Good Kid
Good Kid is a five-piece pack of rambunctious indie rockers from Toronto, a jack-of-all-trades ensemble of musicians, programmers, and storytellers. Blending their skills with their J-rock, indie-rock, and pop-punk influences, they’ve turned the band into a massive internet art project. With a visual focus on their fictional character called Nomu, the band has created video games, curated inclusive spaces for their fans online, and struck a chord with some of the largest content creators in the world. Their music was featured on a recent MrBeast video, in the game Fortnite, and they are endorsed by content creators from the likes of Wilbur Soot, TommyInnit, and Ph1LzA. The single “No Time to Explain”, from their new EP Good Kid 3, has garnered millions of streams on Spotify, and has been featured on radio stations such as Alt Nation, Alt 94.7, Out of Order with Ted Stryker, and more. With two sold-out headlining US tours in 2022, support runs for Lovejoy’s a sold-out UK and EU tours, and a nearly sold out headline tour in May 2023, it’s clear that Good Kid’s online following translates into the physical world in a truly substantial way.Website | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | YouTube | Soundcloud
Lamont Landers
Born and raised in Alabama, Lamont Landers grew up absorbing the soulful sounds of the South that surrounded him. At the age of 14, he taught himself how to play guitar, and, at the age of 19, began singing. He spent years quietly honing his talents behind his bedroom doors, listening to records by Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Sly & The Family Stone, and Ray Charles on repeat. At the age of 22, a candid video recorded by his sister of Lamont performing the Ray Charles’ classic “Hit the Road Jack” went viral on YouTube and garnered over 400,000 views overnight. In the summer of 2023, history repeated itself with similar enthusiastic fan response propelling five Lamont Landers TikTok videos to over 1,000,000 views each. A feature on the Bobby Bones nationally syndicated radio show and shoutouts from music tastemakers ranging from Snoop Dogg to Questlove soon followed. No longer a secret of North Alabama, Lamont will be touring throughout North America in 2024.Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | TikTok
Billy Allen + The Pollies
There is a ferocious Southern engine inside of Billy Allen + The Pollies’ debut album Black Noise. It thrums to life atop a classic rock chassis and expertly weaves in and out of gospel, grunge, funk and soul along its eleven-song journey. From the explosive top of the album (a liberating anthem of self-worth called “All of Me”) to the spiritually haunting final track (the wurlitzer fueled “Go on Without Them”) Black Noise is a genre-defiant haymaker that lands. The band is a hybrid of four piece rock outfit The Pollies and fellow Alabamian, and frontman, Billy Allen. The story of what fused Allen and The Pollies is one that begins in a bar 8 years ago. This particular bar was on Allen’s gig circuit and it just so happens to be where Jay Burgess (founder of The Pollies) was having a drink that evening. While there was intrigue and potential in that first chance meeting, the two would remain ships in the night, each building their own careers, until years later when the stars would align at FAME studios in Muscle Shoals. As the story goes, both Allen and The Pollies, who were all occasional session musicians at Fame, were finally in the room together and the track on deck was Little Richard’s “Greenwood, MS”. To hear Allen retell this part of the story is to hear a man talk about the beginnings of a priceless friendship. “There was an immediate romantic musical connection,” Allen said. “This is my band.” To hear Burgess tell it, the feeling was mutual. Over the subsequent year, the two groups rehearsed, toured, wrote, and gelled together under the moniker Billy Allen + The Pollies. The joining of Billy and Jay (along with the other charter members of The Pollies: Spencer Duncan, Jon Davis & Clint Chandler) was like the clicking of a dislocated bone back into true. Named after a theoretical sound bomb with the power to destroy whole cities, Black Noise was written almost entirely during the pandemic, beginning as voice memos between Burgess and Allen. With the lockdown in full swing, the musicians became each other’s micro-community, and voice memos progressed to writing sessions in Jay’s garage, and continued to full band rehearsals at Jay’s Greenhill, Alabama, sanctuary Studio 144. When the time to cut the record arrived, they tapped long-time friend and Grammy winning musician Ben Tanner to produce and engineer. Tanner (co-owner of Single Lock Records and former Alabama Shakes keys player) brought the band to Sun Drop Sound in Florence where the bulk of the recording was done. The band was so deeply meshed that the album they captured between April and November of 2021, other than a small overdub section, was recorded fully live, without a click, and 3 takes or less per song. Listening to Black Noise feels like walking on the alien terrain of a new genre. It sounds like garage grunge by way of Jackie Wilson. The very same kerchief Billy Allen uses to wipe sweat from his brow on stage could be carrying DNA from Wilson Pickett, Joe Cocker, D’Angelo, Ziggy Stardust, or any of the Spiders from Mars. Theirs is a gritty and trailblazing sound. They are a band full of smiling time travelers, able to visit and draw from a multitude of eras and styles. Black Noise is an album that devastates you to the point of remembering why you love music. This is the type of band you root for. You can’t help it. They’re that damn good. Website | Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook
Secret Monkey Weekend, Cage Bird Fancier, Dragmatic
Dragmatic Described as “Teenage Fanclub if they ate biscuits and gravy for breakfast,” Raleigh’s Dragmatic plays a mesh of power pop and indie rock with a hint of North Carolina twang. Facebook Secret Monkey Weekend This trio are two sisters and their father who play in a style reminiscent of power pop, 80’s Southern Jangle, with classic 60’s rock undercurrents. Their 2022 debut, produced by REM / Smithereens producer Don Dixon, captured the ears and hearts of indie radio and streaming playlists across the U.S. and Europe. They have played extensively throughout the South and Northeast in ‘22-’23 supporting The Connells, Southern Culture On The Skids, and Pylon / Fetchin Bones / dB’s alumni. PBS recently highlighted their family’s unique “tragedy to healing through music” story in a 15 minute feature. Website | PBS Cage Bird Fancier (John Ensslin /Dave Alworth/ Andrew Branan/Scott Carle) – Durham Indie Rock/Power Pop Punk made up of veterans of NC favorites What Peggy Wants, Dillon Fence, Collapsis, and Maxell 90. Facebook
Christian Kuria
Christian Kuria, a Vallejo, California native, is a celebrated producer, songwriter, and recording artist whose music has garnered over 180 million streams globally. He made his mark in late 2019 with a U.S. tour alongside Cautious Clay, paving the way for his debut album, ‘Borderline.’ Kuria’s success expanded internationally with hit singles like ‘Toroka’ and ‘Deep Green,’ earning recognition from CLASH, OkayPlayer, MTV, Apple Music, and Spotify. In November 2022, he released his sophomore project, ‘Suspension of Disbelief,’ alongside the Arimé arts incubator, showcasing his evolution as an artist. Undaunted by industry challenges, Kuria embarked on a 2023 international headlining tour, captivating sold-out audiences across three continents. From Vallejo to global acclaim, his story reflects an artist dedicated to innovation, talent, and pushing the boundaries of musical artistry. Website | Instagram | Spotify
Black Country, New Road
Emerging from London’s vibrant Windmill scene with their debut album For the first time, Black Country, New Road quickly made inroads as ones to watch in 2021. The album brought an eclectic influence spanning genres and winning critical acclaim across the board, garnering support from both fans and critics, the album was also shortlisted for the Mercury Prize. Second album Ants From Up There quickly followed on 3rd Feb 2022, landing at #3 in the UK Albums Chart – their second Top 5 UK album debut in 12 months. The record was once again lauded by fans and critics alike, gaining numerous 5* reviews and went on to appear on end of year lists across the globe, including being voted #1 by fans on r/indieheads, Rate Your Music and #3 by Pitchfork readers. All of this despite being released just days after frontman Isaac Woods announced his decision to step away from the band. Fresh from the success of Ants From Up There, with a full touring schedule ahead of them in 2023, the band, now as a six-piece, remaining members Lewis Evans, May Kershaw, Georgia Ellery, Luke Mark, Tyler Hyde and Charlie Wayne decided to write an entire new set of material to perform. They played to swelling crowds at festivals, including triumphant performances at Primavera, Green Man and Fuji Rock, entering a new musical phase as they navigated and developed songs that were just weeks old. They also toured the US with black midi and headlined two sold-out shows in New York. As the songs continued to develop on the road they decided to avoid conventional next steps. People waiting on new material have eight new, excellent songs to hear, but not in the way they might have expected. “We didn’t want to do a studio album,” says BC, NR pianist May Kershaw, who is one of the three band members, along with saxophonist Lewis Evans and bassist Tyler Hyde, now taking on vocal duties. “We wrote the new tracks specifically to perform live, so we thought it might be a nice idea to put out a performance.” The result is a filmed live performance, directed by Greg Barnes, that took place over three nights at London’s Bush Hall. “It’s about capturing the moment,” says Evans. “A little time capsule of these eight months that we’ve had playing these songs on the road.” In typical BC, NR fashion, the idea of doing a filmed live performance in a tired and predictable way held little appeal. “We had concerns from live sessions we’ve seen or done in the past,” says guitarist Luke Mark. “They are very obviously clumped together visually from multiple performances. That can take you out of the performance and make it seem artificial and like it’s not actually live. So we came up with the idea to make the three nights look visually distinct from one another. To scratch the idea of trying to disguise anything. We wanted it to be very honest and let people know that we had three goes at it. This isn’t just us playing the whole thing non-stop.”Website | Bandcamp | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Grant-Lee Phillips
“One of the most gifted songwriters of his generation…”–ABC News“Criminally underappreciated, Grant-Lee Phillips is one of the more versatile singers around.” —Mother Jones In the early months of 2020, when Grant-Lee Phillips realized potential touring options would be on hold for the foreseeable future, he began to write and record a new solo album at home. “It became a sort of meditation on this time in my life and the events that we’ve collectively experienced.” The reflective “All That You Can Dream” marks his 10th solo album. Audiences first discovered Phillips’ thoughtful, literate songwriting in context of the rock band Grant Lee Buffalo, a trio which found success with the 1993 debut Fuzzy. The title track catapulted the group to international recognition. Grant Lee Buffalo followed up Fuzzy with 1994’s Mighty Joe Moon (an album featuring the modern rock hit “Mockingbirds”) and two more well-received full-lengths, 1996’s Copperopolis and 1998’s Jubilee. Beginning with his 2000 solo debut Ladies’ Love Oracle, Phillips opened another chapter in his career, as a folk- and Americana-focused artist crafting songs and stories rich with details and humanity. He returned to road in the spring of 2022. Eager fans throughout the US and overseas would come to experience two new Grant-Lee Phillips albums – “Lightning, Show Us Your Stuff,” released in 2020, and All That You Can Dream from 2022. Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
Guster
Look Alive is our 8th album. The bulk of it was recorded in a vintage keyboard museum in Calgary AB, during a January stretch when the temperature reached 30 degrees below zero. We ended up in Canada because our British producer, Leo Abrahams, couldn’t turn around an American work visa fast enough, and we feel lucky to have discovered Studio Bell at the last minute. Despite having access to room after room of well-maintained analog keys, Leo gravitated to a cheap Ensoniq Mirage synth from the 1980’s that made Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation-era sounds from floppy disks. Leo spent countless hours poring over these floppy disks while the band gawked at the mellotrons, harpsichords, and other vintage equipment housed at Studio Bell. It was the beginnings of a stylistic clash that would ultimately play out beautifully. Our band had always gravitated to “warm” sounds. Leo would introduce us to “cold” sounds and the way they challenge us as listeners. He was the perfect complementary piece for Guster. After working with the late Richard Swift four years ago and discovering a more raw and vintage sound on Evermotion, we fully embraced studio production with Leo this time around. The sheer amount of production on Look Alive grew into its own statement. There is a lot to unpack. One day in Calgary we arrived at the studio to discover that Leo had put in a few extra hours on our song “Summertime.” He’d built an entire new intro using the Ensoniq Mirage overnight and played it for us. The band reaction wasn’t too kind. Our beautiful song now had a jarring, harsh, disruptive introduction, instead of the soft mellotron flutes we’d known. After some days of light bickering about it, Leo finally shed his proper British diplomatic side and belted out that “the world doesn’t need another fucking Beatles pastiche!” This would eventually become a rallying cry for the album as we strove to make something new and powerful together. Title track “Look Alive” is an ominous, processed sonic collage with haunting words about waking up and becoming active in the midst of hollow words and fake heroes. “Hard Times,” written in the studio, came out more like the dark pop of Peter Gabriel / Depeche Mode / Tears for Fears than what people might think of Guster. “Overexcited” felt like classic Brit-pop and so Ryan sang it with a British accent over an Ensoniq marimba. Some of Guster’s critics will say “but you can’t do that” — and that’s something we’ve heard our entire career. We don’t subscribe to the same musical ideology they do and never have. Writing songs for the second straight record with multi-instrumentalist Luke Reynolds (who joined the band in 2010) has been a key to our evolution. Working with artists like Leo Abrahams, John Congleton, and Collin DuPuis proved to be inspiring and adds to a “brain trust” that bolsters the songs. With Look Alive the plan is simple. Grow our musical community. Write better and better songs. Keep our minds open. Never repeat ourselves and create a legacy of music that is undeniable. – Brian Rosenworcel, drummer of GusterWebsite | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | TikTok
TWRP Digital Nightmare 2024 Tour
Dial-up internet? Social media? Mobile cellular telephones? Somebody get us out of this Digital Nightmare! This Spring, join TWRP in their decades-late exploration of technology, as they ask all of the wrong questions, aimlessly fumble through deep concepts related to The Computer Era, and perform their genre-blurring synth-rock music across North America.The sound of the future as imagined in the 1980s. The nostalgic theme song to your favourite childhood cartoon that may have never existed. The hopefulness of someone from the future describing the utopia of tomorrow. Like a paradox of time travel, TWRP is all of these things and yet none of them. This optimistic fascination with the future, grounded in the nostalgia of the past, is what has shaped TWRP. They are the product of many eclectic styles and eras, crafted into something simultaneously playful, heartfelt, and tongue-in-cheek, all delivered with self-aware bombast and an uncommon musical precision. Old funk, modern electronic, and classic rock converge in their science fiction universe, as if Earth, Wind & Fire, Justice, and Casiopeia provided the soundtrack to a 80s cult classic film directed by John Carpenter.Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTubeTrey Magnifique is the smooth jazz alter ego of musician, comedian, and theoretical physicist Brian Wecht. Best known for his comedy bands Ninja Sex Party and Starbomb, where he performs as the keyboard-playing “Ninja Brian”, as well as his kids’ band Go Banana Go, Brian is one of the most popular comedy musicians in the world. Mature Situations is Brian’s first album as Trey Magnifique, as well as his first solo project.Twitter | Spotify | InstagramNelward is a music artist from Atlanta GA who describes his style as “broadly influenced art pop”. He also makes videos and animations that have a whimsical and cartoonish style.Website | Facebook | TikTok | TwitterDedicated customer service email for any and all VIP questions ([email protected]).
Fleshwater
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