Tessa Violet
Growing up an only child in a small town in Oregon, Tessa Violet always had a deep desire to create authentic connections with people. YouTube was the first platform which allowed her to foster those connections; as she grew up, and the platform evolved, it became a place for many budding musicians to flock.After moving to LA, Tessa released her debut album Bad Ideas in Fall 2019 – rounding out a breakout year for the rising artist. The sole songwriter on all but one of her debut album tracks, the project received Spotify’s NMF Times Square billboard, and the hit single “Crush” amassed 200M+ aggregate streams alone.Over the last year, Tessa Violet has released several standout singles – ‘YES MOM’, ‘BREAKDOWN’ and ‘Kitchen Song’, and created several of her own trends on TikTok, giving her the ability to test and create demand for new music before release. With almost 40 million likes on TikTok, Tessa’s unique approach to engaging with fans on the platform has helped her continue to grow her fanbase and celebrate her wins with the world. On the heels of her sold out “Rise of the Phoenix” tour, Tessa is gearing up to release her sophomore album and bring her breathtaking live show around the world. Tessa continues to captivate her audience with her thoughtful lyricism, dreamy melodies, and genre-defying sound.Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube
Boris and Melvins
Boris formed in 1992 and eventually arrived at the band’s current lineup of Takeshi, Wata, and Atsuo in 1996. In the years since, Boris has tirelessly explored their own rendition of what is heavy through methods entirely their own. Though the depths of their “heaviness” may intensify, their unique musicianship defies classification in any one genre or style, so let’s just call it real “heavy music” in extreme color. Their music has been called a “game changer” regarding the leading edge of the world’s rock scene, and that influence is limitless. They enter realms that cannot be described simply in terms of the “explosive sound” or “thunderous roars” that have become their trademark.Website | Instagram | Twitter | FacebookThe Melvins are currently a three piece, although the lineup beyond Buzz and Dale for a tour or album can change at any time. The current members are…Buzz Osborne – guitar, vocalsDale Crover – drums, vocalsSteven McDonald – bass, vocalsThe Melvins formed in Montesano, WA in 1983 the founding members were Buzz, Mike Dillard (drums), and ex-Mudhoney bassist Matt Lukin. Buzz, Mike, and Matt all went to high school in Montesano. The name Melvins came from a Manager of the Thriftway grocery store in Montesano where Buzz served as clerk.Mike Dillard left the band in 1984, Dale Crover shortly thereafter recruited out of the Iron Maiden cover band he played in and has been a member ever since. Matt was replaced by Lori Black (Lorax) (Shirley Temple’s daughter) in 1988 when they left Washington for San Francisco, CA.The Melvins have had quite a few bass player changes during their tenure. Check out the Melvins Bassist Morgue to learn more. The Melvins are currently based out of Los Angeles, CA.The Melvins Discography is an exhaustive resource of their many releases. They were on a major label Atlantic Records for three albums, although most would agree they’re not the type of band that would appeal to a major label. They are often quoted as knowing this while they were on the label and just took advantage of the drunken blitz the record companies were on in signing any band connected to a supposed Seattle “grunge” sound. Melvins have also released music on Ipecac Recordings, Boner Records, Alchemy Records, Amphetamine Reptile Records, Alternative Tentacles Records, and numerous other independent record labels over the years.Buzz has a side project called Fantômas with Mike Patton (Faith No More/Mr. Bungle) who is also owner of Ipecac Recordings the label the melvins are currently releasing material through. He also played guitar in the hardcore/grind “supergroup” Venomous Concept, featuring members/former members of Napalm Death and Brutal Truth (also released through Ipecac).Dale filled in for Nirvana when they were between drummers, he appears on Incesticide and Bleach as a result of those sessions. Dale has two major side projects one called Altamont in which he sings and plays guitar. The other he drums in and is known as PORN (The Men Of) or just PORN.Melvins have toured with KISS, White Zombie, Nine Inch Nails, L7, Primus, Tool, and Rush, among others and were also on the Ozzfest tour in 1998.Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Vacations & Last Dinosaurs Present TOURZILLA
VACATIONSA DIY affair from the get-go, Vacations formed in 2016 primarily as a songwriting vehicle for Campbell Burns, who later added band members Jake Johnson, Nate Delizzotti, and Joseph Van Lier. Their song “Young” is certified Gold in Canada, Australia, and Poland, and was certified Platinum in the U.S. in early 2023. “Telephones” is also certified Gold in the US, with over 1 billion global streams and 1.1m+ Shazams. This year, Vacations unveiled “Next Exit,” their latest single and first release since their 2020 LP, Forever In Bloom. “Next Exit” was written in early 2022 while on their first sold-out tour in the States. Later that year, they embarked on a second sold-out tour of the US and Mexico that saw them go from The Roxy (500 cap) to The Fonda (1,200 cap) in a matter of months and amass over 700 million streams in the calendar year alone. Their two sold-out U.S. tours included performances at Austin City Limits, Elsewhere (Hall), and Meow Wolf. Now in 2023, Vacations has wrapped a sold-out tour around the UK/Ireland last month that included 9 headline shows and a performance at The Great Escape Festival and is gearing up to release “Midwest,” out June 9th via Nettwerk. Website | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | TikTokLAST DINOSAURSDespite coming up in Australia, indie rock band, Last Dinosaurs would say they’re an international enterprise — and they’ve got a track record to prove it. Brothers Lachlan and Sean Caskey, along with Michael Sloane have played sold out headlining shows and festivals across UK, Europe, Southeast Asia, South Africa, and the Americas. The Dinos capped 2022 with the release of From Mexico With Love, the highly-anticipated album from the trio that spawned singles “Collect Call,” “Look Back,” “Auto-Sabotage,” and flagship, “CDMX” that have received rave reviews from tastemakers like Rolling Stone Australia, NME, FLOOD, and FLAUNT while resonating with audiences, generating 200k streams per day. Since emerging from the pandemic, The Dinos have performed tours around the world, even making their first U.S. festival appearance at Lollapalooza. Last fall, they embarked on a U.S. tour with Bad Suns before wrapping with a sold-out date in Singapore and a run in Australia. Earlier this year, Last Dinosaurs played A Day On The Green with Florence + The Machine, King Princess, and Hatchie. Website | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | TikTok
Abbey Road LIVE! + Radio Free Athens
Abbey Road LIVE! (Beatles tribute)”One of the world’s premier Beatles cover bands” -US News and World Report “unquestionably expert at what they do” -Indyweek Since 2002, Abbey Road LIVE! has been rocking the music of the Beatles at clubs, theatres, festivals, and private events. Initially a tribute to the monumental “Abbey Road” album, the band has expanded its scope to include more than 100 Beatles tunes, from all eras of the Fab Four’s career. The band specializes in complete, start-to-finish album performances of masterpieces such as “Abbey Road”, “Magical Mystery Tour”, “Rubber Soul”, “Revolver” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band”. Abbey Road LIVE! is not your typical Beatle look-alike tribute act; don’t expect mop-top haircuts and vintage Rickenbacker guitars. Rather, this show is about bringing to life some of the more mature and complex Beatles material in a raw & spirited fashion, while remaining true to the original recordings. Combining attention to detail with a creative exuberance, the band always delights its audiences with its diverse repertoire of hits and more obscure favorites. A splendid time is guaranteed for all! Website | Facebook | YouTubeRadio Free Athens (R.E.M. tribute)Hailing from R.E.M.’s hometown of Athens GA, Radio Free Athens brings to life the music that catapulted R.E.M. to the top of nearly every college radio chart in America. Featuring members of Beatles tribute Abbey Road LIVE!, Radio Free Athens are well versed in the art of delivering exciting renditions of classic tunes.Focusing mostly on R.E.M.’s 1980s catalogue, Radio Free Europe strives to capture some of the magic and energy that led Rolling Stone magazine to dub R.E.M. “America’s Best Rock And Roll Band” in 1987.
Katelyn Tarver
Having spent much of the last 12 months on the road supporting the likes of James Bay, Michelle Branch, Johnnyswim, and Nina Nesbitt, acclaimed singer-songwriter Katelyn Tarver is set to captivate audiences once again on her own 21-date North American & 12-date European headlining tours. With her unique ability to translate complex emotions into resonant melodies, Katelyn Tarver has established herself as an artist who fearlessly explores the depths of the human experience. Having recently signed a new record deal with Nettwerk (SYML, Paris Paloma, Wrabel), Tarver’s newest music exhibits her remarkable growth as an artist, with a compelling sound that intertwines self-exploration and self-examination. Originally from Glennville GA—a quiet rural town with a population of just over 3,000 where her family owned a local candy business—Tarver began at a young age performing in local and national talent competitions, one of which, American Juniors, led to her first US tour and a move to L.A. Over the years, Katelyn has earned success with her songs, amassing over 200 million streams, led by her viral hit, “You Don’t Know.” She has an impressive resume of songwriting credits, having co-written Cheryl Cole’s #1 Single “Crazy Stupid Love,” Joshua Bassett’s “Set Me Free,”and Old Dominion’s “Young.” She’s also built a stellar acting resume, appearing in shows like HBO’s “Ballers” and Nickelodeon’s “Big Time Rush.” Following a string of single releases and a few EPs, Tarver issued her first full-length album “Subject To Change” in the fall of 2021, receiving acclaim from the likes of Rolling Stone, NPR, SPIN, Consequence, FLAUNT, American Songwriter, and more. She featured as the cover artist for Spotify’s star-making “Chill Pop” playlist and had multiple tracks placed in the pole positions across Apple Music playlists. With her radiant voice and soul-baring songwriting, the album defined a bold new era in her musical evolution, setting her exacting self-reflection to a gorgeously nuanced sound and delivering a finespun brand of indie-pop that is both intensely vulnerable and powerfully cathartic. As anticipation builds for her upcoming album following initial singles “What Makes A Life Good?” and “Starting To Scare Me,” Katelyn Tarver’s unwavering dedication to authentic storytelling and introspection will be on full display with more exciting new music throughout the year. Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | TikTok
Dan Rodriguez and Noah Guthrie
Hi, I’m Dan. I’m a whiskey & beer drinking, fishing & hunting loving, motorcycle riding, quality food eating, hippie sympathizing, hobby farm running, people loving, husband & father who lives in Minneapolis and shares a life with my amazing wife and two adorable sons named Oak and Alder.I grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, MI, and moved to Minneapolis when I was 18 to study music, and I stayed because I’m one of those crazy people that enjoys the snow and cold weather.Songwriting, and performing those songs for people, is both my trade and my passion. When I’m not in my studio writing and cutting records, or on the road playing shows, I’m usually playing in the woods with our boys, tending to our backyard chickens, eating fresh veggies from my wife’s huge garden, making syrup from our maple grove, or doing one of my many outdoor hobbies.Now here are a few things about my music career that I should probably share in a music bio: In September 2014 Budweiser released their “Friends Are Waiting” commercial campaign featuring me singing my song When You Come Home and it premiered during both The World Series & The Super Bowl. In February, 2018, I released my album 25 Years and the title track is now inching toward 1 million listens. In October, 2018, Miller Lite featured my newest single “So Good” in one of their commercials that played for months during NFL games on ESPN & more. In March, 2019, my song “You Feel Like Home” was featured in Explore Minnesota Tourism’s newest ad campaign. In 2022 I released my album Troubadour Family Man. It’s my debut self-produced record and I couldn’t be more proud of it. Over the years I’ve had the honor of sharing the stage with some really cool artists & bands including The Civil Wars, Andy Grammer, Eric Hutchinson, Matt Nathanson, NeedtoBreathe, Augustana, Tyrone Wells, O.A.R., Haley Reinhart, Jon McLaughlin, Will Hoge, Drew Holcomb, Sister Hazel, and more. Website | Instagram | Facebook | SpotifyNoah GuthrieAmericana singer-songwriter, Noah Guthrie’s sound has been described as possessing Chris Stapleton’s country/rock grit with the authenticity of Jason Isbell. The unique soulfulness in his richly textured voice and the unmistakable Southern influence in his music makes him capable of conveying emotion as only a handful of artists can in today’s musical landscape. Noah’s latest album, BLUE WALL, honors the Blue Ridge Mountains where he grew up and still resides. Noah’s versatility and distinct voice is evident. However, Noah isn’t trying to box himself into any specific genre. For him, it’s just about making good, honest music – music that sounds like him – music that relates – music that makes the listener feel something.
Hiss Golden Messenger
$1 from every ticket goes to support the Durham Public Schools Foundation whose mission is to foster community support for public schools and invest in our students, educators, and families to ensure success and equity for every student.It’s spring of 2023 in the North Carolina Piedmont, and songwriter and singer M.C. Taylor—leader of the band Hiss Golden Messenger—is feeling alive. Joyful. Eternal, he might say. For the Grammy-nominated musician, whose albums have traced an internal path through adulthood, fatherhood, spirituality, and depression for well over a decade, this is something new. “The tunes on Jump for Joy were composed in free moments throughout 2022, a year during which Hiss was on the road more or less constantly,” explains Taylor. “And perhaps because the post-pandemic energy out in the world felt so chaotic and uncertain, I found myself thinking a lot about the role that music has played in my life and how exactly I ended up in the rarefied position of leading a band and crew all over the globe through dingy graffiti-scrawled green rooms, venerated music halls, dust-blown roadside motels. Sometimes playing in front of 5,000; sometimes 200. Sleeping sitting up. Laughing until my stomach hurts. Not being able to fall asleep at 3 a.m. in some anonymous bed because my mind is spinning with anxiety or depression or adrenaline, or because my ears are still ringing. Robbing Peter to pay Paul, then robbing Paul to pay Peter back. Over and over again. It’s an outlaw life but one, I’m coming to realize, that makes me happy.”The songs that make up Jump for Joy—the sharpest and most autobiographical that Taylor has written under the Hiss name—read as a sort of epistolary, postcards between the present-day songwriter and his alias Michael Crow, a teenaged dreamer very much like Taylor himself, who trips his way through the 14 tunes that make up the record. In this way, Jump for Joy is a meditation on a life lived with art, and the ways that our hopes and dreams and decisions bump up against—and, with a little bit of luck, occasionally merge with—real life. “Creating this character became the way that I could explore these vulnerable, tender moments that were so decisive in my life, even if I didn’t know it at the time,” explains Taylor. He continues:Through Michael Crow, I was able to get inside these places that exist so deep in my sense memory: Me at 16, knowing intuitively that there had to be something out there for me, something mysterious and divine that wasn’t full of fucked-up, confusing pain; me with my hardcore band, age 18, wandering the vast expanses of Texas beneath a big, fat tangerine moon, scrounging change to fill the gas tank, trying to make a soundcheck for a show that never happened. There’s me at 30, having kids, writing songs as though they were gravestone epitaphs, not yet understanding that nothing is so permanent and serious and that I needed to be gentler with my spirit. There’s me at 35, still chasing the thing because I’ve touched it once or twice and I know it’s the only way for me to feel whole and real and useful, but in the rear-view mirror, I can see everyone who gave up in search of something easier and not so heartbreaking.Produced by Taylor and engineered by longtime Hiss compatriot Scott Hirsch over two weeks in the late fall of 2022 at the fabled Sonic Ranch studio in Tornillo, TX, just a short walk from the Mexican border, Jump for Joy dances with joyful, spontaneous energy that feels like a fresh chapter in the Hiss Golden Messenger oeuvre.Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Hiss Golden Messenger
$1 from every ticket goes to support the Durham Public Schools Foundation whose mission is to foster community support for public schools and invest in our students, educators, and families to ensure success and equity for every student.It’s spring of 2023 in the North Carolina Piedmont, and songwriter and singer M.C. Taylor—leader of the band Hiss Golden Messenger—is feeling alive. Joyful. Eternal, he might say. For the Grammy-nominated musician, whose albums have traced an internal path through adulthood, fatherhood, spirituality, and depression for well over a decade, this is something new. “The tunes on Jump for Joy were composed in free moments throughout 2022, a year during which Hiss was on the road more or less constantly,” explains Taylor. “And perhaps because the post-pandemic energy out in the world felt so chaotic and uncertain, I found myself thinking a lot about the role that music has played in my life and how exactly I ended up in the rarefied position of leading a band and crew all over the globe through dingy graffiti-scrawled green rooms, venerated music halls, dust-blown roadside motels. Sometimes playing in front of 5,000; sometimes 200. Sleeping sitting up. Laughing until my stomach hurts. Not being able to fall asleep at 3 a.m. in some anonymous bed because my mind is spinning with anxiety or depression or adrenaline, or because my ears are still ringing. Robbing Peter to pay Paul, then robbing Paul to pay Peter back. Over and over again. It’s an outlaw life but one, I’m coming to realize, that makes me happy.”The songs that make up Jump for Joy—the sharpest and most autobiographical that Taylor has written under the Hiss name—read as a sort of epistolary, postcards between the present-day songwriter and his alias Michael Crow, a teenaged dreamer very much like Taylor himself, who trips his way through the 14 tunes that make up the record. In this way, Jump for Joy is a meditation on a life lived with art, and the ways that our hopes and dreams and decisions bump up against—and, with a little bit of luck, occasionally merge with—real life. “Creating this character became the way that I could explore these vulnerable, tender moments that were so decisive in my life, even if I didn’t know it at the time,” explains Taylor. He continues:Through Michael Crow, I was able to get inside these places that exist so deep in my sense memory: Me at 16, knowing intuitively that there had to be something out there for me, something mysterious and divine that wasn’t full of fucked-up, confusing pain; me with my hardcore band, age 18, wandering the vast expanses of Texas beneath a big, fat tangerine moon, scrounging change to fill the gas tank, trying to make a soundcheck for a show that never happened. There’s me at 30, having kids, writing songs as though they were gravestone epitaphs, not yet understanding that nothing is so permanent and serious and that I needed to be gentler with my spirit. There’s me at 35, still chasing the thing because I’ve touched it once or twice and I know it’s the only way for me to feel whole and real and useful, but in the rear-view mirror, I can see everyone who gave up in search of something easier and not so heartbreaking.Produced by Taylor and engineered by longtime Hiss compatriot Scott Hirsch over two weeks in the late fall of 2022 at the fabled Sonic Ranch studio in Tornillo, TX, just a short walk from the Mexican border, Jump for Joy dances with joyful, spontaneous energy that feels like a fresh chapter in the Hiss Golden Messenger oeuvre.Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Hiss Golden Messenger
$1 from every ticket goes to support the Durham Public Schools Foundation whose mission is to foster community support for public schools and invest in our students, educators, and families to ensure success and equity for every student.It’s spring of 2023 in the North Carolina Piedmont, and songwriter and singer M.C. Taylor—leader of the band Hiss Golden Messenger—is feeling alive. Joyful. Eternal, he might say. For the Grammy-nominated musician, whose albums have traced an internal path through adulthood, fatherhood, spirituality, and depression for well over a decade, this is something new. “The tunes on Jump for Joy were composed in free moments throughout 2022, a year during which Hiss was on the road more or less constantly,” explains Taylor. “And perhaps because the post-pandemic energy out in the world felt so chaotic and uncertain, I found myself thinking a lot about the role that music has played in my life and how exactly I ended up in the rarefied position of leading a band and crew all over the globe through dingy graffiti-scrawled green rooms, venerated music halls, dust-blown roadside motels. Sometimes playing in front of 5,000; sometimes 200. Sleeping sitting up. Laughing until my stomach hurts. Not being able to fall asleep at 3 a.m. in some anonymous bed because my mind is spinning with anxiety or depression or adrenaline, or because my ears are still ringing. Robbing Peter to pay Paul, then robbing Paul to pay Peter back. Over and over again. It’s an outlaw life but one, I’m coming to realize, that makes me happy.”The songs that make up Jump for Joy—the sharpest and most autobiographical that Taylor has written under the Hiss name—read as a sort of epistolary, postcards between the present-day songwriter and his alias Michael Crow, a teenaged dreamer very much like Taylor himself, who trips his way through the 14 tunes that make up the record. In this way, Jump for Joy is a meditation on a life lived with art, and the ways that our hopes and dreams and decisions bump up against—and, with a little bit of luck, occasionally merge with—real life. “Creating this character became the way that I could explore these vulnerable, tender moments that were so decisive in my life, even if I didn’t know it at the time,” explains Taylor. He continues:Through Michael Crow, I was able to get inside these places that exist so deep in my sense memory: Me at 16, knowing intuitively that there had to be something out there for me, something mysterious and divine that wasn’t full of fucked-up, confusing pain; me with my hardcore band, age 18, wandering the vast expanses of Texas beneath a big, fat tangerine moon, scrounging change to fill the gas tank, trying to make a soundcheck for a show that never happened. There’s me at 30, having kids, writing songs as though they were gravestone epitaphs, not yet understanding that nothing is so permanent and serious and that I needed to be gentler with my spirit. There’s me at 35, still chasing the thing because I’ve touched it once or twice and I know it’s the only way for me to feel whole and real and useful, but in the rear-view mirror, I can see everyone who gave up in search of something easier and not so heartbreaking.Produced by Taylor and engineered by longtime Hiss compatriot Scott Hirsch over two weeks in the late fall of 2022 at the fabled Sonic Ranch studio in Tornillo, TX, just a short walk from the Mexican border, Jump for Joy dances with joyful, spontaneous energy that feels like a fresh chapter in the Hiss Golden Messenger oeuvre.Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Shoaldiggers, Mystery Ranch, Country Cruel
The Shoaldiggers’ eight pieces produce a one of a kind sound that is completely unique, yet familiar enough to embrace. From rolling seascapes to the hollers of the smokey mountains, Shoaldiggers shows are a swamp grass blast!Website | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify
