Palmyra
Established in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, Palmyra captures the collective spirit of three Virginia natives: Teddy Chipouras, Mānoa Bell, and Sasha Landon. Palmyra straddles at least two musical worlds. They are, on one hand, a band from the South that plays traditional instruments and indeed once lived in the old-time locus of Floyd, Virginia. Comparisons to and a kinship with The Avett Brothers and even Old Crow Medicine Show are inevitable. On the other hand, Palmyra writes about grief, gender dysphoria and identity, and coming of age in songs that flirt with soul, post-rock, and even emo; the South, too, is the place of My Morning Jacket, Band of Horses, Cat Power, and now, Palmyra. The band’s first full length LP, Restless, is out now on Oh Boy Records. Framed by moments of struggle, solidarity, and hard-won growth, Restless is an unqualified ringer for anyone who loves the space where the roar of indie rock collides with raw folk. Website · Spotify · YouTube · Instagram · Facebook
tiLLie
tiLLie is a genre-bending alt-pop artist whose music shapeshifts between glittering pop hooks, grungy guitars, and 90s-inspired electronic chaos. Described by BBC Radio’s Jack Saunders as “a maverick artist born from the gates of Hell,” tiLLie’s lyrics go deep, tackling mental health, abuse, and empowerment head-on. With co-signs and co-writes from the likes of mgk, Daniel James, Bishop Briggs, Evan Bogart, Lights, Skyler Stonestreet, and Kevin Lyman (Vans Warped Tour), editorial support from Alt Press, The Fader, Spin, Billboard and more, she unleashed her new EP, “i miss when monsters were only shadows,” in January 2026 – led by the single “earn a living,” which landed her on Amazon Music’s #alt playlist cover. Anticipate raw, unfiltered alt-pop, a fearless voice, and a sonic evolution that keeps you leaning in. Having toured alongside Lights, girli, TX2, and Delilah Bon, and stormed stages at Vans Warped Tour, Slam Dunk Festival, and Rock for People, tiLLie has built her reputation as a firecracker of a performer – chaotic, cathartic, and impossible to look away from. With a brand-new era on the horizon, expect to catch her tearing up stages across the U.S. and Europe in 2026 (including Vans Warped Tour D.C., Long Beach, and Orlando) turning every show into a glitter-streaked, scream-along exorcism of joy. Website · Instagram · TikTok · YouTube · Spotify
Forever This Way: Emo Nite
🚨 JUST ANNOUNCED: FOREVER THIS WAY — BACK TO SCHOOL POP-UP SHOW 🚨 Carrboro, we’re sending summer out LOUD. On Friday, August 28, Forever This Way takes over the Cat’s Cradle Back Room for a last-minute Back to School party packed with LIVE emo & pop punk anthems. My Chemical Romance. Paramore. Fall Out Boy. Blink-182. Taking Back Sunday. Yellowcard. All Time Low. The Used + more. If you grew up screaming these songs in your car, putting lyrics in your AIM away message, or making them your entire personality… Come scream them with a room full of people who did too. Forever This Way shows have been packing rooms across the Carolinas, so don’t sleep on this one. 📍 Cat’s Cradle Back Room • Carrboro, NC📅 Friday, August 28🎟️ TICKETS ON SALE NOW Grab your friends. Grab your tickets. School’s back. Your emo phase never left. 🖤 Instagram
Missio
Website · Facebook · Instagram · TikTok · Spotify · YouTube
Horizon, Kicking Bird, Sidecar
Founded in 2025, Horizon is the premier party rock group out of Chapel Hill. Blending classic and indie influences, Horizon takes a jam-driven approach to live music, pairing catchy songs with wild improvisation. With their debut single “Hold Me Down” out in August, Horizon is making waves in the local and regional scene, turning the stage into a party every night. Instagram Kicking Bird is a power pop rock band from Wilmington, NC. Their jangly tunes come from garage rock roots, influenced by bands like The Kinks and The Jam. Live Kicking Bird shows are a sweaty dance party, blurring the line between audience and performers. Songs span subject matter from late-night trysts by the river to werewolf witches. After releasing two LPs on Fort Lowell Records, they had the good fortune to have four songs featured in The Runarounds on Amazon Prime. Their next full-length release, Sound Effects for Stage & Radio, is scheduled for spring 2027. Instagram Sidecar is a young Americana/Roots Indie Rock band based in Nashville, blending storytelling with raw rock and deep soulful sound. Drawing from a wide range of influences – from the classic grit of the early Rolling Stones and The Band to the modern edge of Marcus King, Tyler Childers, and Chris Stapleton- Sidecar delivers a sound that feels both timeless and refreshingly original. Formed by a tight-knit group of seasoned players who have cut their teeth in different corners of the Nashville scene, Sidecar’s foundation is built on the diversity of their own musical backgrounds. Their songs explore emotion and lyrical depth, creating a genre-bending sound that resonates with authenticity and groove. Sidecar is quickly carving out a space in Nashville with their three singles “Show Me the Door”, “Double Down”, and “Virginia”. Website
Davie Circle, Winterteeth, Goodcall
Davie Circle is an alt-country and folk-rock band rooted in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Born out of a tight-knit college town and raised on a steady diet of late-night jams and live shows, the band has quickly become a fixture of the local music scene. Named after the historic Chapel Hill street where they spent countless hours rehearsing, Davie Circle blends the warmth of Southern roots music with the energy of rock & roll. Drawing inspiration from artists like The Band, the Allman Brothers, and the Grateful Dead, their sound is built around soulful songwriting, rich harmonies, and the kind of live chemistry that keeps a room moving. At its core, Davie Circle is about good songs, good friends, and bringing people together.
The Stews
Instagram · Spotify · YouTube · TikTok
Will Slater & The 53, Jackson Slater and the Revelators
Will Slater blends country grit, southern rock edge, and Americana storytelling into a sound he refers to as ‘Southeast Emo.’ Slater, born in the alt-rock Mecca of the universe, Athens, Georgia, was raised just north in the Appalachian Foothills (Commerce, GA). His music draws from influences like Tyler Childers, Jason Isbell, and Athens legends, Drive-By Truckers. With a sound that comfortably mixes the whine of a pedal steel and the punch of fuzzed out guitars, the sky is the limit and the possibilities are endless. His new album “From Atop the High Horse” is being rolled out now through December. Spotify Like a moonshine-fueled fire in a 100-watt amplifier cabinet, Jackson Slater’s explosive debut ushers in a new era of heavy rock from the Southland. Website
Open Mike Eagle
Open Mike Eagle: Open Mike Eagle spent the 2010s finding comedy in rap music and American nightmares. On albums like Brick Body Kids Still Daydream and Dark Comedy, he delivered hilarious socio-political insights via half-sung verses laid atop progressive production. Acclaim from publications like Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and NPR coincided with headlining solo tours and top-billing at events like Adult Swim Festival. Between studio sessions, Eagle co-founded The New Negroes, a standup-meets-music variety show that explores perceptions of Blackness. He and co-founder Baron Vaughn brought the show to Upright Citizens Brigade, Comedy Central, and venues around the U.S. With over a dozen solo and collaborative projects to his name, Eagle has spent his career redefining and expanding the parameters of “art rap,” the term he coined as a shorthand for leftfield and avant-garde rap music. On Dark Comedy, he chronicled everything from smartphone addiction to the realities of being an indie artist in the streaming era with self-deprecation and side-splitting absurdity. 2017’s Brick Body Kids Still Daydream marked Eagle’s shift toward examining trauma, wading through the rubble of Chicago’s demolished Robert Taylor Homes, where several family members once lived. Anime, Trauma, and Divorce, his first full-length album on Auto Reverse Records, was among the most personal projects of his career. Neighborhood Gods Unlimited expanded that autobiographical and surrealist language further, turning an unrealized television concept into an album with an opening theme, flashbacks, a climax, and commercials. Instagram · Website Kenny Segal: Kenny Segal is a Los Angeles-based producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist whose work has helped shape some of the most adventurous corners of independent rap and experimental music. A longtime fixture of LA’s underground, Segal has built a reputation for productions that feel tactile, strange, melodic, and deeply lived-in. His recent collaborations span acclaimed projects with rappers including billy woods and K-the-I???, as well as work with jazz trio Human Error Club and bluesy indie rocker Benjamin Booker. On DOOMED!, Segal brings that full range into focus, constructing a singular sonic world around Mike Eagle’s fractured romantic postmortem. Instagram · Bandcamp
Myka Lace, Sam Thorn, Chris Chism, Eric Lee Hardt
Myka Lace, an indie singer/songwriter originally from Danville, IA, has recently emerged in the vibrant Triangle music scene. Myka has been writing music for over 10 years and has only recently begun performing her music in front of audiences. Her music is deeply influenced by a diverse range of fellow artists and draws inspiration from the soft, beautiful, and heartbreaking moments of life. Instagram Sam Thorn’s songs are time capsules of found objects, spare syllables, and silly jokes, fished out of a sea of reverb and love; an attempt to find stable footing in a world that gets wobblier every day. Instagram Chris Chism is a North Carolina-based musician, originally from Indiana, whose work blends traditional folk with modern indie and alternative influences. Playing guitar and banjo, Chris creates music that is both deeply personal and open to interpretation. His songs carry a melancholic tone, but offer glimpses of hope for those willing to look closer. Through a unique mix of heartfelt storytelling and diverse musical elements, Chris’s work invites listeners to connect with the beauty and complexity of life’s quieter moments. Spotify Eric Lee Hardt Instagram · Spotify