nicole Scherzinger suggested putting them together and allowing them to continue as One Direction in the group competition. Although One Direction came in third on the show, they went on to become one of The X Factor's biggest success stories, regularly topping charts worldwide and selling over 50 million records within a decade. Outside of the band, Tomlinson gained a reputation for philanthropy, as he constantly campaigned for, and donated to, various charities. In early 2016, One Direction began an indefinite hiatus, giving the individual members time to pursue their own interests. For Tomlinson, this included becoming a father. Later that year, he released his debut solo single, the platinum-certified "Just Hold On," a collaboration with Steve Aoki. Months later, he hit a U.S. chart peak with "Back to You," a group effort with Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals. He continued into 2019 with a series of singles that eventually landed on his official full-length debut. Arriving in early 2020, Walls (Syco/Arista) featured a distinct Brit-pop influence, echoing U.K. forebears like Robbie Williams and Oasis. The LP peaked at number nine on the U.S. Billboard 200 and charted at number one in Mexico, Argentina, Portugal, and Scotland. Two years later, Tomlinson released his anthemic sophomore long-player, Faith in the Future, which included the stadium-sized single "Bigger Than Me." The set became his first chart-topper in the U.K. and landed in the Top Five across Europe, Oceania, and in the U.S. His career was the subject of the 2023 documentary film All of Those Voices, and a year later, the concert album Live captured peformances from Tomlinson's world tour. - Biography by Liam Martin

sat11jul7:00 pmsat11:00 pmTasha7:00 pm - 11:00 pm Union Pool, 484 Union Avenue

sat11jul7:00 pmsat11:00 pmJejune7:00 pm - 11:00 pm Ukie Club, 847 N Franklin Street

sat11jul8:00 pmsat11:00 pmSid Simons8:00 pm - 11:00 pm Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey Street

Time

(Saturday) 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Location

Bowery Ballroom

6 Delancey Street

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Sid Simons is a New York City-based songwriter and performer whose music is as dynamic and worldly as his background. Born in Portland, OR, raised in Sydney, Australia, and schooled in the underground rock scenes of China and NYC, Simons crafts a sound that seamlessly blends the grit of the early 2000s indie rock revival with the soulful, melodic warmth of 1970s Americana. Simons first captured widespread attention with his viral hit "Wendy," paving the way for his acclaimed album, Beneath the Brightest Smiles. Produced by Gordon Raphael (The Strokes, Regina Spektor), the record established Simons as a "fresh yet familiar" voice in the indie scene. His unique artistry has since caught the attention of major tastemakers, earning features in Paper Magazine, NME, and other leading publications watching his rise. His most recent release, the 2025 EP The Last American Valentine, further showcases his evolution, marrying orchestral arrangements with his signature lyrical wit. On stage, Simons is a magnetic force. Known for delivering high-octane, polished performances that bridge the gap between intimate storytelling and raucous celebration. Having already sold out iconic venues like the Bowery Ballroom and toured extensively across North America and Europe, Sid Simons is a star on the rise, bringing an infectious, crowd-commanding energy to every stage he plays.

sun12jul3:00 pmsun7:00 pmHoney Dijon3:00 pm - 7:00 pm Knockdown Center, 52-19 Flushing Avenue

sun12jul5:00 pmsun7:00 pmAmerican Vanity5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Mercury Lounge, 17 E Houston Street

Time

(Sunday) 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

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Mercury Lounge

17 E Houston Street

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American Vanity turns modern rock into a mirror — vivid, unfiltered, and built to reflect what it feels like to live in your own skin. Led by dual vocalists Virginia Franks (bass) and Luke Hoffman (guitar), with Luke Vanchure on lead guitar and Carter Dennis on drums, the four-piece creates music that takes aim at how image, approval, and identity get tangled in the attention economy, where everyone’s chasing views but no one feels seen. Drawing from the depth of alt-rock with punk and art-rock influences, American Vanity delivers a sound that’s contemporary, intentional, and distinctly their own.Their work reflects a fascination with authenticity and image, exploring the line between performance and self-awareness that defines a current generation of rock. The musicians behind American Vanity are no strangers to national touring or industry recognition, having previously performed across the country as Burn the Jukebox and collaborated with partners including Schecter, Ernie Ball, SJC Drums, and Vans. Now stepping into a new era as American Vanity, the band is preparing to release its first full-length album with Grammy-nominated producer Matt Squire (Panic! at the Disco, All Time Low, Ariana Grande). The record marks a shift toward sharper songwriting and a more deliberate sound fueled by bigger hooks, raw energy, and a new sense of purpose.

sun12jul6:00 pmsun11:00 pmSilverstein + Story Of The Year6:00 pm - 11:00 pm The Stone Pony, 913 Ocean Ave N

Time

(Sunday) 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm

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The Stone Pony

913 Ocean Ave N

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A popular Canadian rock band with a sound that combines elements of emo, gritty post-hardcore, and soaring indie rock, Silverstein emerged in 2000 and found success with the release of their Juno Award-nominated sophomore effort, 2005's Discovering the Waterfront. They returned to the charts in 2015 with the acclaimed concept LP I Am Alive in Everything I Touch. Silverstein have continued to perfect their screamo-tinged brand of melodic hardcore, as on 2020's Juno Award-nominated A Beautiful Place to Drown and 2022's Misery Made Me. Three years later, the band issued Antibloom, the first installment of a double LP. Originally formed in 2000 as a side project, Silverstein were launched by vocalist Shane Told, guitarist Josh Bradford, drummer Paul Koehler, guitarist Richard McWalter, and bassist Bill Hamilton in Ontario, Canada. After diving into Ontario's hardcore/emo scene -- which also included bands like Moneen and Grade -- Silverstein found an audience for their particular brand of shimmering emo and hot-blooded post-hardcore. Silverstein's self-released EP Summer's Stellar Gaze was quite well received upon its release in 2000, and the band soon became the full-time project of its members. After a lineup change that saw McWalter being replaced by ex-Maharahj guitar player Neil Boshart, the group began to tour the eastern provinces of Canada in earnest. Silverstein released a second EP in April 2002 entitled When the Shadows Beam. The record sparked the interest of Victory Records honcho Tony Brummel, who signed the group to his respected Chicago imprint in October of that same year. When Broken Is Easily Fixed, Silverstein's full-length Victory debut, appeared in May 2003; a re-release of the album was issued a year later with bonus tracks and a DVD. Silverstein spent the summer of 2005 playing on the Warped Tour, and their follow-up album, Discovering the Waterfront, came out that August. Silverstein also appeared on the 2006 Take Action Tour alongside Matchbook Romance, Chidos, and the Early November. 18 Candles: The Early Years appeared in May, combining reissued material from the band's first two independently released EPs with several live tracks, acoustic performances, extensive liner notes, and rare band photos. Victory then issued a special edition of Discovering the Waterfront in fall 2006 with a bonus live DVD, new artwork, and an additional track. After coming off tour, Silverstein began working with producer Mark Trombino, who had previously worked with Jimmy Eat World and blink-182. The title of the resulting record, 2007's Arrivals & Departures, pertained to the maintenance of personal relationships while on the road. It also involved more emotionally charged lyrics, inspired by the end of Told's seven-year relationship just before his return to the studio. Silverstein traveled the world in support of the album, playing the usual North American shows while also touring through Europe, Australia, Japan, and South America. They found time to return to the studio, too, and A Shipwreck in the Sand marked the band's fourth studio album in 2009. They set out on tour to promote the record, making stops across the U.S. and the U.K. The following year, Silverstein announced that they were leaving longtime label Victory for Hopeless Records, which released the EP Transitions in 2010 and their fifth album, Rescue, a year later. Silverstein switched things up for their sixth full-length, the double-CD Short Songs, featuring original compositions under 90 seconds long on one disc, and covers by bands who'd influenced them -- Dead Kennedys, Descendents, and the Promise Ring -- on the other, further elevated by guest appearances from the likes of Mike Hranica (the Devil Wears Prada), Tim McIlrath (Rise Against), and Chris Hannah (Propagandhi). In 2012, Silverstein parted ways with longtime member Neil Boshart, who was replaced by Paul-Marc Rousseau shortly thereafter. Rousseau's first album with the band, This Is How the Wind Shifts, arrived in early 2013. The band toured extensively throughout North America, Europe, and parts of Japan and Australia over the next two years, and as part of the 2013 Vans Warped Tour lineup. Incorporating outdoor sound recordings associated with song settings and with notably personal lyrics centered on loneliness and loss, the concept album I Am Alive in Everything I Touch was released on New Damage Records in Canada and Rise Records elsewhere in the spring of 2015. In October 2016, the band issued a new single, "Ghost." In May the following year, a second single, "Retrograde," was released in anticipation of the arrival of the band's eighth studio album, Dead Reflection, which appeared later that July. Redux: The First 10 Years followed in 2019 and featured re-recorded versions of songs off the band's first four albums. A Beautiful Place to Drown, the group's tenth full-length effort, arrived in 2020 and featured guest spots from Underoath vocalist Aaron Gillespie, Princess Nokia, and Beartooth's Caleb Shomo. It hit number five on Billboard's Top Hard Rock Albums chart and garnered a Juno Award nomination for Best Rock Album. More singles followed, including "Bankrupt," "It's Over," and "Ultraviolet," all of which led up to the release of 2022's Misery Made Me. Silverstein celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2025 with an ambitious double LP. Preceded by the singles "Skin & Bones" and "Confession," Antibloom was released in February, with Pink Moon slated to arrive later that year. - Biography by Johnny Loftus Story of the Year is an American hard rock group that helped lay the groundwork for the emo-punk/melodic post-hardcore scene of the 2000s. Emerging in 2003 with the platinum-selling Page Avenue, the band built a loyal fan base by combining roaring guitars and huge singalong choruses with an overriding message of perseverance. After the release of The Constant in 2010, Story of the Year went on hiatus, but they returned in 2017 with the triumphant Wolves. Tear Me to Pieces, the group's sixth long-player, appeared in 2023. Story of the Year took root in the late '90s under a different name, Big Blue Monkey, in St. Louis, Missouri. At the time of its inception, the band's sound was much heavier (similar to the Deftones), and the lineup that would eventually become Story of the Year was not yet in place. Big Blue Monkey played frequent shows in the St. Louis area, issued several EPs, and endured the lineup fluctuations typical to any struggling combo. Creative and persistent self-promotion soon caught the ear of producer John Feldmann, who in turn brought Maverick Records into the picture. By 2002, Big Blue Monkey had become Story of the Year, signed a record contract, moved to Southern California, and toured with Feldmann and Goldfinger. The lineup of vocalist Dan Marsala, bassist Adam Russell, drummer Joshua Willis, and guitarists Ryan Phillips and Phillip Sneed entered the studio with Feldmann, emerging in spring 2003 with the debut album Page Avenue. Story did some Warped Tour dates during the summer to advance the record, which was released the following September. By this point, the band's sound had morphed completely and comfortably into emo-inflected post-grunge, akin to groups like Thrice or the similarly Feldmann-shepherded Used. The concert set Live in the Lou/Bassassins followed in spring 2005; it was a precursor to In the Wake of Determination, which appeared in October and debuted at number 19 on the Billboard 200. Three years later, Story of the Year released their third album, The Black Swan, on Epitaph Records. The Black Swan charted even higher than its predecessor and led to another Warped Tour run as well as additional tour dates. One year later, Story of the Year were back in the studio creating The Constant, which they released in early 2010. The band took a short hiatus to focus on side projects, returning in 2013 for a reunion tour and release of a re-recorded version of Page Avenue titled 10 Years and Counting. Adam Russell parted ways with Story before they returned to the studio to record another album. Their fifth effort, the '80s-inspired Wolves, arrived in late 2017, seven years after their last set of original material. Guitarist Phillip Sneed left the fold the following year, and Russell returned to the group shortly thereafter. 2022 saw the group ink a deal with SharpTone Records ahead of the release of their sixth full-length effort. The resulting Tear Me to Pieces, which included the anthemic title cut, arrived the following year. The album was produced by Colin Brittain, and the band were so pleased with the results that they teamed up with him again a couple of years later to record their next album. Titled A.R.S.O.N. ("All Rage, Still Only Numb") and released early in 2026 and was one of their heaviest and most aggressive albums to date. - Biography by Johnny Loftus

sun12jul6:30 pmsun9:00 pmIndia ShawnSubject To Change Tour6:30 pm - 9:00 pm Baby's All Right, 146 Broadway Event Organized By: Move Forward Music

sun12jul7:00 pmsun10:00 pmHowie Day7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Debonair Music Hall, 1409 Queen Anne Road

Time

(Sunday) 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Location

Debonair Music Hall

1409 Queen Anne Road

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Like Patty Griffin before him, singer/songwriter Howie Day emerged from the country quietude of Bangor, Maine, and entered both Boston's coffeehouse scene and the world of folk music. Unlike Griffin, however, Day stretched the boundaries of acoustic music from the very start, often using loop pedals in concert to create lush, layered sounds with a single guitar. He later expanded that sound to include electric instruments, strings, and a full backing band, a move that resulted in such pop/rock hits as "Collide" and "She Says." Born in 1981, Day started playing piano as a youngster and took hold of a guitar at age 14. By the next year, he had secured his first live appearance at Captain Nick's; two years later, he was touring full-time. Citing Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, and Dave Matthews among his main influences, Day focused heavily on pop-minded acoustic music, and his recognition grew as he opened for the likes of the Wallflowers, Shawn Mullins, Remy Zero, and David Gray. By 2000, Day had amassed enough original material to release an LP, Australia, which he financed himself. The album eventually found its way into the hands of Sony Music, who put Day on the label's payroll and re-released a slightly cleaned-up Australia in June 2002. "Ghost" became a minor hit at modern rock radio, and the exposure only strengthened Day's college-age constituency. The Madrigals EP appeared in April 2003, featuring demos and live material while serving as an appetizer for Day's official Sony debut. When Stop All the World Now appeared that October, it was a polished, richly produced record that revealed a newfound emphasis on pop/rock music. "Collide" became a Top 40 single, and Day continued to tour in support of the album through 2005. Although a handful of legal battles forced him to take some time off of the road, he still celebrated his live act by issuing the Live From... EP before the year's end. Howie Day took a long hiatus during the decade's latter half, having essentially toured for eight consecutive years. He did continue to travel, however, hopping between cities such as New York, Bloomington, L.A., London, and Minneapolis while gathering ideas for his next record. Sound the Alarm marked his return in 2009, prefaced by the release of leadoff single "Be There." - Biography by Kelly McCartney

sun12jul7:00 pmsun10:00 pmEmperor X7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Ukie Club, 847 N Franklin Street

Time

(Sunday) 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Location

Ukie Club

847 N Franklin Street

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The brainchild of Berlin-based American indie folk artist Chad R. Matheny, Emperor X began his aural assault in the late '90s with the release of his debut album, The Joytakers' Rakes/Stars on the Ceiling, Pleasantly Kneeling. With his literate, lo-fi leanings, Emperor X would go on to build a sizable grassroots audience in the U.S. and Europe through constant touring, quirky promotions that involved burying physical media in geocache sites, and a prolific string of releases including standouts like 2011's Western Teleport and 2017's Oversleepers International. After he survived cancer, Matheny's music became both more ambitious and focused on releases like 2022's The Lakes of Zones B and C and 2026's Unified Field, the latter of which was recorded in Ukraine during wartime. Matheny's musical interest began with a Casio SK-1 keyboard he was given at the age of nine. After acquiring a Tascam four-track recorder in his teens, he began to record songs that showed his quirky mix of surreal, offbeat lyrics, haphazard arrangements, and pop sensibilities, eventually resulting in 1998's The Joytakers' Rakes/Stars on the Ceiling, Pleasantly Kneeling. Over the next several years, he worked as a high school science teacher and pursued a physics degree while recording music on the side. With the release of 2004's Tectonic Membrane/Thin Strip on an Edgeless Platform, he decided to devote himself fully to his music. Legally blind since a 1994 car accident, Matheny relied on the Greyhound bus for his touring needs, crisscrossing the country promoting independent releases like 2005's Central Hug/Friend Army/Fractal Dunes and 2009's The Blythe Archives, Vols. 1-2. While based in Los Angeles, Matheny issued his next album, 2011's critically acclaimed Western Teleport, on the Bar/None label, and announced the coordinates for 41 cassettes containing B-sides and early versions of the album's songs that had been buried at different locations throughout the U.S. In 2012, Matheny relocated to Europe, settling in Berlin. During his first tours of Europe, he found the public transit system of train and buses far preferable to that of the U.S. Because of his circumstances, he is known to tour light with a guitar and a backpack full of guitar pedals, which would be heard on his next release, the 2013 concert set Nineteen Live Recordings, a collection of several years' worth of unusual live performances. Initially intended as an EP, 2014's The Orlando Sentinel was adjusted mere weeks before its release to include nine more tracks of an experimental electronic dance nature, making it a full-length release. Around this time, Matheny was diagnosed with cancer and underwent an invasive bout of chemotherapy and surgery. While recovering in Berlin, he began writing the material for his next album, 2017's Oversleepers International, on which he discussed his experience with cancer and the European health care system. Nurturing his ongoing fascination with geographical sites and environmental issues, Matheny released 2022's The Lakes of Zones B and C, a reference to the areas around Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear disaster site. His connection with Ukraine grew over the next few years, and during its war with Russia, he spent time there writing and recording his next album. Released in 2026, the ambitious and heartfelt Unified Field was inspired by the country and its people. - Biography by James Christopher Monger

mon13jul9:00 pmmon11:59 pmIVK9:00 pm - 11:59 pm Mercury Lounge, 17 E Houston Street

tue14jul6:30 pmtue9:00 pmMy Wonderful Boyfriend6:30 pm - 9:00 pm Baby's All Right, 146 Broadway

tue14jul7:00 pmtue10:00 pmCleo Reed7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Public Records, 233 Butler Street

Time

(Tuesday) 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Location

Public Records

233 Butler Street

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Ella goes under the alias “Cleo Reed,” modeled after two ancestors. Born and raised in NYC and Uptown DC, Cleo has been learning and experiencing under the musical influence of Black underground sounds from traditions in hip-hop to experimental R&B/soul. After three years with Pretty Sick, an all-girl dream punk band, Cleo has launched her solo career with an intention to bend genre, perform, and amplify the needed presence of Black queer women in production and sound design spaces. Cleo’s sound has provided a multitude of performances, from 2019's "The Motherlode” with NPR Music x Lincoln Center to Adidas’s Open Mic Competition with Pusha T, Sporting Life, and Hot97 @ SoB’s. As Cleo finishes the mixing and mastering of her first EP, “Root Cause,” she works a day job and attends her final year at Berklee College of Music for a degree in electronic production and design. After completion, she intends to use her creative lens to release her music as an artist as well as produce/curate for other artists and commercial work such as film/TV. Cleo breathes musicianship and creativity into everything she touches. Her music bends genres through the use of guitar, vocal harmonies and synth soundscapes informed by the origins of electronic music in the black underground. After winning the Adidas Sound Labs competition in 2018 in collaboration with Pusha T and Kamp Grizzly, Cleo has collaborated with a plethora of underground New York artists, including Nick Hakim, Wiki, Caleb Giles, Slauson Malone, Earth Dad, Duendita, and many more.

tue14jul8:00 pmtue11:00 pmStyrofoam WinosAny River Tour8:00 pm - 11:00 pm Union Pool, 484 Union Avenue

Time

(Tuesday) 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm

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Union Pool

484 Union Avenue

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A decade ago, three employees of JJ’s Market and Cafe became Styrofoam Winos. Lou Turner, Trevor Nikrant, and Joe Kenkel bonded over their mutual adoration for Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Leonard Cohen, and dollar bin country records. They amplified each other’s enthusiasm, freaking out over every new song they came across. After a friend moved and left behind a drum set, all three Winos learned to play the drums. Early experiments in group songwriting were born from jam sessions and erasure poetry, blacking out words in old books to generate new poems. They all sang lead and swapped instruments regularly. Seeing Michael Hurley for the first time left a lasting impression and provided the band with one of its creative north stars. Years later, Snock himself would send the Winos his blessing to release their cassette of covers of his songs. Styrofoam Winos have always gone with the flow, which makes Any River an apt title for their new album, the follow-up to 2024's Real Time. Their playful approach is bolstered by the chops of seasoned musicians who have performed many hundreds of concerts, both together and as touring members of Ryan Davis and the Roadhouse Band, MJ Lenderman and the Wind, and as solo artists. This is one of their key strengths that can’t be overstated: they are extremely good musicians! When three talented people develop such a deep level of chemistry, the result is nothing short of majestic. Each song on Any River came out of jam sessions at Turner and Nikrant’s home studio, and a shared Google doc of lyrics soon followed. They recorded in Louisville—their first album made outside of Nashville—with Roadhouse bandmate and Equipment Pointed Ankh mastermind Jim Marlowe. Marlowe’s understated production kept the band’s unique synergy on full display. He also proved invaluable when it came to bringing their wackiest ideas to life, exemplified by the very committed use of talkbox on a few tracks. This leads me to another point I find essential about this band. They manage to strike a perfect balance between reverence and irreverence for the musical traditions they’re working within. Their knowledge of the canon is scholarly, but such knowledge is always followed by a wink. No moment on the record encapsulates this more than the trumpet solo on ‘New Friend’. It’s a deft performance, but the way Kenkel dips down below the tonic before resolving the solo’s final notes is hysterical. Performed live, he plays the solo note for note on a kazoo while playing the drums at the same time. Elsewhere, there are nods to woozy lounge music on ‘Off My Mind’, the pulsing rock of the B52’s on ‘Somebody Wants to Send You a Message’, and the dusty nobility of Glen Campbell on ‘Just For You’. This music is that of experienced shapeshifters, defying easy categorization while remaining instantly recognisable. Any River takes its title from the opening couplet of ‘You’ll Never Take Me Alive’: “I set sail on any river/I run wild through any shopping mall”. It’s one of countless allusions to water on the record, a fixation that slowly revealed itself over time. There are ruminations on excavating pearls from briny depths (‘Pearls’), slow drives across Texas with a boat in tow (‘Just For You’), cathartic plunges into open ocean (‘Swimminin’), a sidewalk crack drinking morning dew (‘I Felt You’). The cover photo, taken near the studio, shows the band in front of the south fork of Beargrass Creek, an inlet of the Ohio river, dwarfed by large concrete walls. The creek is only barely visible, but that speaks to themes of adaptability the group has explored since their earliest recordings. The shape of the vessel may change, but the water held within changes with it. Water both matches and eludes form. The Winos, in kind, match and elude the many musical forms they work within. As a band from Nashville, they can go toe to toe with any of the regulars at the Lower Broadway honky tonks, but they’re also right at home in songwriter circles at their favorite dive, The Springwater. There are a few lines from their song ‘BBQ’ that really summarize this quality of the Winos for me “Like a barbeque in the hospital’s new parking lot/In the barren clay we can grow forget-me-nots…Feeding the bonfire/You’re always gonna rock my world”. Emphasizing the live component is essential to identifying what makes Styrofoam Winos a Great band. The way they switch instruments is almost dancelike. LT’s behind the drums, which means the song will be propelled forward with featherlike precision. The pocket has deepened, meaning Trevor’s back on bass. Joe’s been handed a guitar, so you can expect a mind-expanding solo full of little nods and reverent gestures. Repeat these anecdotes for every possible player/instrument combination and one begins to understand this band’s power. It’s the alchemy of three deeply creative musicians playing in service to each other. Being a fan of the Winos is not dissimilar to being a sports fan. Half the fun of it is understanding –with increasingly greater nuance– the subtleties of each member’s contribution, then trying to predict how these forces will meet to perform miracles. -Michael Cormier-O'Leary

wed15jul7:00 pmwed10:00 pmMaya Engen7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Baby's All Right, 146 Broadway

wed15jul8:00 pmwed11:00 pmLucius ArthurThe Big Machine Tour8:00 pm - 11:00 pm Kung Fu Necktie, 1248 N Front Street

wed15jul8:00 pmwed11:00 pmAmerican Vanity8:00 pm - 11:00 pm House Of Independents, 572 Cookman Avenue

Time

(Wednesday) 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Location

House Of Independents

572 Cookman Avenue

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American Vanity turns modern rock into a mirror — vivid, unfiltered, and built to reflect what it feels like to live in your own skin. Led by dual vocalists Virginia Franks (bass) and Luke Hoffman (guitar), with Luke Vanchure on lead guitar and Carter Dennis on drums, the four-piece creates music that takes aim at how image, approval, and identity get tangled in the attention economy, where everyone’s chasing views but no one feels seen. Drawing from the depth of alt-rock with punk and art-rock influences, American Vanity delivers a sound that’s contemporary, intentional, and distinctly their own.Their work reflects a fascination with authenticity and image, exploring the line between performance and self-awareness that defines a current generation of rock. The musicians behind American Vanity are no strangers to national touring or industry recognition, having previously performed across the country as Burn the Jukebox and collaborated with partners including Schecter, Ernie Ball, SJC Drums, and Vans. Now stepping into a new era as American Vanity, the band is preparing to release its first full-length album with Grammy-nominated producer Matt Squire (Panic! at the Disco, All Time Low, Ariana Grande). The record marks a shift toward sharper songwriting and a more deliberate sound fueled by bigger hooks, raw energy, and a new sense of purpose.

thu16jul7:00 pmthu10:00 pmLomelda7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Public Records, 233 Butler Street

Time

(Thursday) 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Location

Public Records

233 Butler Street

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The vulnerable, introspective songs of indie songwriter Lomelda span intimate acoustic and hazy full-band arrangements. After her first full-length, Late Dawn Inheritance, appeared in 2012, she made her Double Double Whammy label debut with her third album, 2017's Thx. A pseudonym adopted when she was in high school, Lomelda offers the meditations of Silsbee, Texas native Hannah Read. She followed in the footsteps of her older brother and sister by starting on the guitar at an early age. As Lomelda, she grew a fan base in the Waco area as a soloist while in college, but added a backing band for her self-released debut album, 2012's Late Dawn Inheritance. Co-produced by her brother, Tommy Read, it featured a small group of guests on strings and drums and was soon picked up by Austin-based Slow Divide Records. After she toured more extensively, Lomelda's second album, Forever, arrived in 2015 on Punctum Records. Released in April 2016, 4E captured a live solo performance of Forever at Waco's Meadows Recital Hall. With word of her low-key, intimate songcraft spreading, Lomelda then accepted an invitation to tour in support of Pinegrove and signed a record deal with Double Double Whammy. The label released her third studio long-player, Thx, in September 2017. The opening track, "Interstate Vision," became her most streamed song to the point, garnering millions of plays by the arrival of her next album, M for Empathy, in March 2019. While Read had by then relocated to Los Angeles, M for Empathy was recorded with her brother at his studio back in Silsbee, as was her fifth full-length, Hannah. It arrived on Double Double Whammy in September 2020. - Biography by Marcy Donelson

thu16jul7:00 pmthu10:00 pmArny Margret7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Union Pool, 484 Union Avenue

Time

(Thursday) 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Location

Union Pool

484 Union Avenue

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The intimate work of folk singer Árný Margrét surrounds the listener -- warmth protecting from the starkness of the world, an idea germane to her upbringing in Iceland and the tenor of her 2022 debut album, They Only Talk About the Weather. However, she pushed against the typical expectations of folk on her sophomore LP, I Miss You, I Do (2025), recruiting a full band and flirting with country elements. Hailing from the northwestern town of Ísafjörður (literally, "fjord of ice"), Árný Margrét Sævarsdóttir was born in 2001, the daughter of local bakers. She and her siblings learned music at an early age, with Árný taking her first piano lessons at the age of six. When she was 14 years old, she picked up a guitar on a whim; inspired by the indie folk stylings of Gregory Alan Isakov, she began teaching herself the instrument in secret, performing in public some three years later, when a favorite teacher requested her presence at a party. Árný began seriously writing songs after high school, when she moved to Denmark to attend a folk school (a European type of educational/creative campus with a freer structure than a typical college). Discouraged by the COVID-19 pandemic's spread across the continent, which required her to return home during a particularly dreary winter, she continued writing songs that she had started in Denmark. In 2021, she traveled to Reykjavík to participate in a battle of the bands and ended up meeting a local guitarist/producer, Guðmundur "Kiddi" Kristinn Jónsson. He helped her record more and more songs from her notebooks, which formed the bulk of her debut EP, Intertwined, and first full-length album, They Only Talk About the Weather, both released in 2022. The success of those releases, including songs like They Only Talk About the Weather's title track and "Cold Aired Breeze," enabled Árný to embark on tours around both Europe and the United States. She opened for acts like Blake Mills and Passenger, and performed sets at South by Southwest and the Newport Folk Festival. After releasing the EP Dinner Alone and the popular non-album single "Part of Me" with Icelandic singer Ásgeir in 2023, she had the opportunity to head to America to work on more music with producers including Brad Cook (Waxahatchee, Bon Iver) and Andrew Berlin (who produced her hero Isakov). Árný's writing and recording -- continuing the emotional intimacy of They Only Talk About the Weather but consciously adding a fuller band sound and traces of country-folk -- was chronicled on her second album, I Miss You, I Do, released in 2025 and featuring winning originals like "Took the Train 'Til the End," "Crooked Teeth," and "Day Old Thoughts." - Biography by Mike Duquette

thu16jul8:00 pmthu11:00 pmLip Critic8:00 pm - 11:00 pm Music Hall of Williamsburg, 66 North 6th Street

Time

(Thursday) 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Location

Music Hall of Williamsburg

66 North 6th Street

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New York-based art punk band Lip Critic eschew a conventional setup, instead utilizing two drum kits, synths, and samplers to create as much chaos as possible. Deeply rooted in hardcore music, but heavily swayed by internet culture, they pride themselves on switching up rhythms and layering in as many samples as they can get away with. All of this is accompanied by strong indictments of Western capitalist society. Formed by friends Bret Kaser and Connor Kleitz in 2018, they had originally started out with comedic elements in mind, both leaning on samplers to create music they saw as semi-ridiculous. To further achieve that goal, they brought in two drummers, Danny Eberle and Ilan Natter, and the chaotic sound that the four of them crafted became a more serious endeavor in short order. They cut their teeth in venues across Brooklyn, forging a reputation for their energetic and confrontational live shows. In keeping with their D.I.Y. ethos, they recorded and released their early singles and debut EP, 2019's Kill Lip Critic. They carried that mentality onward to self-release their debut album, 2020's Lip Critic II, which ultimately got them noticed by labels and audiences outside of their local scene. They were picked up by Partisan Records, who helped them tour Europe. Their label debut, 2024's Hex Dealer, put them on the map for their inventive blend of hardcore, rap, and electronic music. They began work on a third album almost immediately, but it was scrapped at the last minute after Kaser had his identity stolen. Far from a straightforward narrative, they discovered the thief was a fan who had convinced himself of hidden messages in the music. Rather than pursue it legally, the band sat down with him to record his theories, thus birthing a concept and entirely new set of songs for their next record, 2026's Theft World. In the run up to the album's release, they staged a variety of unconventional shows, referring to them as the Thief Saga. They played in laundromats, boxing rings, and basement bars, basically anywhere they could fit both drum kits, all to redefine spaces for live music. - Biography by Liam Martin

thu16jul8:00 pmthu11:59 pmAmerican Vanity8:00 pm - 11:59 pm MilkBoy, 1100 Chestnut Street

Time

(Thursday) 8:00 pm - 11:59 pm

Location

MilkBoy

1100 Chestnut Street

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American Vanity turns modern rock into a mirror — vivid, unfiltered, and built to reflect what it feels like to live in your own skin. Led by dual vocalists Virginia Franks (bass) and Luke Hoffman (guitar), with Luke Vanchure on lead guitar and Carter Dennis on drums, the four-piece creates music that takes aim at how image, approval, and identity get tangled in the attention economy, where everyone’s chasing views but no one feels seen. Drawing from the depth of alt-rock with punk and art-rock influences, American Vanity delivers a sound that’s contemporary, intentional, and distinctly their own.Their work reflects a fascination with authenticity and image, exploring the line between performance and self-awareness that defines a current generation of rock. The musicians behind American Vanity are no strangers to national touring or industry recognition, having previously performed across the country as Burn the Jukebox and collaborated with partners including Schecter, Ernie Ball, SJC Drums, and Vans. Now stepping into a new era as American Vanity, the band is preparing to release its first full-length album with Grammy-nominated producer Matt Squire (Panic! at the Disco, All Time Low, Ariana Grande). The record marks a shift toward sharper songwriting and a more deliberate sound fueled by bigger hooks, raw energy, and a new sense of purpose.

thu16jul(jul 16)9:30 pmfri17(jul 17)1:00 amBlu & Exile9:30 pm - 1:00 am (17) Baby's All Right, 146 Broadway Event Organized By: Move Forward Music

Time

16 (Thursday) 9:30 pm - 17 (Friday) 1:00 am

Location

Baby's All Right

146 Broadway

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The underground Los Angeles-based duo of MC Blu (b. Johnson Barnes) and DJ/producer Exile (b. Aleksander Manfredi) earned widespread acclaim right out of the gate with their debut album, Below the Heavens (2007), which critics crowned as the seemingly perfect marriage of Blu's everyday-struggle raps and Exile's Pete Rock- and J Dilla-inspired production. Blu, struggling to make ends meet at the time, first crossed paths with Exile in the early to mid-2000s, while the rapper earned gigs as a hype man for various soul/hip-hop outfits like Slum Village, Platinum Pied Pipers, and Exile's own duo, Emanon. In fact, Blu knew the other half of Emanon, MC/singer Aloe Blacc, who then introduced the two to each other. Deciding to sign to L.A. independent label Sound in Color, Exile's label home, in 2004, Blu began cutting a few records with the DJ/producer and assisted him with his solo LP, Dirty Science (2006). Blu was still trying to break into the industry, but Exile was enjoying production credits for the likes of Jurassic 5, Kardinal Offishall, and Mobb Deep. The release of the soul-entrenched collaborative effort, Below the Heavens in August 2007, put them both in the limelight and had fans of the alternative rap scene buzzing; however, it specifically garnered Blu many "Artist to Watch" features in various magazine and online publications throughout the year and into 2008. During subsequent years, they worked apart more than together; nevertheless, 2012 brought another co-billed LP, Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them. - Biography by Cyril Cordor

Organizer

Move Forward Musicinfo@moveforwardmusic.com

fri17jul6:00 pmfri9:00 pmThe Ries Brothers6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Mercury Lounge, 17 E Houston Street

Time

(Friday) 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Location

Mercury Lounge

17 E Houston Street

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Hailing from St. Petersburg, Florida, The Ries Brothers (pronounced “Rees”) are a force to be reckoned with on the music scene. This dynamic duo, Charlie and Kevin Jordan Ries, blends rock, blues, jam, and reggae into a soulful and sophisticated sound that captivates audiences. Charlie, the elder brother (30), delivers powerful vocals while simultaneously laying down the groove on drums and keyboard bass, creating a unique and full sound. Kevin Jordan (26) complements him perfectly with his guitar, ukulele, and melodica wizardry, adding layers of sonic creativity and soulful harmonies. Their journey began on the Florida bar circuit as teenagers, where their talent caught the attention of legendary band CHICAGO, leading to two regional tours and a decision to chase their musical dreams full-time. The Ries Brothers’ captivating live performances have earned them a loyal following across various musical genres. They’ve graced major stages, sharing the spotlight with renowned artists like O.A.R, G Love & Special Sauce, Stick Figure, Pepper, Galactic, Stephen Marley, 311, Big Something and Iration. They’ve also rocked major festivals like Okeechobee, Sunfest, Cali Roots, Innings Fest, Shaky Knees, Sweetwater 420 Fest and Summer Camp. In 2024 they were signed to SKP, founded by Nick Hexum of 311, and are currently releasing their next batch of singles which were co-written with Nick.

fri17jul7:00 pmfri10:00 pmOK Cowgirl7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Union Pool, 484 Union Avenue

Time

(Friday) 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Location

Union Pool

484 Union Avenue

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Ok Cowgirl is an American rock band reminiscent of a past before streaming, algorithms, and AI slop, when a band was a way of life. The band—made up of singer and songwriter Leah Lavigne, guitarist Jacob Sabinsky, multi-instrumentalist John Miller, bassist Ryan Work, and drummer Matt Birkenholz—conjures the anthemic nostalgia and joyful rebelliousness of Sheryl Crow, Liz Phair, and Bruce Springsteen. At the same time, Rhinestone Cowgirl, their sophomore LP, places Ok Cowgirl in the lineage of modern auteurs like Waxahatchee, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and Angel Olsen and fits nicely into the world of renowned producer Alex Farrar’s other work with MJ Lenderman, Wednesday, Indigo De Souza, and Girl Puppy. Furthermore, Rhinestone Cowgirl is an American rock record. Cue wistful desert vistas and empty highways; dim yellow lights hanging above a scuffed green pool table felt. This is drinking music. It’s a soundtrack to nursing our accumulated wounds. It asks us to ask ourselves how we made it this far. It is survivor’s guilt, a grappling with who we had to leave behind, why we did, and what it might have looked like if we had played our hand differently. “Sometimes I wonder if she would’ve died / If she would’ve left with me,” Lavigne asks on the title track. It’s a question without a simple answer, and this yearning lies at the heart of Rhinestone Cowgirl. That’s not to say Ok Cowgirl believes there are no ways to cope beyond the aforementioned comfort at the bottom of a bottle. There is a certain dark sense of humor underlying Lavigne’s stoic acceptance of the profound tragedy of the human condition. “So babe laugh a good laugh / Carve your own path / Got no answers to share,” she offers on “God Made A Farmer.” It’s an easier pill to swallow when you can share it with others, “Laughing about the dark stuff / I knew we could be friends,” she sings on “Winner.” It’s not an answer, but it’s the best thing we’ve got—the sense that, in one another, we can find solidarity and camaraderie in the absurdity of our struggle. “Life will break our hearts and take our pride / Hold onto the ones that see you right,” she proclaims on “Rock N Roll Ruined My Life.” For a band that made a name for themselves in the New York indie rock scene, building community show by show in warehouse lofts and dive bars, sharpening their sound on small stages over the last eight years, this precious knowledge has been earned—and they prefer it that way. These years of honing are apparent in the confidence of the composition, arrangement, and production. The satisfaction of a perfectly placed backbeat on “Fun Girl"; the crunch of stacked guitars on the chorus of “Rock N Roll Ruined My Life"; the finger-picked guitar and swirling atmospherics of “Wished I Could Be"; the powerfully sparse spaghetti-western guitars on the title track; and tempos that feel lived-in like an old leather saddle all speak to this hard-earned experience. This is the work of veteran craftsmen with complete command of their tools. Much like Lavigne’s carefully crafted lyrics, each melody, counter-melody, chord progression & groove is thoughtfully considered but not overwrought. More than that, it is all in service of The Song, and you can feel that genre and style concerns are secondary to telling the story. Rhinestone Cowgirl tells stories about learning to accept what is out of our control. In this capitalist society, we’re told we can manifest our own reality and create our own good fortunes, but we are no fools. As Lavigne puts it, “When the game is rigged, none of us really win.” It’s a cutting portrait of a cruel world, but acceptance does not beget apathy for Lavigne. “I do have a lot I love / Cliché to thank the stars above / But I’m still gonna do it,” she belts in “Prepared To Lose.” It’s the sound of defiance, of perseverance, of understanding and wielding the power we do have.

fri17jul7:00 pmfri10:00 pmNoah Levine7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Baby's All Right, 146 Broadway

fri17jul7:00 pmfri10:00 pmAtta Boy7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey Street

Time

(Friday) 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Location

Bowery Ballroom

6 Delancey Street

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Resurfacing like cicadas, L.A.-born Atta Boy has never been in a hurry. Instead, responding to some strange seasonal instinct when it comes to recording, their unique, beguiling, comforting, and yet aching blend of pop-Americana seems to arrive in waves, well-formed, fully-gestated, yet hungry and soul-searching. Mixing indie influences with coffee-shop confessionalism, the quartet first found eachother in the hazy days of high school. Navigating the high-strung emotional peaks and valleys of American adolescence, this close-knit crew shaped those experiences into a considerably mature debut, 2012's Out of Sorts, to be released before they were old enough to order a drink. And then they disappeared. The lifelong friends recorded a steller introduction, then, like dandelion tendrils tossed to the wind, dispersed to discover themselves. "I didn't think of myself as in a band," recalls lead singer Eden Brolin, "we'd recorded a record." But the four kept in touch, and the record began to make the rounds like a lazy '78 discovered in a dusty basement, evoking a warm nostalgia that would come to mark the band's particular style. In time, word-of-mouth would carry their debut like a rumor. Evolving from a whisper in first period to an anthem by last-bell, and the fans sprouted-up like wildflowers. "It was almost like we were some urban legend," muses keyboardist Dashel Thompson, “the album existed, and we existed, but Atta Boy was hibernating." While the group was collecting themselves, they remained in close contact, and eight years later, drummer Lewis Pullman sought to recapture that first spark like a lightning bug in a mason jar with a rousing group text reading: "Alright gang… we've got money in the bank, we've got songs unsung, strings to strum, and a summer that's begging and pleading for us to make something of it." "We should make a record. Easy peasy lemon motherfuckin' squeezy." And it was settled. Returning in 2020 with their follow up, Big Heart Manners, Atta Boy skirted the sophomore slump by delivering yet another wise-beyond-their-years collection of warm, inviting, and at-times even raucous tunes that built up from breezy pianos and shuffling riffs into explosively evocative crescendos- capped by Brolin's sweet, sentimental, and slightly strange lyrical stylings. "Given everything going on, the moment, with so much sadness, we felt weird releasing new music, but we didn't want to wait around for a perfect time that would never come," guitarist Freddy Reish relays. "Fans were reaching out, they had been reaching out, and it's so amazing — if our music could help even a little bit, we wanted to share." And the fans responded in turn. Without even a single tour, Atta Boy's fan-base had swelled and the demand was palpable like summer heat radiating off warm asphalt. Compared to their first hiatus, their third record has mercifully followed so much faster. Glowing with the (nearly) all-analog production tone that has become Atta Boy's signature calling card, 2022's Crab Park inhabits an even deeper spiritual groove — that embodies the honesty, openness, and accepted vulnerability you can only find among a group of real, old friends who managed to find some weird way to actually go home again. "Home… domesticity… it's there in the record… but I think it's more about the idea of elemental particles breaking down and reforming." Ponders Brolin. "I think we were responding to the idea of milestones, the past and the present, how far we've come. How much has changed, and how much hasn't," agrees Thompson. Lyrically, title track CRAB PARK, speaks to the somehow shocking comfort found in a mutual communion between lovers, not only with each other, but with a place, and more than a place, but a place and an idea. "And I never ever thought it would be me and you at Crab Park/ With the bittersweet and final spark of Firework Friday/ Can't explain it if I wanted to… " Brolin coos as she explores the intimacy of a delightfully discovered, unexpectedly perfectly-imperfect reality. Yet here they all are again, the old friends with new stories to share. Back-end barn-burner, BOYS, also captures this catch-me-up energy. Holding court ahead of the record, Brolin brought out a notebook and asked each bandmate for five things that make them happy. "I wanted to check-in with the boys, and bring their experiences together into the album," she explains. Still, even this happy homecoming is tinged by the bittersweet; lyrically leading to questions like, "What's home when home's where everyone's gone/ and a bed is made in every town?" Finding themselves between the nostalgic interplay of roadhouse piano and barroom balladeering, Atta Boy still comes off mostly upbeat and endearing. Their inventive song structures and swelling melodies reveal a bolstered confidence that, coupled with toe-tapping tempos, charmingly carry listeners through thoughtful meditations that just can't help but reveal a hallowed hollow for that which is lost, and that which is yet to be found. In their most contemplative moments they aren't afraid of wandering the halls of memory. Single DEEP SEA LADDER puts this knowing form of nostalgia on full display as Brolin belts: "I know this house is sinking, every shingle out of line/ But this house is mine." It's a neat trick she somehow pulls off over and over, both owning the moment and admitting to only a transient and groping apprehension of the tiny gestures that make up a whole, beautiful life. All that to say, this band of old-neighborhood besties aren't at all naive about the pitfalls of the past. Atta Boy willingly acknowledge the honeytrap of the good-old-days and evoke a wisened awareness of their still rising trajectory. As seen on the mean memory-trip that is SPRING SEVENTEEN, a touching little ditty wholly embracing the saccharine reality inherent in wonton reminiscing, Brolin soulfully sings, "Lost in a brief memory/ like a song you get used to/ loosen the grip of reverie… I don't know you like I used to." It's in this spirit of entropy and negentropy that Atta Boy have once again found themselves coalescing around a shared, collective pang that drives their collaboration and their joyful celebration of all things living, dying, dissolving, and reforming — like a perennial posy pushing through the underbrush to bloom under the first shouts of springtime sunshine, beautiful and golden. Again. And again.

fri17jul7:30 pmfri10:00 pmThe Wildwoods7:30 pm - 10:00 pm (le) poisson rouge, 158 Bleecker Street

fri17jul7:30 pmfri11:00 pmDeath Cab for Cutie7:30 pm - 11:00 pm The Mann, 5201 Parkside Avenue

Time

(Friday) 7:30 pm - 11:00 pm

Location

The Mann

5201 Parkside Avenue

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Combining sensitive songwriting, memorable melodies, and the rich, wistful vocal tone of bandleader Ben Gibbard, Seattle's Death Cab for Cutie quickly rose from a low-key solo project to become one of the definitive indie groups of the 2000s and 2010s. Then based in the bayside college town of Bellingham, Washington, Gibbard had a minor breakthrough in 1997 with his debut cassette, You Can Play These Songs with Chords, prompting him to put together a band that included the cassette's producer, Chris Walla. After marrying grungy rock and bittersweet indie pop for nearly a decade, their 2005 major-label debut, the more polished Plans, propelled Death Cab for Cutie into the Top Five behind the Hot 100 single "Soul Meets Body." They followed it with another hit song, the ballad "I Will Possess Your Heart" from 2008's Narrow Stairs, which went all the way to number one on the Billboard 200. (Both records were also nominated for Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Music Album.) Continuing a trend toward more refined production, they returned to the Top Ten with releases such as 2011's Codes and Keys (another Grammy nominee for Best Alternative Music Album) and 2015's Kintsugi (a Best Rock Album nominee). Their tenth studio full-length, Asphalt Meadows, saw release in 2022, 25 years after Gibbard's breakout cassette. At Death Cab for Cutie's inception, Gibbard was an engineering student at Western Washington University who split his time between school and music. Taking a break from his local power pop band, Pinwheel, Gibbard began recording an album's worth of solo material during the summer of 1997. Producer Chris Walla lent his help to the sessions, which resulted in an eight-song cassette entitled You Can Play These Songs with Chords. When the tape became a local hit, Gibbard reached into his circle of friends to form a band, hoping to play the new songs live. Bassist Nick Harmer (Gibbard's roommate) and drummer Nathan Good climbed aboard, and Walla was enlisted as the group's primary guitarist. He would also go on to produce many of the band's future releases. With a lineup in place, Gibbard's group rechristened itself Death Cab for Cutie (named after a song by the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band) and, within a year's time, signed a contract with the Seattle-based Barsuk Records. The quartet made their studio debut with 1998's Something About Airplanes, an album that featured several re-recorded tracks from the You Can Play These Songs with Chords cassette as well as a dreamy, pop-oriented sound reminiscent of Built to Spill. Gibbard and Walla both continued to pursue their own projects (including Gibbard's successful stint with the Postal Service), but that didn't keep Death Cab for Cutie from returning to the studio for a second album, We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes, which appeared in 2000. Nathan Good left the group just prior to the album's completion, and We Have the Facts introduced Michael Schorr as Death Cab's new drummer. The Forbidden Love EP arrived that same year, while a third full-length effort, The Photo Album, was released in 2001. By this time, a sizable audience had gathered around the band's emotional music, and Barsuk re-released You Can Play These Songs with Chords in 2002 with ten additional songs. The polished, hook-laden Transatlanticism arrived in 2003 and announced the arrival of drummer Jason McGerr, who had previously played in a band with Nick Harmer before Death Cab's formation. The album also proved to be a very important step in the band's career, gathering positive attention from consumers and industry execs (including television producer Josh Schwartz, who prominently featured the group's music throughout several seasons of The O.C.). It marked their debut on the Billboard 200, reaching number 97. With their popularity growing, the bandmates issued a live disc, The John Byrd E.P., and later signed a worldwide major-label deal with Atlantic Records in November 2004. Plans was released the following August and debuted at number four, remaining on the Billboard charts for nearly one year and achieving platinum status on the strength of three singles, including the acoustic ballad "I Will Follow You into the Dark." Death Cab for Cutie graced the cover of Spin magazine, appeared on an episode of Saturday Night Live, and earned a Grammy nomination for their major-label debut. Work on a follow-up album coincided with the release of Chris Walla's solo effort Field Manual, and Death Cab returned in May 2008 with Narrow Stairs, a darker set that debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 and also charted internationally. The band proceeded to tour throughout the remainder of the year, while a deluxe version of Something About Airplanes (which was packaged with a recording of their very first show in Seattle) was released in November to introduce newer fans to Death Cab's early material. The band continued touring throughout the first half of 2009, visiting Japan and Australia as well as an additional slew of American venues. The Open Door EP arrived that April, featuring several scrapped songs from the Narrow Stairs sessions and a demo version of "Talking Bird." The guys incorporated some of those songs into their live sets, all the while preparing to return to the studio after the tour's completion. After a short hiatus, they reconvened for 2011's Codes and Keys, which found them relying less on the electric guitar and more on moody, Cure-inspired song textures. The single "You Are a Tourist" performed well on the rock and alternative charts, and the album peaked at number three in the U.S. Later in 2011, Death Cab released an EP of remixes of songs from the album titled Keys and Codes Remix EP. Touring consumed much of 2012, although Gibbard found time to record and release Former Lives, his first official solo album. The band began recording in earnest for their eighth studio album in October 2013. Midway through the following year, however, Walla announced that he was departing the band prior to its completion. Appearing in April 2015, it was named Kintsugi after the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery. Recorded for the first time with an outside producer (Rich Costey), it also marked a return to their core guitar-driven sound after the keyboard-led experiments of its predecessor. Guitarist/keyboardists Dave Depper and Zac Rae joined the group to tour in support of the album and became official members for the recording of Thank You for Today. Released in August 2018, it welcomed Costey back as producer. Thank You for Today debuted at 13 on the Billboard Top 200 upon its release. A year later, the band unveiled The Blue EP, a five-song set that included the single "Kids in '99." In late 2020, Death Cab recorded a benefit EP of covers by Georgia-bred artists like R.E.M., Cat Power, and TLC. Released in December, proceeds from the Georgia EP went to Democratic politician Stacey Abrams' voter rights organization Fair Fight Action. A 20th anniversary reissue of The Photo Album followed in October 2021, featuring demos, outtakes, and other rarities. Around that time, they ended an 18-month break from live performance with shows with Perfume Genius and Deep Sea Diver. Death Cab for Cutie's cover of "Waiting for the Sunrise," for the tribute album Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono, appeared in early 2022. A project curated by Gibbard, some of the other participants included David Byrne, Yo La Tengo, and the Flaming Lips. In May of that year, the band returned with "Roman Candles," the lead single from their tenth studio LP, Asphalt Meadows. Featuring production by John Congleton, it arrived on Atlantic in September 2022, peaking at number four on the Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums chart and 60 on the Billboard 200. It was accompanied by a North American tour with Yo La Tengo and Low. - Biography by Andrew Leahey

fri17jul(jul 17)10:30 pmsat18(jul 18)1:00 amSloppy Jane10:30 pm - 1:00 am (18) Baby's All Right, 146 Broadway

Time

17 (Friday) 10:30 pm - 18 (Saturday) 1:00 am

Location

Baby's All Right

146 Broadway

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Sloppy Jane's theatrical avant-punk is as exciting as it is idiosyncratic. They debuted with the proto- and post-punk-informed 2015 EP Sure-Tuff as a four-piece that included Phoebe Bridgers on bass. By Sloppy Jane's second full-length, the 2021 concept album Madison, project leader Haley Dahl was setting her volatile relationship songs to a 21-piece blended rock band and chamber orchestra. Following a three-year search for just the right acoustics, Madison was tracked underground at the Lost World Caverns in West Virginia. The dramatic ballad "Cancer" and a duet with Bridgers, "Claw Machine," followed in 2023 and 2024, respectively. New York-born Haley Dahl began performing under the Sloppy Jane moniker as a young teen in Los Angeles, where she spent most of her childhood. After racking up shows with her friends on the Sunset Strip, she decided to forego college to focus on music, and found work as a dancer at a strip club to make ends meet. It was during this time that she developed the performative aspect of Sloppy Jane. One of the steadier bandmembers in early iterations of the band was drummer Imogen Teasley-Vlautin, who appeared on Sloppy Jane's debut EP, Sure-Tuff, alongside guitarist/backing vocalist Sara Catherine and bassist/backing vocalist Phoebe Bridgers. The cassette version arrived on Lolipop Records in 2015. Sloppy Jane's debut album, the self-released Willow, was recorded by Joel Jerome (Cherry Glazer, Tashaki Miyaki) in Los Angeles, with Dahl and Sara Catherine both playing multiple instruments. With guests on strings, it reflected a shift toward more playful, theatrical songs involving instruments like glockenspiel and flexatone, spoken word samples, and crowd noise. Dahl moved back to her native New York before the album's release in March of 2018. By that time, she had also begun to explore an idea for a concept album based on fantasy relationships that she intended to record in a cave. With her co-producers Al Nardo, Mika Lungulov-Klotz, and Jack Wetmore, Dahl scouted various caverns across the U.S. that might suit the material she was writing for a 21-piece rock orchestra (she learned how to notate music during this time). In the interim, she continued to perform regularly, including a month-long residency at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn in 2019. The Sloppy Jane team eventually found the perfect spot at Lost World Caverns in West Virginia and spent two weeks recording daily between the late afternoon and early morning hours, with engineer Ryan Howe wired to a mixing board in a car 90 feet above them. The completed Madison was released on Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records in November 2021. In celebration of the one-year anniversary of Madison, Sloppy Jane reteamed with Bridgers for a limited-edition 7", "My Misery Will Bury You," consisting of two versions of "Wilt." Jane was back in late 2023 with the rock opera-styled ballad "Cancer" before joining forces with Bridgers again for 2024's "Claw Machine," a more orchestral ballad. - Biography by Marcy Donelson

sat18jul7:00 pmsat11:00 pmSadBois7:00 pm - 11:00 pm MilkBoy, 1100 Chestnut Street

Time

(Saturday) 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Location

MilkBoy

1100 Chestnut Street

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SadBois, an EDM band/DJs from Long Island, demonstrates an unparalleled ability to merge electronic and rock elements into a cohesive and nostalgic sound. From official remixes for industry heavy-weights such as ILLENIUM, Two Friends, and Taylor Acorn to collaborations with acts such as 408, MashBit, and Olivver the Kid, SadBois deliver an energetic, guitar driven sound alongside unparalleled songwriting. Their most recent project, the “In Bloom” EP, released with Future Generation, was supported by Spotify’s Rocktronic playlist and Apple Music’s “New in Rock”. “In Bloom” embodies SadBois connection to this rising rocktronic niche, featuring a myriad of vocals from figureheads including Olivver The Kid, UNDY, Sam Varga, and Natalia Taylar. Their electronic meets pop rock sound, alongside their highly received mashups and edits, have seen a surge in excitement around their live performances, notching support performances for acts such as ILLENIUM, Said The Sky, Blanke, Trivecta, and Madeon - most recently bringing them to Minneapolis alongside Jason Ross and FrostTop. SadBois look to continue their unending hot streak into 2025 with a number of upcoming original releases, collaborations, and debut performances across the US as they lead the charge as one of the most exciting names in the rocktronic community.

sun19jul7:30 pmsun11:00 pmRies Brothers7:30 pm - 11:00 pm MilkBoy, 1100 Chestnut Street

Time

(Sunday) 7:30 pm - 11:00 pm

Location

MilkBoy

1100 Chestnut Street

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The Ries Brothers, a duo from St Petersburg, FL, blend rock, blues, jam, funk, and reggae into a soulful-sophisticated sound. Older brother Charlie (27) sings lead vocals while simultaneously playing drums and keyboard bass giving the band its unique and full sound. Younger brother Kevin Jordan (24) completes the band’s “sonic creativity” on guitar, ukulele, and melodica, and provides background vocals. The band started playing the Florida bar circuit as young teenagers where they were discovered by the band Chicago and taken out on two regional tours prompting them to leave school and focus on music full-time. The Brother’s inimitable live performances have captured fans across the musical landscape leading to marquee support slots and major festival bookings. After Supporting aG Love & Special Sauce tour in 2018, G Love asked the brothers to tour as his backing band and open his solo tour. They repeated that feat again in 2019.”In between, the brothers completed their own headline tours in addition to supporting major artists like Stick Figure, Pepper, Galactic, and Stephen Marley311(invited to perform on the 311 cruise the next day after opening for them), They have played major festivals: Okeechobee Music Fest, Sunfest CaliRoots, Gasparilla, and Summer Camp. In 2019 Iya Terra invited them to do a 35-date tour. In early 2020, the brothers toured supporting Iration, Ballyhoo! and Iya Terra. The pandemic cancelled a future tour with Badfish. And a second run with Iration, plus numerous festivals. Making the best of their time off ,they recorded remote collaboration videos with members of “The Lumineers” “Gary Clark Jr. ”Steve Miller Band” and “Iration.” In March of 2023 released “Your Friday Night” which is a Dancy Blues Rock track, following“Corner Store” leaning more to Rock and Blues, Spotify editorial added the track to #4 on“Modern Blues Rock” In August they released their self-titled EP produced by Gary Clark’s original Drummer and Engineer. The EP which also featured a Collab with G Love & Cas Haley”.Spotify Editorial added this #1 on “Nu Blues”.Previously they released in July of 2021,a song with Iration, which hit 100k streams in a couple days. This was a follow up to their reggae remix of their song “Take It Back” featuring Julian Marley, Bumpin Uglies, E.NYoung, Gary Dread), Kash’d Out, Little Stranger, and Jaime Hinckson.T here mix was of at rack from their second full-length album, “Paint Your Emotion,” produced by John Agnello (ScreamingTrees, Dinosaur JR,) which was released on CSSL/Megaforce Records in 2020This record leaned towards alternative rock, A live recording of theirSugar Shack Sessions was released on Sugar Shack/Ineffable Records as the label’s first-ever release. Recently headlined two tours Coast to Coast drawing more fans than ever. In July 2021 they were asked to support David Shaw(Lead Singer of TheRevivalists)on a southeast tour, being invited every night to perform with the band. Later in the year they were asked to join the band on leg 2 of that tour, which hit the Midwest and Northeast. 2022 had other milestones as they performed at Cali Vibes(largest ever US Reggae Festival) and at the 5th Anniversary of Okeechobee Music Fest. Dry Diggins, Montana Hemp Fest& Terptown Throwdown” Asthey round out 2022 aboard Virgin Cruises Artist program, Most recently opened for “311” then were on the 311 Cruise for a second time and performing at the“Innings”Fest, alongside Dave Matthews Band, Marcus Mumford, Imagine Dragons, Weezer, Third Eyed Blind, The Revivalist etc. and“Shaky Knees”10th Anniversary”alongside Lumineers, MUSE, Killers on this sold out event.

tue21jul7:00 pmtue10:00 pmJudah Weston7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Baby's All Right, 146 Broadway

wed22jul7:00 pmwed10:00 pmHannah Frances7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Public Records, 233 Butler Street

wed22jul7:00 pmwed10:00 pmAction Bronson7:00 pm - 10:00 pm (le) poisson rouge, 158 Bleecker Street

Time

(Wednesday) 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Location

(le) poisson rouge

158 Bleecker Street

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Known for detailed wordplay imbued with filth and humor, Action Bronson draws influence from the likes of fellow Queens native Kool G Rap and Wu-Tang Clan's Ghostface Killah, and calls upon his past life as a chef to spit major culinary knowledge. The rapper emerged from the underground in the early 2010s and crashed the Top Ten of the Billboard 200 with Mr. Wonderful (2015), his major-label debut, featuring the gold-certified Chance the Rapper collaboration "Baby Blue." He has since expanded his reach as a television personality, author, and actor, and has juggled this work with continued artistic growth displayed on full-lengths such as Blue Chips 7000 (2017) and the Loma Vista-issued efforts Only for Dolphins (2020) and Cocodrillo Turbo (2022). He self-issued Johann Sebastian Bachlava the Doctor in 2024. A New York City native from Queens' Flushing neighborhood, Bronson, born Ariyan Arslani, developed his first area of expertise in his family's restaurant. After studying at the Art Institute of New York City's culinary program, he filled multiple roles in the restaurant industry. Serious effort wasn't put into rapping -- which he had started on a lark -- until a broken leg precluded kitchen work. Bronson's first major showcase arrived in the form of a 2007 mixtape as a member the Outdoorsmen, which was trailed by several guest verses and a solo single. His career truly achieved flight in 2011, a year in which he released his debut mixtape, as well as his first two proper albums, Dr. Lecter and Well-Done, the latter co-billed to producer Statik Selektah. After Bronson issued mixtapes recorded with Party Supplies and the Alchemist, the rapper made his major-label debut on Atlantic (via Vice) in 2013 with Saaab Stories, a Harry Fraud-produced EP. Given an extra boost by appearances from Prodigy and Raekwon, two of Bronson's key '90s hardcore inspirations, the EP peaked at number six on Billboard's rap chart. Another collaborative tape with Party Supplies was out by the end of that year. Bronson continued to stockpile guest verses on the way to third album Mr. Wonderful. The success of pre-release single "Baby Blue," featuring Chance the Rapper, helped take the full-length to number two on the rap chart and number seven on the Billboard 200. In 2016, Bronson took his food-and-travel web series, Fuck, That's Delicious, to cable television, and only a few months later launched a second series for the Viceland channel, Traveling the Stars: Action Bronson and Friends Watch Ancient Aliens. The Traveling the Stars theme "Descendant of the Stars," "Durag vs. Headband," and the Suicide Squad: The Album inclusion "Standing in the Rain" also reached the public during 2016. Another album for Atlantic, Blue Chips 7000, and a book, Fuck, That's Delicious: An Annotated Guide to Eating Well, arrived in 2017. He also starred in a cooking show of the same name. The following year, Bronson self-released his fourth album, White Bronco, which featured the Daringer-produced title track and a handful of Knxwledge collaborations highlighted by "Prince Charming." Although Bronson continued to diversify through the end of the 2010s and into the 2020s -- he appeared in the films The Irishman and The King of Staten Island, for instance -- it didn't slow his musical output. Teamed again with frequent collaborator the Alchemist, he returned near the end of 2019 with the Lamb Over Rice EP, and at the start of 2020 added key inspiration Kool G Rap to the list of artists who have received one of his guest verses (heard on "A Queen's Thing"). Bronson's next album, Only for Dolphins, arrived in 2020 with the rapper's typically brash rhymes outfitted with wide-ranging productions referencing Latin soul, reggae, and even mid-'80s Russian fusion. 2022's Cocodrillo Turbo featured similarly trippy production, as well as guest appearances by Conway the Machine, Roc Marciano, Meyhem Lauren, and others. Johann Sebastian Bachlava the Doctor, a self-released effort, appeared in 2024, with Larry June, Julian Love, and Meyhem Lauren making appearances. - Biography by Andy Kellman

wed22jul7:00 pmwed10:00 pmLuluc7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Union Pool, 484 Union Avenue

Time

(Wednesday) 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

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Union Pool

484 Union Avenue

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An invitingly austere folk duo from Australia, Luluc rose to international acclaim following the 2014 release of their second album, Passerby, a hushed and elegant collection that drew attention to the songwriting and vocal talents of Melbourne natives Zoë Randell and Steve Hassett. Having already won over some notable admirers like legendary producer Joe Boyd and the National's Aaron Dessner with their self-released 2008 debut Dear Hamlyn, the duo eventually relocated to New York and began recording for the Sub Pop label, which also issued their third LP, Sculptor, in 2018. Luluc's sound continued to become more diverse on later albums like 2020's gorgeous Dreamboat and 2023's reflective Diamonds. These releases often included drums, horns, and even electronic textures, while remaining true to the band's core acoustic sound. Prior to finding success as Luluc, Randell and Hassett had a long and patient history together. In 1999, nearly a decade before their first release, the two Australia natives met halfway around the world in Scotland while Randell was working at the Edinburgh Festival and Hassett was traveling around Europe with his guitar. The two musicians hit it off immediately and began singing and writing together, though after their return to Australia, both would end up tied to other bands, jobs, and lives for many years. After the death of Randell's father, she went through a personal upheaval, reevaluating her life and deciding that it was time to make music her primary ambition. With Hassett as her collaborator and editor, she slowly developed a set of quiet acoustic songs that would eventually be included on the duo's first album, 2008's Dear Hamlyn, a tribute to her late father. Self-released in Australia, the album boasted a simple and elegant formula largely based around Randell's earthy, haunting voice with Hassett harmonizing and adding subtle flourishes over the gently strummed acoustic guitar. Their success wasn't immediate, but over the next few years some highly influential fans like producer Joe Boyd (Nick Drake, Fairport Convention), Lucinda Williams, and Aaron Dessner began to take notice. With the band now spending more time in the U.S., they began to play higher-exposure shows, joining Fleet Foxes, the National, and José González on-stage. They split their time between Melbourne and Brooklyn, and it was No Depression editor Peter Blackstock, a big fan of Dear Hamlyn, who instigated a meeting with Sub Pop chief Jonathan Poneman, who happened to be in Brooklyn at the same time. He signed Luluc after one meeting and they began the arduous task of recording their follow-up album with supporter and friend Dessner co-producing. In the meantime, the band had become friendly with Joe Boyd, who pegged them to contribute two songs to a 2013 Nick Drake tribute album he was producing. Finally, in the summer of 2014, 15 years after their first meeting and six years after their first release, Luluc made their international debut on Sub Pop with Passerby. The album was a critical success and boosted the band's exposure significantly. The following year, Dessner asked them to contribute a cover of the Grateful Dead's "Til the Morning Comes" to the 2015 tribute album Day of the Dead. Dirty Three drummer Jim White and lute player Giorgio Xylouris also played on the track, with the former also making a guest appearance on Luluc's self-produced third album Sculptor in 2018. Recorded at the band's own Brooklyn studio, Sculptor expanded their sonic palette significantly and included additional contributions from Dessner, Kiwi musician Matt Eccles, and J Mascis, whom Luluc had previously supported on tour. In early 2019, Sub Pop offered a reissue of the band's 2008 debut, Dear Hamlyn, which up to that point had been unavailable outside of their native Australia. Luluc's fourth album, Dreamboat, came out on their own Sun Chaser label in October 2020. An immediate critical success, it continued the trend of sonic experimentation begun on Sculptor, offering a mix of quieter acoustic fare, full band arrangements, and subtle electronic flourishes. After this, Luluc joined the Community Music collective which released their fifth studio set, Diamonds. Appearing in September 2023, Diamonds was a deep, meditative listen expressing peace, longing, and wonder at the natural world. It also brought back two collaborators from their previous record in saxophonist and horn arranger Stuart Bogie and drummer JT Bates. - Biography by Timothy Monger

wed22jul7:30 pmwed11:00 pmKuru7:30 pm - 11:00 pm Ukie Club, 847 N Franklin Street

wed22jul8:00 pmwed9:30 pmAvery Wilson8:00 pm - 9:30 pm Blue Note, 131 W 3rd Street

Time

(Wednesday) 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm

Location

Blue Note

131 W 3rd Street

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A contemporary R&B singer and songwriter, Avery Wilson utilized early support from hitmaking songwriter/producer Sean Garrett, as well as exposure through the singing content The Voice, to land a contract with major-label RCA. Wilson hit Billboard's Hot R&B Songs chart with his first official single, "If I Have To" (2015), and released a couple additional singles for RCA prior to going independent with FYI (2018). Originally from Hamden, Connecticut, Avery Wilson began performing at open-mike events organized by his father and a few years later co-won a New York talent competition for teenagers. "Ringtone," a demo his father circulated to local and regional radio stations, received some airplay and led to an association with songwriter and producer Sean Garrett (Usher, Ciara, Beyoncé). In 2012, Wilson self-released his debut album, On Top of the World, and reached a larger audience later that year when he competed on the third season of talent competition The Voice. His knockout-round elimination was preceded by renditions of "Without You" (David Guetta and Usher), "Titanium" (David Guetta and Sia), and "Yeah 3x" (Chris Brown) that led to a recording contract with major-label RCA. "If I Have To," a dramatic ballad created with Garrett, Rodney Jerkins, and Kirby Lauryen, was released as his first proper single in May 2015 and reached number 18 on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart. "Change My Mind," featuring Migos, arrived a few months later. Following a Garrett-produced cover of Leon Russell's "A Song for You" in 2017, Wilson went independent with the five-track EP FYI, released in 2018.

wed22jul8:00 pmwed10:00 pmFat, Evil Children8:00 pm - 10:00 pm Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Avenue

wed22jul10:30 pmwed11:59 pmAvery Wilson10:30 pm - 11:59 pm Blue Note, 131 W 3rd Street

Time

(Wednesday) 10:30 pm - 11:59 pm

Location

Blue Note

131 W 3rd Street

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A contemporary R&B singer and songwriter, Avery Wilson utilized early support from hitmaking songwriter/producer Sean Garrett, as well as exposure through the singing content The Voice, to land a contract with major-label RCA. Wilson hit Billboard's Hot R&B Songs chart with his first official single, "If I Have To" (2015), and released a couple additional singles for RCA prior to going independent with FYI (2018). Originally from Hamden, Connecticut, Avery Wilson began performing at open-mike events organized by his father and a few years later co-won a New York talent competition for teenagers. "Ringtone," a demo his father circulated to local and regional radio stations, received some airplay and led to an association with songwriter and producer Sean Garrett (Usher, Ciara, Beyoncé). In 2012, Wilson self-released his debut album, On Top of the World, and reached a larger audience later that year when he competed on the third season of talent competition The Voice. His knockout-round elimination was preceded by renditions of "Without You" (David Guetta and Usher), "Titanium" (David Guetta and Sia), and "Yeah 3x" (Chris Brown) that led to a recording contract with major-label RCA. "If I Have To," a dramatic ballad created with Garrett, Rodney Jerkins, and Kirby Lauryen, was released as his first proper single in May 2015 and reached number 18 on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart. "Change My Mind," featuring Migos, arrived a few months later. Following a Garrett-produced cover of Leon Russell's "A Song for You" in 2017, Wilson went independent with the five-track EP FYI, released in 2018.

thu23jul7:00 pmthu9:00 pmJesse Solomon7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey Street

Time

(Thursday) 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

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Bowery Ballroom

6 Delancey Street

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Jesse Solomon is a genre-blending singer-songwriter bringing a timeless sound into today’s pop landscape. Trained in vocal jazz performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, his voice moves effortlessly between the elegance of jazz, the soul of classic R&B, and the polish of contemporary pop. Based between New York and Miami, Jesse first gained national attention as a breakout cast member on Bravo’s Summer House. While audiences were drawn to his charm on screen, music has always been the deeper throughline in his story. That connection became clear when his tongue-in-cheek track “What Would Jesse Solomon Do” went viral during an episode of Summer House. Originally written as a playful tribute to his housemates, the song struck an unexpected chord with viewers and reignited his passion for performing. Since then, Jesse has been channeling that momentum into music rooted in live instrumentation, expressive vocals, and classic songwriting. Influenced by artists like Frank Sinatra, John Mayer, and Michael Bublé, his sound bridges generations—reviving the warmth of vintage soul and jazz while crafting songs that feel right at home in modern pop. His rising profile hasn’t gone unnoticed. Rolling Stone recently described him as a “next-generation Michael Bublé,” highlighting his ability to bring classic vocal style to a new audience. In April 2026, he’ll kick off his debut headlining tour, which includes stops in DC, Nashville, Austin, Los Angeles, Chicago, and more before a final show in NYC. Whether performing with a full band or alone at the piano, Jesse creates shows that feel intimate, charismatic, and deeply personal. With a growing fanbase across television and music, he is currently working on his debut project and carving out a lane where timeless songwriting meets modern storytelling.

thu23jul7:00 pmthu9:00 pmFat, Evil Children7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Baby's All Right, 146 Broadway

thu23jul7:00 pmthu10:00 pmB JACK$7:00 pm - 10:00 pm SOBs (Sounds of Brazil), 204 Varick Street

thu23jul7:30 pmthu11:00 pmChandol7:30 pm - 11:00 pm Mercury Lounge, 17 E Houston Street

Time

(Thursday) 7:30 pm - 11:00 pm

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Mercury Lounge

17 E Houston Street

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Charley Yang, better known as BoyWithUke, is a Korean-American singer, musician and internet personality. Charley first gained popularity on the online platform TikTok with his "Minute-Long Songs" series, where he made and posted short songs usually less than a minute long. He would make songs based on comments from fans. One of his early Minute-Long Songs, "Two Moons,” became popular on TikTok and later his most famous song, “Toxic,” brought him to where he is today. BoyWithUke released songs on Soundcloud nearly 2 years before he released his first album on Spotify, "Melatonin Dreams" under the artist name 'ookbaba.' He released his first song on Soundcloud on March 10th, 2019. As BoyWithUke, Charley Yang released The Dream Saga, and Burnout, then at the end of the Official Music Video 'Homesick", Charley Yang shows his face without the mask for a few seconds, and has now stated that he will not use it anymore In 2023, Charley Yang did a face reveal. He previously wore an electric mask with round blue eyes and nothing else, and had kept his identity a secret since starting his music career as the masked 'BoyWithUke.' In the end of the Official Music Video 'Homesick,' he shows himself without the mask for a few seconds, but the next music video, “King of Nothing,” has him displayed in the full video without the mask. In the same period, he reveals GIFs and videos of his face reveal on TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), etc. Since then, he has been uploading videos and pictures without his mask, and said that he is no longer planning to use the mask. August 1, 2024, Charley Yang announced on an X (formerly Twitter) post that his album "Burnout" would be his last project under the alias of 'BoyWithUke' as he felt confined and didn't like being hidden behind the mask, he said he will start to upload music under his former legal name 'Chandol'. Charley Yang's alias 'Chandol' was announced in Late 2024 and announced an album called "Mercurial". On 19 May, 2026 Chandol released a q minute teaser of a song believed to be called "TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF." He published his first song "Breakfast in Bed" under this new alias in 2026 on 22 May, 2026. He published his second song "2002" on 13 June, 2026.

thu23jul8:00 pmthu11:00 pmAllah-Las8:00 pm - 11:00 pm White Eagle Hall, 337 Newark Avenue

Time

(Thursday) 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm

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White Eagle Hall

337 Newark Avenue

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Created by record store employees with a love of laid-back '60s sounds that verged on somnambulant psychedelia, the L.A. band Allah-Las documented the sounds and moods of sunny West Coast days with nothing to do but strum guitars and gently harmonize. Their first two albums had a heavy surf influence, but by the time of 2016's Calico Review, some of the reverb was replaced by a Stones-y swagger. The group's fourth album, Lahs, took another step out of their SoCal garage to add elements from around the world, while still sounding ready for a long afternoon nap. The 2023 album Zuma 85 found the band further broadening their approach by experimenting with their songwriting process and calling on the influence of '70s art pop and Krautrock. The Allah-Las formed around the talents of lead vocalist/guitarist Miles Michaud, lead guitarist/vocalist Pedrum Siadatian, bassist/vocalist Spencer Dunham, and drummer/vocalist Matthew Correia. Three of the four bandmembers were working in the L.A. branch of the legendary record store Amoeba when the group formed in 2008, and they must have spent a great deal of time researching the garage and psychedelic sounds of the '60s while propping up the counter. The band's sound combines the harmonies and pop hooks of the British Invasion, the trippy atmosphere of West Coast psychedelic groups, and the raw swagger of countless American garage rockers. They made their debut on vinyl in 2011 with a single ("Catamaran"/"Long Journey") produced by friend of the band and old-school soul revivalist Nick Waterhouse and released on his Pres label. The Allah-Las' alliance with Waterhouse continued as they issued two singles in 2012 on his new label, Innovative Leisure: a split with the boss featuring their song "(Tell Me) What's on Your Mind" and another single featuring that song with "Sacred Sands" on the flip. Their Waterhouse-produced self-titled album was issued in September of that year and featured all their previously released tracks plus nine more. After spending time touring, the band hit the studio again with Waterhouse to produce their second album of laid-back garage-psych moodiness. Worship the Sun was released in September 2014, again by Innovative Leisure. For their next album, the Allah-Las worked at the recently reopened Valentine Recording Studios, a legendary spot where bands like the Beach Boys and artists like Stan Kenton recorded. It had closed in the late '70s and the band was one of the first to use its refurbished equipment. The resulting Calico Review was released in September 2016 on their new label home, Mexican Summer. The following year saw the group release Covers, Vol. 1, the first in a series of EPs exploring the band's myriad influences. The Allah-Las were dedicated travelers during this time, playing shows all around the globe and soaking up experiences and influences. Their next appearance on record was on the soundtrack to Self-Discovery for Social Survival, a surf documentary released in 2019. Later that year, the band's fourth album, Lahs, was released. After three albums that captured their hazy West Coast lifestyle, this time the group (and producer Jarvis Taveniere) gathered up sounds and feelings collected while on tour to make a much more outward-looking album that added elements of soul music, Brazilian psych, and Dead-style jamming to their psychedelic mix. Following the release of the album, Allah-Las paused their activities briefly, partially due to the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, but also out of a need to regroup creatively. When they reconvened many months later, they entered the studio with a looser approach to songwriting that built on rough sketches rather than fully mapped-out songs. This more collective creative process was fluid and exciting for the band, and it took their music to new places. 2023 album Zuma 85 highlighted this new chapter with songs that incorporated the influence of avant-pop artists like Roxy Music and John Cale, as well as subtle elements borrowed from Japanese city pop, loner folk, and '70s Krautrock. - Biography by Tim Sendra

fri31jul8:30 pmfri10:00 pmWild Child8:30 pm - 10:00 pm MilkBoy, 1100 Chestnut Street