Greg Mendez
Greg Mendez has always been an economical songwriter – he wields restraint and simplicity as tools, the core of his songs sharpened into simple, cutting truths. On Beauty Land, his new album and debut LP for Dead Oceans, we’re guided by a wry but forgiving narrator, an underdog who has learned to balance cynicism and faith. These songs are self-effacing without self-pity, carefully constructed altars of imperfection channeled through pop melodies, shimmering but urgent guitars, and a voice that reaches for choir boy innocence.The bulk of Beauty Land was recorded directly to tape, almost entirely alone in Mendez’s makeshift home studio in Philadelphia – a small room with no natural light. It’s his first full length since his unexpected self-titled breakthrough in 2023, which was a slow burn success following 15 years of writing and recording music in relative obscurity between Philly and New York. Beauty Land picks up where we left off three years ago – plumbing the depths of grief, love, and addiction – but its intense, quiet clarity shows Mendez at his songwriting best.Parts of Beauty Land feel like a lucid dream, dented characters carve their way through a world that’s cartoonish and warped – the broken-clock march of “I Wanna Feel Pretty,” the chiming toy piano on “Gentle Love.” “Mary / Dreaming” begins as a sparse, finger-picked lament before cutting abruptly to a deflated, Beach-Boys-but-make-it-fucked-up resolution that brings both melancholy and joy; a sense that all things can be true at once. None of the 14 tracks here break three minutes, but they tell stories that span lifetimes.Death floats through the record, whether it appears as a memory or a threat. Everything feels precarious. There’s a fragility to how these songs are built: the way the funeral organ hits alongside the morphine on “Looking Out Your Window,” the devastating simplicity of “Frog,” with its slowed-down keyboard and bare refrain: “Please forgive me for my faults.” Beauty Land feels, at times, impossibly lonely. Which makes it really count when it doesn’t – like when Mendez sings in harmony with his wife and bandmate, Veronica near the end of “So Mean” and it feels like a cherished reunion, a fleeting moment of redemption, a temporary parting of the seas. Website · Instagram · Spotify · Bandcamp
Joan Shelley
Joan Shelley is a songwriter and singer who draws inspiration from traditional and traditionally-minded performers from her native Kentucky, as well as those from Ireland, Scotland, and England, but she’s not a folksinger. Her disposition aligns more closely with that of, say, Roger Miller, Dolly Parton, or Tom T. Hall, who once explained—simply, succinctly, in a song—“I Witness Life.” Her 7th album Real Warmth was released in September. It was recorded in Toronto with producer Ben Whiteley (The Weather Station), and the 13-tracks feature many guests from the city’s fertile music scene. Instagram · Facebook
Haute & Freddy’s Big Disgrace Tour
Haute & Freddy is the dazzling brainchild of Michelle Buzz and Lance Shipp. The duo released their first single “Scantily Clad,” sparking a devoted fanbase. The song has landed them on Spotify playlists *Lorem*, *Obsessed*, and the cover of *Fresh Finds*, paving the way for their second single “Anti-Superstar,” which has also been embraced with equal support and looks on multiple Spotify playlists, leading to them being named on Spotify’s Artists To Watch for 2026. Their third single “Shy Girl” is currently their most streamed track and has been licensed five times over for film & TV projects. Fast forward to now, and the comment sections are buzzing with fans speaking in Ren Faire lingo, while their shows are filled with attendees crafting their own jester hats, as a mime clown joyfully twists balloon crowns for the rest of the Royal Court—aka H&F’s loyal followers. With their debut album on the horizon and their sold-out Mini Grand Tour under their belt, Haute & Freddy’s momentum is picking up speed. Fans devoured the recently released videos for “Shy Girl,” “Sophie,” and “Freaks.” More festivals and tour dates are in the works for 2026 when the album drops. Their latest single is a new anthem, “Dance The Pain Away,” out now, with their debut album *Big Disgrace* coming out via Atlantic Records on March 13th. Their love for theater, obscure synths, and underground club culture runs deep, infusing every track with an audacious energy. The duo moves through their music like runaway carnies, crashing through the veneer of polite society with all the flair of an 18th-century escapade. Website · Instagram · Facebook · Spotify · YouTube · TikTok
Carrboro Bluegrass Festival Presents Bluegrass In The Backroom
This is a seated show.
Carrboro Bluegrass Festival Presents Bluegrass In The Backroom
This is a seated show.
Andrew Duhon
This is a seated show. There’s a mystical allure to the road. Innately literal and figurative, it is both the blacktop and the connective tissue between people, places, and cultures. The opportunity to venture beyond what’s known and comfortable into what’s possible. A rugged romanticism of packing up a standard issue Chevy Express tour van with instruments, scuffed amps, overflowing merch boxes, and a trio of musicians setting sail to share Duhon’s songs with anyone who will listen. For a young Andrew Duhon, the road was the connection from “No Man’s Land” to the “Promised Land.” A chance to truly connect with former strangers through song. To feel equal kinship with the good ol’ boys in Beaumont, TX and the hippies and artists in Bellingham, WA. But with that comes a weight. Duhon has a knack for telling the kind of stories that clearly cost the writer something to tell, the kind of honesty that feels noble and never half hearted. Entertaining? Sure, but when a song written by a stranger heals you, even in the smallest way, that’s a connection beyond entertainment, and that is the journey Andrew Duhon sets out on from his home in Louisiana. His songs are about recognizing our story as much as they are about telling his, and his coast to coast pursuits have given him a clearer view of the American Landscape than most are privy to. But after years of voyaging off to every corner of the country, a new sensation arises with each return to New Orleans. The fondness for home returns and, for the moment, forgives the potholes and the incompetence of local politics to focus on those familiar sights, sounds, and singular culture of Louisiana from the old European feeling of The French Quarter to the rural cane fields of Cajun country where his father’s side resides, now noticing the changes after every stretch of time spent away. And from that familiar return comes The Parish Record, a snapshot of life venturing from and returning to one of America’s purest cultural vignettes, and the beauty, conflict, and stories that come with it.The Parish Record was recorded at Dockside Studios in Maurice, LA, where deep in Cajun country sits a wood-panel barn engulfed in oak and cypress trees along the slow butterscotch bayou pace of the Vermillion River. In this isolated hub of Acadiana, Andrew Duhon embarked with his trio of most trusted musicians – Myles Weeks (James Hunter Six, Eric Lindell) on Bass, Jim Kolacek (Feufollet) on Drums, and Daniel Walker (Heart, Ann Wilson, Amy Ray) on Keys – to harness of the sound and feeling of their surroundings. Justin Tockett, the house engineer at Dockside is also, as Duhon claims, his secret weapon. From Duhon, “Justin’s production is the most underrated thing in the room, and his spirit is peaceful and literally at home at that studio. There’s a cat on his lap most of the time he’s mixing. I mean, come on… That’s the feeling I wanted to feel when making this record from what felt like home to me. It wasn’t time to hit Nashville or try out something new on this one. It was about believing in the songs from where the songs came from.” Website · Facebook · Instagram · YouTube · Spotify
The Dear Hunter – The Road to Sunya Tour 2026
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Tommy Newport
Tommy Newport is a British-American singer crafting infectious, falsetto-laced indie anthems that blur eras and borders. Blending psych-pop shimmer, sun-soaked soul, and off-kilter cool, Newport has built a global following around his elastic melodies and unmistakable voice. He stepped fully into his own with his latest album Mister Domino, a bold, technicolor statement released on the heels of his debut at Lollapalooza. Featuring the fan-favorite single “Tangerine”, the project captures Newport at his most expansive, balancing playful experimentation with razor-sharp songwriting. His recent singles “Nancy Dancing” and “Risky Business” signal the sound of an artist moving effortlessly with intention into his next chapter. A magnetic live performer, Newport has toured extensively across North America and Europe and appeared on two platinum-certified releases: “Red Sky” from 21 Savage’s American Dream, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and “Comes & Goes” from BigXthaPlug’s Take Care. He has also collaborated with Grammy-nominated duo EARTHGANG and rising indie star Baby Nova. Newport’s work has earned acclaim from The FADER, Complex, Hypebeast, Highsnobiety, Pigeons & Planes, PAPER, Lyrical Lemonade, and COLORS, with support from Zane Lowe, Elton John, and Gilles Peterson. Spotify · Instagram
Die Spitz
When the Venn diagram of passion, friendship, identity, and artistry collide, it can feel as if fighting words are spitting from your veins. And as postmodern society crumbles, Die Spitz giddily bounce between a dozen different ways to push back. If the world of rock music were an ice cream shop, the Austin quartet have sampled each flavor, flipped the freezer over, and started dancing with the employees they helped unionize. On their debut album, Something to Consume (due Sept 12 via Third Man Records), Ava Schrobilgen, Chloe De St. Aubin, Eleanor Livingston, and Kate Halter fight against the inescapable consumption that surrounds life. “There’s a political side to it, but addiction and love can also be all-consuming,” Livingston says. And as the foursome trade off instruments, swapping songwriting and vocal duties, and generating powerful songwriting in concussive bursts, Die Spitz have created their own little pocket of the world where we can all stand on the edge together. That unity comes in part from the deep bonds between the 22-year-olds. All four are Austin natives, with Schrobilgen and Livingston having met in preschool, befriending Halter in middle school, and immediately bringing De St. Aubin into their inner circle when they formed the band in 2022. Though they’ve only been playing together a few years (not to mention Halter only learning to play bass to start the band), Something to Consume shows a maturity and technical prowess always wielded in service of their profound friendship. The group settled on the name Die Spitz over a “brown bag of Fireball,” opting for the feminine German definite article in place of the English. “It reminds me of the Grim Reaper spitting,” Livingston jokes. At their first live shows, they paired originals with covers from some of their inspirations: Black Sabbath, Pixies, Mudhoney, PJ Harvey, and Nirvana. The beguiling “Pop Punk Anthem” somehow encapsulates elements throughout that large musical swath, building from roiling verses to a growled chorus. “It may sound like a love song at first, but when the beat kicks in it’s the obsession that takes over,” Schrobilgen says. “The words ‘you’re a part of me’ sound loving but it can be an insane emotion and privilege over someone else’s life.” As if their closeness as a band weren’t enough, the members of Die Spitz have also intermittently been roommates and still live near each other. “We call it sitcom life,” Livingston laughs. That said, the Die Spitz TV show would have a significantly different soundtrack to your usual sitcom fare. The Austinites express their ideas through a blend of classic punk, hardcore, metal, alt rock and more. The group have become known for their riotous live shows, where dueling cartwheels, Halter playing bass mid-crowdsurf, Schrobilgen unleashing a growling bark, and Livingston posing with the microphone on top of the venue’s bar or climbing into the rafters could happen at any moment. Pairing their mind-melting gigs with even more impressive songs has led to stints opening for (and rivaling the energy of) bands like OFF!, Amyl and the Sniffers, Viagra Boys, and Sleater-Kinney. Website · Instagram · TikTok · Facebook · Spotify · YouTube
Cat Power – The Greatest Tour
Cat Power is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her milestone 2006 album, The Greatest, with Redux, a three-song EP arriving digitally and on 10” vinyl via Domino Recording Company on Friday, January 23, 2026. Recorded by GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer and longtime collaborator Stuart Sikes (Loretta Lynn, The White Stripes) at Austin, TX’s Church House Studios with backing by Dirty Delta Blues – the all-star supergroup assembled for the world tour that followed The Greatest comprising guitarist Judah Bauer (The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion), keyboardist Gregg Foreman (The Delta 72, Jesse Malin), bassist Erik Paparozzi (Lizard Music), and drummer Jim White (Dirty Three, Hard Quartet) – Redux includes a brand new re-recording of James Brown’s chart-topping classic, “Try Me,” premiering everywhere today. The track was among those first recorded by the singer-songwriter otherwise known as Chan Marshall during the original sessions that produced The Greatest but never completed. Redux also includes a stunning rendition of Prince’s iconic “Nothing Compares 2 U,” recorded in tribute to the late, great guitarist Teenie Hodges, a legendary member of The Memphis Rhythm Band that backed Cat Power on The Greatest and with whom she formed a close bond before his passing in 2014. The EP also includes a re-imagined version of one of the many standout tracks on The Greatest, Marshall’s own “Could We,” newly recorded in the arrangement that was performed live on The Greatest Tour with Dirty Delta Blues. Next year will see Cat Power perform The Greatest in its entirety with a very special series of 20th anniversary live shows beginning February 12, 2026, at Houston, TX’s White Oak Music Hall and then traveling North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom through early November. Website · Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · Spotify
