24th Annual Bob Marley Birthday Bash!
The 24th Annual Bob Marley Birthday Bash returns with Mickey Mills & Steel, Jamrock, Zion Project and DJ Ras J. Celebrate the music and message of reggae superstar Bob Marley and bask in the positive energy and natural healing power of live reggae music. Jamaican food and local vendors will also be on hand for this uplifting show, produced by Steel Productions. ☆ Mickey Mills & SteelA pioneer of the reggae scene in North Carolina for decades, Mickey Mills is a talented singer, keyboardist, and songwriter once called “the fastest steel drum soloist on earth.” Born and raised in Trinidad, he first started playing steel drums at the age of 12. During his long career, he has worked with legendary artists such as The Rolling Stones, Johnny Mathis, and Mighty Sparrow. He has performed in the off-Broadway show “House of Flowers,” on the television show Matlock on NBC, and is no stranger to such prestigious venues as The Village Gate and Madison Square Garden. Mickey, who cites Bob Marley as one of his major influences, also works in schools conducting workshops with young people across the country as a music educator with his “Island In The Sun” and “Steel-A-Rama” cultural programs. ☆ Jamrock Reggae BandFounded in 1995, this energetic band is a Bob Marley Birthday Bash regular, and one of the most active reggae groups in North Carolina. The group’s success can be attributed to their sound, which reflects the authentic style of how reggae music is played live in Jamaica. With a strong emphasis on entertainment and musicianship, Jamrock has shared the stage with the top names in reggae including Keith Poppin, the Meditations, Donovan Carless, and more. Catch them every summer at the Cary Starlight series! ☆ Zion ProjectCovering a vast expanse of musical knowledge reaching from Seattle to Washington, DC, the Zion Project has shared the stage with such reggae royalty as Toots and the Maytals, The Wailers, The Abyssinians, and The Itals. Based in Asheville, NC, the Zion Project was formed through the collective consciousness of Rastafari, combining roots rhythms with soul and jazz influences and an uplifting message. Over the years, the Zion Project has developed a unique style of heavy roots, harmonized vocals, and upbeat songs, bursting with energy. ☆ DJ Ras JWith over 25 years on the decks and a deep collection of rare Jamaican 45s, Ras J has performed at sold-out shows alongside reggae legends such as Lee “Scratch” Perry, Toots & the Maytals, & the Wailers, and performed at festivals up & down the East Coast. A former roadie for dancehall icon Super Cat, his “Simmer Down” roots reggae events helped usher in the current worldwide vinyl resurgence. In 2020, Ras J made his first movie cameo in “The Herb Train” on Amazon Prime. His live dub mixes and creative, high-energy vinyl sets explore the boundaries and connections of reggae music and beyond. Facebook | Instagram
The Salt Collective
A Supergroup featuring Matthew Caws (Nada Surf), Mitch Easter (Let’s Active), Chris Stamey (The dB’s), Lynn Blakey (Tres Chicas), & Rob Ladd (The Connells). Salt is a Paris-based collaborative music project led by French guitarist and songwriter Stéphane Schück. Around a core group formed in the 80s with Benoit Lautridou (drums) and Fred Quentin (bass), Salt offers songs based on guitars and melodies. The first collaboration goes back to the year 2000 when Stéphane Schück and Scott Miller (Game Theory / Loud Family) met in San Francisco. From this luminous meeting with one of his idols will be born several projects including the common writing of a dozen tracks, 4 of which will be found on the posthumous album of Game Theory, supercalifragile. In 2016, during recording sessions for this album at Abbey Road Studios in London, Stéphane Schück met Anton Barbeau and Ken Stringfellow who would be associated with Salt’s debut album “The Loneliness of Clouds”. Released in 2019, the album contains 10 tracks, summarizing the common influences of members, from the Beatles to XTC, the dB’s, REM and Game Theory.The album received good reviews in the press: In a Power Popaholic review, SALT was called “a power pop supergroup that skipped under the radar”. Kopp suggested: “Now add a previously unknown quantity: Schück’s high quality songwriting. The result is a must-have for fans of the better-known musicians. Somehow quirky and straightforward at once”. The Big Takeover’s Michael Toland recommended the band to “aficionados of guitar-based melody and singalong choruses”, adding that “songwriters Schück and Barbeau are plainly incapable of penning anything that doesn’t have hooks” Toland described SALT’s debut album as “a bucket of the kind of catchy, slightly psychedelic power pop you’d expect from these folks… ” Babysue wrote, “With a lineup like this… you can bet there’s no way things couldn’t sound rather fantastic.” Pointing to XTC, Game Theory, and The Beatles as the group’s main influences”, the reviewer added: “Perhaps most surprising is that many of these songs remind us very much of Split Enz (a band whose music we have always admired). Schuck’s songs have smooth hummable melodies and cool subtle hooks. Barbeau’s vocals sound fantastic (as always)… The Loneliness of Clouds possesses everything that’s good about modern underground pop”. Wikipedia | Bandcamp | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTubeBefore The dB’s and Let’s Active, There Was Sneakers!Chris Stamey and Mitch Easter, two icons of indie pop, began to explore recording techniques in Winston-Salem, NC, during their youth. In 1976, Sneakers (including Chris & Mitch, with future dB’s drummer Will Rigby alongside bassist Robert Keely and guitarist Rob Slater), released a six-song EP on Stamey’s own Carnivorous Records, one of the first American “indie” releases of the punk era. The sessions were engineered by Don Dixon, who would eventually produce bands like R.E.M. (with Easter) and The Smithereens. The second Sneakers record, In the Red, found the band as a duo. Stamey & Rigby would go on to form The dB’s and Easter would reappear in Let’s Active—but the Sneakers recordings remain vital in not only independent record history, but music in general. Don’t miss this extremely rare outing by Mitch and Chris, assisted by Rob Ladd, performing these seminal tunes!
Monadi
Monadi: Instagram | SpotifyThe Modern Age: Instagram
The Wldlfe
Jansen Hogan, Carson Hogan, & Jack Crane – who comprise The Wldlfe – have been creating music since the band’s inception in 2016 with the release of their first EP, New, 2016, which included mass hits “Waterfalls” and “Somebody’s Gonna Love You.” Since then, the band has released multiple projects, including their 2023 debut album, “Goodbye To All Of That,” amassing over 60 million combined global streams across their discography. Their electrifying live shows have garnered a remarkable fan base, selling out their first major market headline tour in 2023.Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud
Sam Burchfield & The Scoundrels and Tophouse
Sam Burchfield & The Scoundrels Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTubeTophouse Website | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify
We The Kings
Website | Spotify | YouTube
School of Rock Chapel Hill’s End of Season Showcase
Free Show / $10 Suggested Donation12:00 – Best of The Band & The Last Waltz 1:00 – Best of Earth Wind And Fire vs. War 1:45 – Buffer 2:00 – Best of Taylor Swift 3:00 – Best of Sting & The Police 4:00 – Best of Steely Dan 5:00 – Buffer 5:15 – Best of Iron Maiden 6:15 – Led Zeppelin’s “Presence” Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Keep Flying
Keep Flying is a 6 piece band hailing from the Northeast USA. Punk rock with horns, thats right, horns. The band mixes a combination of sounds from emo to pop punk to punk adding a splash of saxophone & trombone to lead the march. Add in the vocal stylings with the transparent yet relatable lyrics and you’ve created something fresh and new. With a unique sound, honest songwriting, and an explosive live show, the band has been able to turn heads of fans and bands alike, touring and performing with such acts as The Bouncing Souls, Bowling For Soup, Real Friends, Reel Big Fish, State Champs, Four Year Strong, Less Than Jake, Big D and the Kids Table as well as multiple appearances on the Four Chord, Vans Warped Tour, SXSW, Great South Bay, So What?!, The FEST, and many more.Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
The Stews
Two Night Package available here.After releasing debut album What Was in April of 2022, The Stews have been a non-stop touring machine, playing packed-out shows across the country. Forming at Auburn University, the band ultimately decided to leave school to meet the massive demand for their live shows. With sellout crowds from Nashville to New York, Charleston to Dallas, and several in between, it is clear that The Stews have graduated from their former “college band” label. A Stews concert is a perfect blend of upbeat, singalong indie tunes and downright headbanging hard rock. It is impossible to accurately capture the experience of The Stews live show using just words. The band works very hard to give fans from around the world a taste of the live experience through both social media and Youtube. Their most recent production is a live performance of the song Fireline, off of their debut album What Was. Performed at Center Stage in Atlanta, GA, this performance is just a taste of the electric environment enjoyed by all at a Stews show. Watch HereWebsite | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify
The Stews
Two Night Package available here.After releasing debut album What Was in April of 2022, The Stews have been a non-stop touring machine, playing packed-out shows across the country. Forming at Auburn University, the band ultimately decided to leave school to meet the massive demand for their live shows. With sellout crowds from Nashville to New York, Charleston to Dallas, and several in between, it is clear that The Stews have graduated from their former “college band” label. A Stews concert is a perfect blend of upbeat, singalong indie tunes and downright headbanging hard rock. It is impossible to accurately capture the experience of The Stews live show using just words. The band works very hard to give fans from around the world a taste of the live experience through both social media and Youtube. Their most recent production is a live performance of the song Fireline, off of their debut album What Was. Performed at Center Stage in Atlanta, GA, this performance is just a taste of the electric environment enjoyed by all at a Stews show. Watch HereWebsite | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify
