Karina Rykman – Late Checkout Tour 2026
Karina Rykman plays bass, sings, jumps around, and laughs a lot. In doing so, she has garnered rare attention and avid listenership. Straddling the worlds of jam rock and indie pop drenched in psychedelia, Karina’s effervescent presence comes to life in musical form. Born & raised in New York City, Karina Rykman’s musical path began in her early teens playing in bands whenever she could while attending a veritable ton of live music as a fan. By the end of her senior year at NYU, Rykman’s virtuoso talent & infectious spirit saw her invited to join pianist Marco Benevento’s band (as recommended by Ween bassist Dave Dreiwitz), with whom she’s performed countless shows including dates with Vulfpeck, Dispatch, The Claypool Lennon Delirium, & many more. Rykman soon formed her own namesake band, accompanied by Adam November (guitar, loopers, effects) and Chris Corsico (drums). She quickly earned a reputation as an unmissable live act – a bombastic exposition that floats freely between dreamy indie pop and thick, distorted rock – with “fun” as its guiding light. Tearing up sold out headline performances to ravenous fans, show-stealing festival performances (including Bonnaroo, Peach Music Festival, and Sweetwater 420 Fest), opening for Khruangbin, My Morning Jacket, the Tedeschi Trucks Band (+ many more), plus recent appearances in the house band on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, Karina stays busy. Rykman released her debut album, JOYRIDE via AWAL in August 2023. Written & recorded with childhood friend and producer Gabe Monro, the album serves as a vivid canvas for Rykman’s vibrant expression & chameleonic songcraft. JOYRIDE features Trey Anastasio as co-producer & featured musician, contributing guitar on five of the album’s nine tracks. The bassist/vocalist’s concerts are often packed with fans who feel more like friends—a testament to her undeniable charisma and her embrace of the live music community—and that circle continues to expand at alarming rates. Website · Facebook · Instagram
The Wldlfe
The Wldlfe, comprised of Jansen Hogan, Carson Hogan, & Jack Crane, entered into the independent scene in 2016 with their smash EP “New, 2016” and have continued to grow one the most steadfast fanbases around through their consistent releases and relentless appetite for touring. An electrifying live act, The Wldlfe has toured sold-out shows across North America in 2023, 2024, and 2025 while cultivating an audience hungry for more. Frontman Jansen Hogan’s magnetic stage presence and infectious charisma, paired with the skillful instrumentation of Carson Hogan and Jack Crane, leave fans with unforgettable experience. With over 100 million global streams to date, The Wldlfe released the Deluxe version of their highest streaming project yet, Heaven is a place, 2024. Website · Instagram · Facebook · Spotify · YouTube · TikTok
The War And Treaty
For the past decade, soulful duo The War And Treaty—the husband-and-wife team of Michael and Tanya Trotter—have released music that continues to elevate them beyond beloved industry favorites, as well as award-season and touring staples, capable of performing on stages worldwide with widespread acclaim and standing ovations. Every aspect of their new project exemplifies the pinnacle of the group’s ever-creative growth within these mentioned ideas. Twelve years after their founding, The War And Treaty have redefined themselves beyond Academy of Country Music, Country Music Association, and GRAMMY nominations. Moreover, being lauded by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Grand Ole Opry, and the Americana Music Association, which named them Duo/Group of the Year for two consecutive years, cannot contain them as a group greater than the sum of their most successful parts. Immediately upon listening to their latest album, it’s clear that a more vibrant energy now guides a duo confidently shaping their own destiny. Album collaborators include titans of the arts who are as much friends, mentors, and trusted confidants as they are legends across multiple industries: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award winner Whoopi Goldberg (who provides the spoken word intro for “Litty”), Songwriters Hall of Famer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds (writer of “You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore”), Country Music Hall of Famer Wynonna Judd, and Grammy-nominated performer Valerie June (both on “Reclaim All Of Your Time”) all contribute as guest artists. Hall of Fame-caliber mentors and influential friends, now serving as relaxed collaborators, shape how powerhouse country-soul vocalists like Valerie June and Wynonna Judd influence The War And Treaty’s latest sound. The duo’s pairing is less unlikely than it appears at first glance: both grew up listening to classic country and Memphis soul records, among many other genres. As a result, on the song “Reclaim All of Your Time,” their styles blend seamlessly with Tanya Trotter’s veteran gospel-soul stylings. For nearly five years after writing the folksy, female-empowerment ballad, Michael Trotter, its creator, believed it should be presented as a conversational piece with layered harmonies. He was right. The song, both in its composition and vocal delivery, combines warmth and strength to forge a rare genre bridge. Beyond collaborations, The War And Treaty’s latest work also thoughtfully seeks to expand Ray Charles’ 50-year-old idea that the best music exists in the tension between sacred sounds and secular desires. Given that Michael and Tanya Trotter are a married couple, their ability to explore that space is obvious. Yet, their decade-long efforts to meet industry expectations in folk, Americana, and country music left significant raw and romantic potential in their sound untapped. “We’re finally performing material that shows people how, beyond being mature and intentional, how sanctified and sexual we can be,” says Tanya Trotter. “For Michael and me, it’s important to show the combination of rawness and sweetness that underlies our soulful sound.” Instagram · Spotify · Facebook · YouTube · TikTok
Carrboro Indie Night
Six Foot Blonde
Chicago-based indie pop/rock outfit Six Foot Blonde delivers a dynamic sound defined by soulful, powerhouse vocals with lush indie rock instrumentation. This six-piece seamlessly blends infectious pop melodies with raw rock energy, cementing their reputation as one of the Midwest’s most exciting emerging acts. They burst onto the scene from Bloomington, Indiana, forming during the pandemic in 2020 as an IU college cover band. They quickly evolved into a tight-knit group of meticulous arrangers. Frontwoman Julia Rusyniak’s soaring voice and deeply personal lyrics backed by a dynamic fusion of indie-rock slide guitar, synth, and three-part harmonies. Their infectious sound and explosive performances are rapidly expanding their dedicated fanbase. “The rare combination of earnest and exciting, the synthesis of frontwoman Julia’s tremendous vocal talent and heartfelt lyrics with a 90’s-alt-washed take on soul pop that is lush, tight-knit, and brimming with energy.” — MOKB Presents “Julia’s voice and lyrics resemble a modern pop artist, backdropped by indie-rock instrumentation uniquely their own.” – Melodic Magazine Website · Facebook · Instagram · Spotify · YouTube
Brian Fallon & The Painkillers
Brian Fallon is known far and wide for his elemental gifts as a songwriter, musician, and storyteller, including four acclaimed solo albums and his role as founding member and frontman of The Gaslight Anthem. Over the course of nearly three decades, the New Jersey-based artist has crafted a constantly evolving body of work, booming with insistent imagery, defiant romanticism, and an extraordinary emotional acuity that has marked all variations of his music from the very start. 2023 saw The Gaslight Anthem return from a long hiatus with History Books, their sixth full-length album and first new studio LP in nine years. The much-beloved band marked the acclaimed album with an epic tour schedule that saw sold-out headline dates and show-stopping festival performances around the world, confirming their ongoing place among the top ranks of American rock ‘n’ roll bands. Website · Instagram · TikTok · YouTube · Spotify
Ak’chamel
For over 15 winters, the name Ak’chamel has drifted like smoke through the underground-a thing half-seen, yet impossible to forget. Wearing nightmarish costumes and engaging in hallucinatory ceremonies; their singular sound comprising desert-scorched psychedelia, post-apocalyptic shamanism, and lo-fi ritual-folk is as unique as the physical theater of their live performances. They have released dozens of cassettes, several vinyl records, and a handful of cryptic VHS tapes. Their ungodly reels have been seen by millions yet understood by few. The group remains veiled in mystery, yet they tour often-through the United States, Canada, and Europe; bringing their unearthly plague to the world. Instagram · Bandcamp · YouTube
YHWH Nailgun
The quartet of Zack Borzone (vox), Jack Tobias (synth), Sam Pickard (drums), and Saguiv Rosenstock (guitar) display an innate ability to translate a primitive spirit into a modern form. Born during the lockdown as an experimental project between Borzone and Pickard in Philadelphia, the group expanded as the two moved to New York, adding Tobias for their debut self-titled EP, which was produced by Rosenstock, who was then integrated into the band. That first collection is one of self-discovery, of finding the tools necessary to make songs within the band’s own ecosystem. They honed in on their own world and their collaborative, close-knit writing process, discovering the essential structures and feelings that make YHWH Nailgun. Website
Whitney
Whitney return to the road in 2026 with a North American tour celebrating their forthcoming fourth studio album Small Talk (out November 7, 2025). Formed in Chicago in 2015 by Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek, the band has earned a devoted following for their soulful blend of tender melancholy and radiant warmth. Their debut Light Upon the Lake introduced Whitney with the beloved single “No Woman,” earning Pitchfork’s coveted Best New Music designation and praise for its “near flawless… low-key perfectionism.” Nearly a decade later, the band continues to evolve while preserving the intimacy and spirit that made them so cherished from the start. On this run, Whitney will share new songs from Small Talk alongside fan favorites, bringing their signature mix of laid-back charm and intricate musicianship to stages across the US and Canada, with stops in Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Toronto, Montreal, and more. “If you’ve ever seen Whitney live, you already know what a treasure their performances are. The Chicago-based outfit, led by the effortlessly cool Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek, has a gift for crafting songs that feel both timeless and deeply personal – sunny yet melancholic, tender yet bold.” – We Write About Music Website · Threads · YouTube · Facebook · Instagram
Carbon Leaf
Carbon Leaf’s fifteenth studio album, Time is the Playground is both a call to action and an embrace of the moment. Marrying nostalgic storytelling to nuanced, folk-infused indie rock, the Richmond, Virginia band embroiders heartfelt melody and harmony with acoustic and electric instrumentation to create a 12-song rumination on time, love and personal growth that’s equal parts urgent epiphany and contented exhalation. “Everybody says people don’t listen to albums anymore,” mulled Carbon Leaf frontman Barry Privett, holed up in a coastal cottage. “So, the challenge for us was to make something that felt good to get through from beginning to end … to listen to like a story.” Originally formed as a college cover band in 1992 and with over 3,500 famously enthused live shows together, Carbon Leaf helped to define the aughts indie rock that they ultimately outgrew and outlasted. They first earned national recognition with “The Boxer,” a song that won the American Music Awards 2002 New Music Award and made Carbon Leaf the first unsigned band to perform before millions on the AMAs. “The Boxer” entered regular radio rotation, Carbon Leaf’s tours grew bigger and better, and within a couple of years they quit their day jobs and inked a record deal. The band’s fanbase snowballed, drawn to their infectious spirit of commitment, empathy, communion, and self-reliance – not to mention supremely crafted songs with ultra-relatable, thought-provoking lyrics. After a trio of charting albums for Vanguard Records, multiple songwriting awards and headlining shows, Carbon Leaf opted to return to the complete creative control of their indie roots. Guitarist Terry Clark, who co-founded the band with Privett and multi-instrumentalist Carter Gravatt, converted his garage into the band’s Two-Car Studio, where they’ve recorded releases for their own Constant Ivy imprint ever since. Carbon Leaf’s DIY spirit even extended to re-recording their three Vanguard albums in order to regain the rights. Due in September, Time is the Playground is Carbon Leaf’s first full-length album in a decade, during which they released two EPs and a 27-song live performance album and Blu-ray. Time is the Playground gathers the best of songs written, in fits and starts, over 15 years, alongside brand new ideas. Privett dusted off old demos and shut himself away for months to finish their stories, while also honing recent compositions. With Clark engineering, Carbon Leaf – completed by longtime bassist Jon Markel and drummer Jesse Humphrey – spent a year and a half recording and mixing the resulting songs. “Thinking about these disparate pieces of music, I began ruminating on time itself,” Privett recalled. “The band’s been together a long time. You mature a bit and see yourself in place on the timeline … rolling around the scenes of love and growth.” Masterfully melding saturated AC/DC guitar and squelchy Cars synth, “Backmask 1983” is a fun flipbook of evocative era emblems – Farah Fawcett, “Satanic Panic,” Time Life Books, Bigfoot and more – that traverses the simultaneous nexus of Privett’s childhood/adolescence and the world’s analog/digital ages. It’s about morphing into a new person and a new planet with wide-eyed wonder and a longing to believe. Website · Facebook · Instagram · Spotify