Cosmic Charlie New Year’s Eve Bash 2026
Ring in 2025 with Cosmic Charlie and special guests the Ain’t Sisters! The festive evening will include party favors, Father Time, Baby New Year, champagne toast at midnight, a “Lost Sailor” costume contest, and a healthy dose of Cosmic Charlie’s high energy Grateful Dead! We are thrilled to have Ain’t Sisters on board for the evening – should be a wild ride! DOUBLE YOUR FUN: This is part of a 2-night run – Cosmic Charlie will also be at the Cradle Mon Dec 30 (w/ special guests Liquid Garcia). Special 2-night combo ticket is available! ——————–COSMIC CHARLIE Cosmic Charlie was born in the musical Mecca of Athens, Georgia. From its summer 1999 inception, the band has swiftly cemented its reputation as a band that puts a unique and personal twist on the Grateful Dead catalogue, a Dead cover band for folks that are ambivalent about Dead cover bands. Rather than mimicking the Dead exactly, Cosmic Charlie chooses to tap into the Dead’s energy and style as a foundation on which to build. The result is healthy balance of creativity and tradition, and both the band and its audience are taken to that familiar edge with the sense that, music is actually being MADE here tonight. Moving and shaking even the most skeptical of Deadheads, Cosmic Charlie storms into a town and plays with an energy that eludes other bands, an energy that sometimes eluded the Dead themselves. Those precious moments during Dead jams when the synchronicity is there and all is right with the world, these are moments that Cosmic Charlie relishes and feverishly welcomes with open arms. Clearly, Cosmic Charlie’s audiences are also eager to arrive at those moments, and together with the band, they have indulged in many memorable evenings. Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube AIN’T SISTERS Fun, eclectic folk rock. Fronted by the deliciously androgynous duo Arrie Bozeman and Barb Carbon, the Aints deliver high-energy performances of their wildly diverse original music. Joined by the hardest working men in rock n Roll, Richie Jones on the Boom Chick thwackita whackita, and Justin Boudreau, aka BooDreamy, masterfully holding down the rhythm section and making everybody swoon with their gorgeous licks. Think Indigo Girls meets Dream Theater but with a little Birdcloud in the mix. Website | Facebook
STS9
With an ethos rooted in exploration, STS9 has been a sonic pioneer for two decades. Using electronic and acoustic means, the instrumental five-piece—comprised of Hunter Brown (guitar/programming), Jeffree Lerner (percussion), David Phipps (keyboards), Zach Velmer (drums), andAlana Rocklin (bass)—channels the primordial and celestial, producing a cutting-edge sound that has forged a path for multiple generations of electronic dance music. STS9’s innate sense of innovation is grounded by the group’s desire to forge universal connections. Seamlessly integrating their exploratory and improvisation-based music with a fully immersive light show, each performance is a transcendent celebration of humanity. With the help of the group’s dedicated fanbase, STS9 has performed countless shows nationwide and consistently sells out venues like the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater, where they have played over 30 times. The group has been honored with induction into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame and earns headlining slots at countless music festivals across the country. The group continues to find ways to build community, consistently spearheading charitable efforts with their own Just Thanks Foundation and founding its own independent record label, 1320 Records. Having released twelve albums over the last 28 years, STS9’s legacy unfolds into the future with their newest 2025 studio release, Human Dream. These 19 tracks clearly represent the band’s current sound, delving deep into the many facets of music the group is known for. From huge festival bangers, to funk and jazz explorations, intricate drum n bass, and beautiful instrumentals, Human Dream symbolizes the start of sharing music from STS9’s most prolific recording era to date. With more new releases on the horizon, major festival appearances, and a full US tour, STS9 is poised to keep spreading their music and message in 2026 and beyond. Website | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | TikTok
School of Rock Chapel Hill’s Mid-Season Preview Show & Halloween Spooktacular
FREE and Open to the Public, but $10 donations at the door are kindly requested and gratefully received to help cover fees for students with financial need. Thank you for your generosity. Mid-Season Preview Show & Halloween Spooktacular!Here is the super Spooky lineup:10:15 – Doors Open10:30 – The SORCH House Band!10:40 – The Best of Canada!11:10 – The Best of Muse!11:40 – Riot Grrrls!12:10 – Epic Album – Boston’s “Boston”!12:40 – Rock 101 & Rock 201 Review!1:10 – The SORCH House Band!1:25 – The SORCH Adult Band presents “Songs that Define their Films”!1:55 – The Best of Disco!2:25 – Aerosmith vs. Guns N’ Roses!2:55 – The Best of Tool!3:25 – Staff Infection presents a Preview of the Spring 2026 Show Season!4:00 – End of Show Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Facebook Event
Black Polish
“I want to build entire worlds for people to dissect,” says Black Polish, a rising alternative star known for their cinematic anthems of angst and rebellion. Since age 14, the Los Angeles-based artist Jayden “Jay” Binnix has found a listenership of fellow misfits through their songs that delve deep on themes of mental health and identity. After breaking out with their 2020 debut single “Sophie” – currently with over two million streams – they’ve established their own style of emotionally piercing songwriting and dynamic sound, which blends alternative, electronic, and pop music. Now, Jay prepares to expand the Black Polish universe with their sophomore album, Yuna, due September 5 via BMG. The daring concept album — a work of fiction and fantasy — centers around Jay’s alter-ego Yuna, a man-eating succubus who allows Jay to explore their most depraved instincts and hyperfeminine abilities to seduce. Throughout, the Jay character is gradually possessed by Yuna as they grapple with the anguish and pleasure of being inhabited by such a powerful demon. As the alternative project grows more dark and electronic-inspired, it symbolizes Yuna’s presence seeping her way into Jay and fully taking over. The immersive story ultimately suggests that some aspects of ourselves can never be fully banished, but must be understood and accepted. It asks: can you learn to forgive the darkest parts of yourself? Jay explains: “My therapist said one day, ‘In order to love yourself fully, you have to love and forgive all the things you want to hide.’ This album is essentially a love letter to that side of Jay; the obsessive, the manipulative, the aggressive, the dirty, the lustful, and the recklessness that they desperately try not to be. Of course, no one wants to be that person, but you have to forgive yourself to grow into the next version of yourself.” Yuna digs deep into the psyche of the Jay character, as they present playful, dark-sided lyrics and ever-shifting sonics to relay the album’s intricate narrative. The LP kicks off with the indie rock single “BE WITH YOU,” which sees Jay trying to repress feelings for a girl they just met, before the Yuna alter-ego starts to take over their body on “LUSH” – an alt-metal track that showcases Jay’s internal battle between good and evil. They use a full range of sounds to illustrate the epic story, as on the hauntingly beautiful ukulele-featuring song “YUNA’S LULLABYE.” Meanwhile, the dark R&B and electronic pop track “ABOUT YOU/SUNRISE,” tells the two-part tale of an intoxicating evening and the regretful morning afterwards. “I’m very focused on the visuals in my lyrics, the tone of my voice when I’m singing,” Jay explains. “I’m trying to paint a whole story in three minutes.” Though evil, Yuna also becomes a source of power, like when she appears through Jay on the braggadocious, sadistic “BONDAGE,” which features the lyrics: “Keep you locked inside my dungeon, stay close/Cuddle with blood and guts and gore.” Jay explains: “I am the most humble, forgiving and selfless person in relationships. I give so much, I get taken advantage of, and I always feel powerless. But seeing myself as a villain, it’s like, Oh, I’m a badass.” Instagram | Spotify | TikTok
Puma Blue
Puma Blue is the alias of artist, producer & songwriter, Jacob Allen. Originally from South-London, currently based in Atlanta; Puma Blue first gained wider attention with his EPs Swum Baby (2017) & Blood Loss (2018). His debut album In Praise Of Shadows was released in 2021, followed by concert-film ‘A Late Night Special’. Noted for a blend of sensuality, intimate fragility & haunting, nocturnal ambience, Puma Blue’s live shows feature a band of close friends, blending jazz-influenced improvisation with a vocal energy often likened to Jeff Buckley. His second album Holy Waters, a darker, band-focused meditation on the acceptance of death, was released in 2023 & hailed a triumph. In 2025 it was followed by surprise album, antichamber, announced mere hours before release, an ambient, stripped-back body of work featuring obscure, minimalist arrangements & field recordings. In October 2025, Puma Blue announced that new music was once again imminent, sharing fragments of new single ‘Desire’ – set for release on 22nd October 2025. Website | Facebook | Instagram | Soundcloud
Alice Phoebe Lou
Website | Instagram | Bandcamp | YouTube
Garrett Sparrow
Come watch Garrett Sparrow perform from his debut headline show in North Carolina! Featuring music from his self-produced debut album RAMBO, this will be a one of a kind show you won’t want to miss. He will be joined by openers maximilian & Joshua, two of his best friends and close collaborators. Follow Garrett:Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Spotify Follow maximilian:Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Spotify Follow Joshua Raw: Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Spotify
54 Ultra – Live in North America! (Round Two)
In the kaleidoscopic world of music, 54 Ultra emerges as a beacon of sonic fusion, weaving synthy indie rock with a Latin soul heartbeat. Based out of New Jersey, 54 Ultra is the musical project of songwriter and producer JohnAnthony (Johnny) Rodriguez. Offering music that is both honest and melodic, with a charismatic stage presence to match, 54 Ultra is carving out a space uniquely his own, defined by a garage pop and soul sound. Through a combination of interning in a New Jersey studio and self-teaching, Johnny built a solid foundation in music production before stepping into the spotlight with his own artist project. In early 2025, Johnny headed to Miami to work with Kali Uchis on her latest album, Sincerely, where he produced the track “All I Can Say.” In 2024, he shared his debut single, “Where Are You,” which quickly gained traction online, introducing listeners to a sound that feels both timeless and fresh. A year later, he released his debut EP First Works, which Billboard named one of the Best Projects of the Year (So Far). The six-track collection features fan favorites like “Upside Down” and “No Tengo Valor”, and was followed by four sold-out shows in New York and Los Angeles. Most recently, 54 Ultra shared “I Won’t Go,” a Spanglish synth ballad that further showcases his ability to blend emotional depth with vibrant, genre-blurring soundscapes. Just a little over a year after releasing his first single, it was announced that 54 Ultra will perform at Coachella 2026. Leading up to the festival, he will be opening for Kali Uchis at her San Jose show, embarking on a nearly sold-out North American tour, and playing his first European headline shows in London, Amsterdam, and Paris, before closing out the year with a performance at Festival Color Caribe in Puerto Rico. Website | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify
Greg Freeman
Greg Freeman thrives on finding emotional catharsis and present-day resonance in the eccentric ugliness of the past. His songs all have a palpable sense of place thanks to his urgent delivery and evocative lyricism, which mines history for character-driven tales of violence, loss, and epiphany. On his sophomore LP Burnover, out August 22 via Canvasback Music/Transgressive Records, the Maryland-born, Burlington, Vermont-based artist uses the complicated backdrop of the Northeast to sing of grief, alienation, and the clarity that comes from opening up yourself to love. Explosive, unsettling, and undeniable, the 10 tracks here meld energetic indie rock with an ambling twang. It’s Freeman’s most adventurous and personal yet, cementing him as a singular songwriting talent. When Freeman quietly released his debut LP I Looked Out in 2022, it had no PR campaign, label, or music industry promo, but still received raves from Stereogum and Uproxx. The word-of-mouth success of that release had Freeman on a relentless tour schedule. An itinerant lifestyle from ceaseless long drives made him think about home and his role in it. “I was trying to make an album about where I live, without specifically writing about myself and my immediate surroundings,” says Freeman. Driving around Vermont, he’d pass by the birthplaces of Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, and Ethan Allen, the Revolutionary War figure and state icon. “I was drawn to these slightly tragic regional figures who helped me understand the culture of that area even today,” he says. Burnover borrows its title from “The Burned-Over District,” a term used to describe parts of central and western New York that became hotbeds of fervent religious revival and utopian communities during the early 19th century. “There was this period where there’s all this psychedelic, religious movement coinciding with the territorial expansion,” says Freeman, citing Jack Kelly’s Heaven’s Ditch as well as Louise Glück, Grace Paley, Jim Thompson and Emily Dickinson’s writings as inspirations. On the album, there’s a sense that danger or revelation lurks behind every corner. It opens with the foreboding “Point and Shoot,” where he sings, “But I was lost like a little child / In a wilderness where the West was way too wild.” It’s a livewire track, with tangible momentum and an expansive arrangement. When Freeman was touring I Looked Out, he revamped his live setup as a five-piece where he was the only guitar player. He took that mindset to Burnover, which he recorded with Benny Yurco, drummer Zack James (Dari Bay, Robber Robber) and Freeman’s live band, at Benny Yurco’s Little Jamaica Recordings in Burlington. “I wanted to write songs that were fun and challenging to play on guitar, and maybe had a little more movement,” he says. Songs like “Gone (Can Mean a Lot of Things)” burst with intensity and Freeman’s guitars envelop the track with crunch and winding leads. But Burnover shines when Freeman tweaks the formula, like on “Curtain.” Originally demoed as a meandering guitar jam, the track came to life when pianist Sam Atallah tracked a tack-piano take at the studio. His lively leads invigorate the song, especially as Freeman sings lines like, “My thoughts die out slowly on the blood swept plains where I see you every night / And to the lonely hours, it’s like burning the furniture to keep the house bright at night.” Freeman says, “As soon as Sam laid down the piano, we heard the song for what it was and it came alive.” Website | Instagram | YouTube
The Nude Party
For The Nude Party, nearly a decade has flown by in the blink of an eye. In that time, the New York-based band has released a pair of well-received albums, an EP, and played countless shows. Prior to the pandemic, the band was really starting to hit its stride. They had a system in place and were spreading their brand of melodic rock to the masses. In fact, they could count Jack White, Arctic Monkeys, and Orville Peck as vocal supporters, which led to support slots for each. Soon, incredible live appearances at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Newport Folk Festival, and Shaky Knees became the norm. Over the course of the last two years, The Nude Party decided to produce their new album, Rides On, themselves. With the help of Matthew Horner, The Nude Party had as much fun creating as they ever had at any other point in their career. Their new album includes 14 songs that dabble in electro-pop and stripped-down country. The Nude Party coalesced and embraced the spirit of collaboration. They’re excited to begin the next chapter of their career. At a time when it would have been easy to pack it in, the band continues to persevere. Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | TikTok | Spotify
