Aaron Lee Tasjan
Aaron Lee Tasjan was experiencing the worst bout of imposter syndrome of his career when he sat down and wrote Todd Snider a vulnerable email asking for advice. Tasjan, despite writing and recording some of the most astute Americana rock songs of the last decade and being nominated for a Grammy, just didn’t see a future for an independent singer, songwriter, and guitarist like himself. Snider read Tasjan’s email and immediately replied: “I think I have some ideas. I’ll write you back tomorrow.” The next morning, Tasjan awoke to a signature Todd Snider missive for how to move forward as an artist. It was a novel-length email that read like the battle plans for the Invasion of Normandy. Do this, Snider wrote. Then this. But never that. The specifics don’t matter—besides, that’d be giving away the secret—but Tasjan devoured his mentor’s words and took them to heart. He began writing feverishly, unbothered by expectations and immune to any pressure to match his acclaimed albums like *In the Blazes*, *Karma for Cheap*, or his most recent, 2024’s *Stellar Evolution*. When he was through, Tasjan had *Get Over It, Underdog*, his most inspiring LP to date. Produced by Tasjan and his longtime sound engineer Mark Miller, the album is a celebration of the power of songwriting, the unbreakable bond of friendship, and the determination of the dark horse. “I went to the ultimate oasis for a singer, songwriter, and troubadour: Todd Snider. And he said, in very Todd fashion, ‘You can find your path forward by going backwards,’” Tasjan says with a laugh. “But he was right. I set aside my ego, played shows solo without my band, and wrote a lot of songs. In that process, I found my confidence again.” Tragically, however, he lost his mentor. Snider died shortly after *Get Over It, Underdog* was finished, leaving a void in the folk-rock scene that will prove nearly impossible to fill. But Tasjan is committed to carrying on Snider’s unbridled spirit and lifting up underdogs everywhere. Over 11 tracks, Tasjan’s new album kills sacred cows and pokes holes in the dam, while leaning hard into the idea of perseverance. In the talking-blues of “Science Friction,” he tells an abridged origin story of civilization that culminates with humankind editing itself out of its own picture. “Man made machines/putting man out of business,” he sings with a knowing wink. “Lost & Alone,” meanwhile, finds him feeling like a “stranger in this town.” It’s a compact blast of indie-rock with a sing-along chorus that underscores Tasjan’s gift for writing infectious hooks. In “Twilight Zone Blues,” a shot of gritty T. Rex glam-rock, Tasjan wonders why we’re compelled to press the mysterious button just to find out what happens. “In society today, all this bad shit can become tempting, especially as the situation feels more and more dangerous as time goes on,” he says. “‘Twilight Zone Blues’ builds to that tension of, ‘What happens if I just give in to this or succumb to that?’” Website · Facebook · TikTok · Youtube · Spotify
Temples
Temples’ name has become synonymous with a band with an adventurous spirit; constantly exploring new ideas. On their fifth album, Bliss, they shake up the perception of the Kettering-formed four-piece with a record that ventures into electronic territory while staying true to their core DNA. Euphoric and melancholic melodies of late ‘90s dance music blend with psych-tinged riffs and loops to create something fresh. After the 2023 release of Exotico felt overlooked, the band – James Bagshaw (vocals/guitar), Thomas Walmsley (bass), Adam Smith (keyboards/guitar), and Rens Ottink (drums) – hit a creative standstill. “There’s so much more to us as a band and as a group of people,” says Walmsley. “We’re completely reconnecting with why we started and who we’re making the music for – which is ourselves.” Reinvigorated, Temples signed with V2 Records and returned to working together in person. Unlike Exotico, Bliss was produced entirely by the band. Bagshaw explains: “It was very freeing. It felt like you could just improvise.” The album features self-sampling, creating a shared palette of sounds that could be lifted, reversed, or reimagined across tracks – “building up audio Pantones,” as Bagshaw puts it. Sonically, Bliss reinterprets dance music in Temples’ style. Lead single Jet Stream Heart captures the thrill of being drawn into music, while Vendetta merges scuzzy riffs with lasering synths and dance melodies. Blue Flame, drawn from a chorus Smith had in his pocket for some years, explores disconnection with a slower, icier sound. Revelations nods to Gregorian chants, blending spiritual and matter-of-fact elements. Megalith tackles frustrations, surrender, and the fear of being stuck amidst a moving world. Though the band missed the late ‘90s rave culture firsthand, Bliss channels that era’s bittersweet euphoria, drawing inspiration from Faithless, Underworld, Prodigy, Air, Röyksopp, Moby, Massive Attack, Orbital, Portishead, and more. Psych and dance share a natural lineage, with repetition, loops, and trance-like states forming the album’s foundation. For Temples, Bliss represents creative freedom and a shared sense of joy in making music. “We’ve just done exactly what we want to do in a purely selfish way, and that becomes not selfish when people connect with it,” says Bagshaw. Forward-looking yet aware of its roots, the album is unmistakably Temples: “People should throw out whatever they thought we were – this is what we are.” Website · Facebok · Instagram · TikTok · YouTube · Spotify
Eleni Mandel and Dawn Landes
Eleni Mandell is a Los Angeles–based singer, songwriter, and guitarist whose quietly influential career spans more than three decades. With over ten acclaimed solo albums, Mandell has carved out a singular lane blending folk, noir jazz, roots rock, and literate pop — music defined by emotional precision, dry wit, and an unmistakable sense of place. A true Los Angeles institution, Mandell is widely regarded as a songwriter’s songwriter and a cornerstone of the city’s independent music community. Her work has been praised by The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and NPR, with critics consistently highlighting her sharp lyrical intelligence, understated authority, and timeless, lived-in voice. Mandell is also a founding member of The Living Sisters (with Becky Stark and Inara George), the beloved harmony-driven trio whose releases on New West Records reflect a deep reverence for classic songwriting and communal music-making. The Living Sisters appear on Mandell’s forthcoming album, further reinforcing the collaborative spirit that has long defined her work. On May 29, 2026, Eleni Mandell will release a new solo album, Tailspin, via School Kids Records — a label celebrated for championing enduring, artist-first careers and thoughtfully curated releases. Tailspin finds Mandell expanding her expressive range while staying rooted in the lyrical clarity and emotional depth that have made her catalog so enduring. Website · Spotify · YouTube · Facebook · Instagram · TikTok Dawn Landes is a Chapel Hill, NC based singer-songwriter who’s penned original songs for TV, film, and musical theater (ROW on Audible). Landes has toured internationally and supported Nick Lowe, Mary Chapin Carpenter and many more. She was a touring member of Sufjan Stevens band and the orchestral folk ensemble Hem. Her newest album The Liberated Woman’s Songbook was produced by Josh Kaufman (Bonny Light Horseman) and highlights women’s activism throughout history. Website · Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · Spotify
Morgan St. Jean
Morgan St. Jean has been deemed your “favorite up-and-coming angsty, feminist, socially aware pop princess” — but it’s her electric live show that’s turning buzz into a movement. Blending explosive pop production with raw storytelling, Morgan has quickly built a reputation as a once-in-a-generation performer. In the past few years, she’s been invited to support four major tours, including a European run with X Ambassadors. She has performed at SXSW, LA’s School Night, and the Lady Gaga x Global Citizen One World: Together At Home concert, and recently completed her debut North American headline tour — solidifying herself as a commanding live force. Beyond the stage, Morgan is a platinum-selling songwriter and artist. She co-wrote Chappell Roan’s critically acclaimed single “Casual” (produced by Dan Nigro), and her own viral feminist pop anthems — including “Not All Men” and “Do It Like A Girl” — have amassed hundreds of millions of streams while building a fiercely loyal global community. With a growing fanbase, undeniable stage presence, and songs that feel both personal and universal, Morgan St. Jean isn’t just an artist to watch — she’s an artist to experience live. Website · Facebook · Spotify · YouTube · TikTok
The Format
The Format will donate $1 from every ticket sold to help fight food insecurity, support marginalized communities and fund local animal shelters. This is a sponsored project of Catalyst Philanthropy Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity. The Format was beginning to think the stars were aligned against them. Just as Nate Ruess and Sam Means were finally able to sort through the aftermath of the 2020 pandemic—which first stalled, then completely wiped out their last attempt at a reunion—tragedy struck again. On the very first day of recording new music in nearly 20 years with Grammy-winning producer Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, The Killers, Bruce Springsteen), the Los Angeles wildfires broke out, leaving devastation across the city. It was enough to inspire a little conspiratorial thinking. “It seriously felt like the universe was against us,” Ruess says, trailing off. “It was at least…” “It was testing us, for sure,” Means adds, finishing the thought. It’s no wonder that *Boycott Heaven*, their third album, is charged with there is no waiting on tomorrow energy. After all, if the universe was in fact putting you through your paces, how might you respond? Not on some far-off imagined judgement day, but right now? “Holy roller, don’t go wasting all your time,” Ruess sings in the boisterous single “Holy Roller.” In other words, the time for creating something more like heaven isn’t tomorrow or some other day, but today. A certain romantic fatalism has always coursed through The Format’s lyrics, which the more mature Ruess cops to in the heartland rocker “Shot in the Dark.” “Lived my whole life like I was ready to die,” he confesses over jangling guitars and stomping rhythms. But *Boycott Heaven* is filled with reflections on reasons to stick around this broken old world: family, life-long connections, distorted guitar riffs, and a stubborn belief that even as bad as it is, tomorrow could be better. Once it was safe to return, the duo got back to work at Henson Recording Studios. Sam and Nate both played electric guitars—Ruess having picked up the instrument in the years since The Format’s last album, in addition to launching a solo career, forming the chart-topping fun. with Jack Antonoff and Andrew Dost, and collaborating with P!nk, Kesha, and Hayley Williams of Paramore. Their rhythm section was comprised of O’Brien on bass and drummer Matt Chamberlain (David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Soundgarden, Fiona Apple). Fans of *Interventions + Lullabies* (2003) and *Dog Problems* (2006) will recognize the hooks and retro-pop bravado, but *Boycott Heaven* signals a new era. It’s not a nostalgia play, even as it incorporates sonic nods to the alt-rock, grunge, and pop-punk sounds Ruess and Means first bonded over as Arizona teenagers. “We first bonded listening to bands like Weezer, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots,” Ruess says. “I’m a new guitarist, just enamored with power chords, so I’m listening to all this stuff we’d listen to back then and cross referencing—NOFX, Lagwagon. But you take that pop-punk stuff and slow it down, and then have Matt Chamberlain playing on it, and then it feels a little like grunge. All that’s in there.” Website · Instagram · TikTok · Facebook · YouTube · Spotify
Sincere Engineer: The Probable Claws Tour
When Sincere Engineer entered the studio to begin recording their fourth full-length album, they were already building on a foundation primed for success. Tracking the record entirely at Chicago’s Electrical Audio—the studio of the late Steve Albini and the origin of hundreds of revered independent releases—the band tapped into a space synonymous with unfiltered artistry. The result: Probable Claws (leave it to Sincere Engineer to pull a punny title out of the hat), a record that solidifies her punk-fueled catalogue as a formidable quartet. As Sincere Engineer frontwoman Deanna Belos continues to mine the deeply introspective terrain of her past work, the question remains: how does this latest chapter measure up? For starters, it leans into a thematic core that feels relatably universal, especially for anyone who has felt the pressure of life’s eternal ticking clock. “I think the overall theme of this record is being uncomfortable with the passing of time and how quick time passes,” Belos shares. “Not all the songs touch on that, there’s some songs about me moving too fast through life myself.” That sentiment pulses through the album’s lead single, “Cooler,” which landed on streaming platforms in March. The track stands as a quintessential example of Sincere Engineer’s signature brand of cathartic, angst-fueled punk—refined, yet no less urgent. And while Belos’ audience now stretches to a global scale, her sound remains grounded in a gritty, blue-collar ethos, undeniably shaped by her Chicago, Illinois roots. “We set out to make a very straightforward pop punk record,” Belos says, before noting that fans can still expect a handful of Sincere Engineer’s characteristically poignant ballads woven throughout. Make no mistake: Probable Claws is a no-skip listen. Across 11 tracks, the album is meticulously sequenced to grip from the outset, kicking off with the commanding “Twist My Tongue” and closing on “Dynamite,” a finale that lands with emotional weight. A well-placed Bad Religion nod on “LOL” only deepens the record’s relatability level, bridging generational gaps within the punk community. Of course, every album has its emotional centerpiece, and here, Belos delivers it in “Arborvitae Evergreen.” “It’s my favorite,” she shares. “It’s kind of the song I’ve been telling people I wrote for myself. It’s about the backyard of the house I grew up in. When we recorded it, I was so stoked with how well it came out… it takes me back to that place.” All in all, Probable Claws finds Belos sitting in some of her strongest writing yet, wielding her sharpest pen and laying her heart out on the table. “I’m excited for the new chapter of SE. We’ve done so much touring with so many amazing bands that we all look up to. I can’t believe we’re on our fourth record and we’re excited to get on tour and play the new songs live. The recording process was a dream—Electrical Audio is an incredible studio, literally one of the best in the world. We were very excited and fortunate we got to make the record there!” Website · Spotify · YouTube · Facebook · Instagram
Bad Cop Bad Cop
In the final moments of “Dead Friends,” the penultimate track of the new Lighten Up, Bad Cop Bad Cop guitarist-vocalist Stacey Dee sings, “So try to love your life, while you can.” These words serve as a powerful thesis for Lighten Up (out September 19, 2025 on Fat Wreck Chords/Hopeless Records) the SoCal punk group’s fourth full-length. The album paints a striking portrait of life’s hard-won victories and hard-fought losses. “I think that’s what I write my songs about,” Dee says. “Life is hard, but it’s still beautiful. Stop picking the hard shit to look at—look at the beautiful stuff too. Lighten up.” Dee and her bandmates—bassist-vocalist Linh Le, drummer-vocalist Myra Gallarza, and guitarist Alex Windsor—know what it takes to persevere. Resilience surfaces throughout Lighten Up. In “Strugglinh,” Le confronts self-doubt and finds strength, and in “See Me Now,” she turns family loss into triumph. “Straight Out of Detox” details a transformational night in Dee’s life, and“Note to Self” is her reminder to keep things in perspective, aided by iconic LA underground rapper 2mex. Playing like a big-hearted sibling to the Jim Carroll Band’s iconic “People Who Died,” “Dead Friends” has been in the works for years. “This was the first time that I dug in to tell stories that I was too afraid to talk about prior,” Dee says. “We’ve made records that were unapologetically strong, but the way we got to be unapologetically strong was dealing with things like this.” Unapologetically personal best describes Lighten Up. “It started with having the girls over on Sundays. I would cook brunch, we’d drink tons of bottles of Prosecco, and we would write music together,” Dee says. “This was family the entire time. It was who we trusted, who we loved, who we knew we could work with.” That’s why Bad Cop Bad Cop recorded at the Compound in Long Beach, home to veteran producer Antoine Arvizu (Sublime, Ryan Bingham). The band loved recording the singles “Shattered” and “Safe and Legal” there in 2023 with Arvizu and Dee’s partner, Migs (Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, Long Beach Dub Allstars). “The way that Miguel produces, he lets you be you until something needs to be added or reeled in. He always says, ‘Never a dull moment on a record,” Dee explains. Bad Cop Bad Cop stretched their signature hooky, melodic punk into unexpected places, like the jazzy “Las Ventanas,” the dub-inflected “Note to Self,” or “Johnny Appleseed,” a reimagining of the Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros classic. After tracking the instruments, the band spent 10 intense 12-hour days recording vocals with longtime collaborator John E. Carey Jr. (Old Man Markley, NOFX, Get Dead). “The singing was the most important part for us. We really tried things out,” Dee says, adding that Gallarza stepped up to sing third harmony for the first time.Lighten Up also benefits from Windsor, an expert guitarist who not only shreds (check out the end of “I4NI”) but whose music theory knowledge proved invaluable. “Alex’s guitar playing is just so fantastic and has really elevated our songwriting, truly,” Dee says. Website · Instagram · Bandcamp · Facebook · Spotify
Cosmic Charlie – High energy Grateful Dead
“Cosmic Charlie really is a great band – these guys do this music the way it should be done: having the conversation in their own voices.” – David Gans, Grateful Dead Hour Cosmic Charlie was born in the musical Mecca of Athens, Georgia. From its summer 1999 inception, the band swiftly cemented its reputation as a band that puts a unique and personal twist on the Grateful Dead catalogue. Cosmic Charlie is a Dead cover band for folks that are ambivalent about Dead cover bands. Rather than mimicking the Dead exactly, Cosmic Charlie chooses to tap into the Dead’s energy and style as a foundation on which to build. The result is healthy balance of creativity and tradition, where both the band and its audience are taken to that familiar edge with the sense that, music is actually being MADE here tonight. Moving and shaking even the most skeptical of Deadheads, Cosmic Charlie storms into a town and plays with an energy that eludes other bands, an energy that sometimes eluded the Dead themselves. Those precious moments during Dead jams when the synchronicity is there and all is right with the world – these are the moments that Cosmic Charlie relishes and feverishly welcomes with open arms. Clearly, Cosmic Charlie’s audiences are also eager to partake in these moments, and together with the band, they have indulged in many memorable evenings. Most nights, Cosmic Charlie walks onstage without a setlist, not even knowing what the first song will be. Any Dead tune can rear its head at any moment, and fan requests are always welcome. “INSPIRATON, MOVE ME BRIGHTLY” is Cosmic Charlie’s mantra, allowing the music to truly play the band. Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
Tommy Prine
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Andrew Marlin & Josh Oliver
Andrew Marlin & Josh Oliver (of Watchhouse) have been playing and touring together for over a decade in an array of configurations with countless different collaborators. For the first time, they’re hitting the road to share their music as a duo. These special hometown shows will feature a mix of Andrew & Josh’s original songs, alongside a number of covers and traditionals. Website · Facebook · Instagram
