The Criticals

The Criticals are a Nashville based rock band formed by Parker Forbes and Cole Shugart. The Criticals have proven themselves a powerful and fierce duo — one with both a diverse musical appetite in songwriting and a whiplash live show that’s drawn sellout crowds in major US markets including New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The band recently released their highly regarded EP Front Door Confrontations and continued a steady diet of raucous live shows across the country. The band are now set to release a handful of singles leading up to their debut album release on Fantasy Records in 2025.   Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Spotify

Dex Fest 2025

Reigning Sound Reigning Sound formed 25 yrs ago in Memphis, TN. When vocalist/songwriter Greg Cartwright moved to Asheville, NC in 2004, he reformed the band with the rhythm section of Dave Gay and Lance Wille. This line-up recorded one record “Live at Goner” and subsequently released a studio album “love and curses” with the addition of long time Reigning Sound keyboardist Dave Amels. The trio of Greg, Lance and Dave will perform for one last time, celebrating the life of friend and hero Dexter Romweber, June 12th in Chapel Hill.   Instagram | Facebook   Henri Cash & Seth Carolina (of Starcrawler) in Tribute to Dex Henri Cash and Seth Carolina are the guitarist and drummer for the Los Angeles band Starcrawler.  The band formed in LA in 2017 and have released three full length albums and numerous 7″ records on both Rough Trade Records and Big Machine.  Starcrawler have toured all over the world several times in the past eight years, both as a headlining act and also with other artists like Jack White, MC5, The Distillers and Boris.  They are currently in the recording studio and will be touring the United States this fall in support of Garbage.   Henri and Seth both have great love and respect for Dex Romweber, drawing inspiration from his frantic and aggressive on stage persona.  They performed together at Dex’s Memorial at Haw River Ballroom in April 2024, and are once again traveling across the country from LA solely to pay tribute to the memory of Dex Romweber, one of North Carolina’s finest musicians.  They will be playing a combination of Dex/Flat Duo Jet songs and other songs that Dex loved and performed.   Website | Instagram | Facebook     Boogie Reverie Boogie Reverie is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer-songwriter from Carrboro, NC. His solo act integrates elements of blues, classical, country, and psychedelic rock.   Instagram | Facebook

Stacey Ryan

Stacey Ryan has a rare gift for turning heartache into bubbly, soul-infused pop. She first went viral with “Don’t Text Me When You’re Drunk” (25M+ streams), followed by her breakout hit “Fall In Love Alone” (#1 Billboard charting song in Indonesia & Top 5 in most of Southeast Asia), which earned over 500M global streams. A classically trained jazz pianist and multi-instrumentalist, Stacey has performed on The Late Late Show with James Corden, played major festivals like Montreux, MAD Cool, and BST Hyde Park (invited by Duran Duran), and headlined sold-out shows across the US, Europe, and Asia. Her 2023 debut EP I Don’t Know What Love Is was praised by V Magazine for its refreshing, soulful songwriting. Stacey recently released “Everything Everything,” the first single from her upcoming debut album. Her next single, “Homewrecker,” drops May 9, with the full album out in August. Originally from Montreal and now based in LA, Stacey continues to embrace her French-Canadian roots, going viral for her bilingual sound that blends Amy Winehouse charm with Laufey’s jazz-pop elegance.   Instagram | Spotify | YouTube | TikTok

The Shoaldiggers

Cat’s Cradle, in conjunction with North Carolina veteran music documentary filmmakers Magic Umbrella, Inc, present a special night of eclectic performances that define the region, all to be filmed live.  The initial salvo of a new project to document the best musical artists of the community will be capturing an evening with the Shoaldiggers, Charles Latham and the Borrowed Band, and Teeth of England in the Cradle’s Main Room on Friday, June 13.  Under the moniker “Live at Cat’s Cradle” the evening brings you:   The Shoaldiggers, propelling their hybrid mix of deep roots rock, swamp grass, Americana, black & blues, freak folk, and good times party music through their 9-piece configuration that they are so known for.  From Durham, NC, wry lyricist and charismatic frontman Charles Latham leads the dynamic, high-octane Borrowed Band (which includes former members of Ben Folds Five, Shooter Jennings, Six-String Drag and more) on a wild ride from ballads to barnstormers.Hailing from Wilmington, NC, and no stranger to the Triangle area’s audiences, (remembered fondly in this area for his involvement with crunching maniacs Rural Swine 20 years ago) Dave Sinclair’s proto-rock Teeth of England plies its trade, jammed through the detour of the Memphis underground scene.  This rollicking night should have something to offer to everyone, and a wonderful crossover of styles to energize each act.  With a concept to memorialize these bands’ sets by filming them on the legendary stage at the big room at Cat’s Cradle. Don’t miss this!   Website | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify

Beach Fossils

Throughout the last fifteen years, Beach Fossils have steadily earned their stature as one of the most definitive and enduring bands of the 2010s New York underground, consistently reaching new listeners as their sound has grown from the DIY solo project of Dustin Payseur to an influential four-piece dream pop band, self-produced and self-released. Bunny (2023) continues the stunning evolution of Beach Fossils’ sound, pulling elements from the jangly melancholy of the self-titled debut Beach Fossils (2010) and What a Pleasure (2011), the gritty, post-punk inspired tracks from Clash the Truth (2013), and the lush arrangements of Somersault (2017). Throughout, Payseur is joined by core band members Tommy Davidson (guitar), Jack Doyle Smith (bass), and Anton Hochheim (drums). Through tone and mood, Beach Fossils communicate a coming-of-age narrative of self-discovery. Payseur’s slice-of-life lyrics reflect on depression, love, adventure, loss, mistakes, New York City, friendships coming and going — a mélange of granular pieces in the process of continuing to find yourself.   Website | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Soundcloud | TikTok

Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol

“Our catalog has never been short on big dumb riffs, but the idea on this record was to really turn the screw,” says RBBP bassist Aaron Metzdorf. On Big Dumb Riffs, that screw is cranked incredibly tight. “We just wanted ‘the part’: The opening of Pantera’s ‘Primal Concrete Sledge’, the breakdown in Primus’ ‘Pudding Time’ — the shit that makes you move and lose your mind. Just that part the whole time.” Across 11 concise, taut songs — most clocking in around 2 minutes or less — Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol demonstrates their skillful ability to blend the merciless low end of Leo Lydon’s 8-string guitar, Aaron Metzdorf’s masterful chordwork on the bass, and Sean St.Germain’s driving drumming. Hot on the heels of their breakout 5th studio release Doom Wop (2023), Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol returns with Big Dumb Riffs: A whole new variant of the fuzzed out, overdriven, melodic, groovy music they have been making since 2016. While Big Dumb Riffs is decidedly more aggressive and rhythmic, it still retains the overtly melodic feel of Doom Wop. But Leo Lydon’s vocals are considerably more angry and negative (song titles like “1-800-EAT-SHIT” and “Body Bag” should be a clue.) “The whole writing process was, ‘what if we just played two notes the whole song’,” Metzdorf says. “‘What if we tuned down to almost unusable string tension?’, ‘what if we write a record that will make everyone say ‘wow that is dumb’? Leo and I really move around on stage a lot. Being a dingus is crucial to the groove. All these riffs were designed to allow us to act bigger and dumber on stage.” Big Dumb Riffs will be available for streaming and download on March 22, 2024. LP to follow in late Spring.   Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify | YouTube

Nation of Language

Four years on from the release of their unexpectedly self-assured debut album, NYC based Nation of Language have attracted a rapidly growing international audience via their danceable and impassioned take on new wave, post-punk & shoegaze genres. Following the critical acclaim of their their first LP Introduction, Presence, its 2021 follow-up A Way Forward pushed them to a wider audience—landing them their late-night TV debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and a string of sold out tours—and their 2023 record Strange Disciple has continued this momentum, landing Rough Trade’s coveted #1 album of the year spot. Now a mainstay atop lists of the best live acts of recent years, the band continue to charge synth-first into their latest chapter as a major festival draw at recent iterations of Austin City Limits Festival, Desert Daze, Pitchfork Festival, Primavera Sound, Corona Capital, Outside Lands, Bonnaroo and many others.   Website | YouTube | Instagram | Spotify | Facebook

School of Rock AllStars

The School of Rock AllStars Tour takes the very best students from around the world and sends them on a country-wide summer tour, playing classic and modern rock and roll hits across the United States. Less than 1% of School of Rock students are selected each year to represent School of Rock as an AllStar.  Becoming an AllStar is the highest level of achievement for a School of Rock student. These students often go on to have accomplished careers in the music industry. Former AllStars have gone on to become touring artists, star in Broadway musicals, get signed to record deals, become finalists on talent competitions like The Voice and American Idol, or have other notable roles in the music industry.   Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Anamanaguchi – The Buckwild Tour

Last summer, after living across the country from each other for several years, the four members of Anamanaguchi decided to try something new. Their label Polyvinyl had rescued the famed American Football house from potential destruction, so the band took the opportunity to move in and write together. Over the course of a month, Anamanaguchi – pioneers of hyper-melodic 8-bit rock, whose extraordinary ascent has led them to topping charts with a virtual pop star – flipped their typically meticulous digital process on its head. The result is Anyway. Written in the converted living room-turned-practice space, Anamanaguchi walked away with the most personal record of their career. And it’s a rock record for the ages.   “Crazy sounds come from normal-looking houses,“ notes singer/songwriter/guitarist Peter Berkman. “We made the decision to be physically in the same room for nearly every step, writing everything as a group instead of editing and tweaking files over the internet.”   The band brought these demos to Grammy-winning rock producer Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, MGMT, Sleater-Kinney), whose old school approach drove the point home. Once again staying under the same roof – this time at the Fridmann family’s cozy Tarbox Road Studios in western New York – they recorded Anyway straight to tape, uniting around live instruments and lyrics sung by everybody in the band. Fridmann encouraged live tracking and spontaneous performances, which were shaped by Luke Silas’ propulsive drumming. The album’s analog sound comes in part from their search for vintage gear, including an extremely rare set of Marshall guitar cabinet speakers from the late-1960s – previously used on recordings by Jimi Hendrix, Van Halen, Nirvana, and Weezer – that give Berkman and co-guitarist/vocalist Ary Warnaar their distinct sound. “Every detail came from this need to do it right the first time,” Berkman notes about this significant shift for such consummate tinkerers. Adds bassist/vocalist James DeVito, “This time there was no undo button, no alternate versions. The decisions had to be made before, not after.”   At first, Anamanaguchi aimed to explore rage as the record’s main theme, reflecting the various frustrations of the world. But quickly they found themselves distracted by having fun together, and Anyway instead captures a band creatively and personally energized: the experience of four best friends reviving their connection in a disconnected world. As Anamanaguchi has always been an instrumental band, the decision to sing suddenly confronted them with the question of what the band’s voice would ultimately be. They explore this newfound power in every song, making it their most emotionally resonant work yet.   “The overarching theme of [USA] was about a voice forming and learning how to speak–a kind of artificial one. Anyway is the next step – it’s about discovering the band’s voice,” Berkman explains.   Website | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify | SoundCloud

French Police

Formed in Chicago, French Police is a darkwave ensemble led by vocalist and guitarist Brian Flores, lead guitarist Manny Herrera, and bassist Rolando Donjuan. Since 2019, their music has encapsulated indie and post-punk audiences with rhythmic guitar & synths, proving to be melancholic dance music for the passionate and romantic.   Website | Instagram | Facebook | Bandcamp

Skip to content