Rum Jungle
Hailing from the coastal backstreets of a steel city, Rum Jungle craft raw alt-rock anthems and late-night ballads that capture the haze of nostalgia, the chaos of youth, and the strange comfort of letting it all fall apart in style. Their sound pulls from surf-punk grit, indie sleaze swagger, and the kind of hooks that stick like salt on skin after a long summer. The story began with a hand-me-down name from Bennys dad’s 70’s band — a reminder that music was always going to be the family business, whether official or not. For Rum Jungle, being a band isn’t optional; it’s hard-wired into who they are. It’s how they process their world, tell their story, and chase the moments that only exist when you’re plugged in together, pushing the same noise out into the night. Since forming, Rum Jungle have grown from backyard parties to selling out rooms across North America, the UK, Europe, and Australia, while playing The Great Escape, Reeperbahn, and SXSW (Sydney). Their debut album Recency Bias landed at #1 on the ARIA charts, and with new music on the horizon, Rum Jungle are pushing deeper into their pretty-but-gritty world. Instagram · Spotify · Facebook · YouTube · TikTok
The Takes
At the intersection of rock riffs and earnest songwriting, you find The Takes, a folk-rock group hailing from Portland, Oregon. The band – composed of Sumner Rahr (guitar/vocals), Guido Rahr (guitar), and Phoebe Webb (bass) – weaves emotion and escapism through their songs, all while sticking to the roots of rock. On their 2024 EP ‘Lay Hold’ The Takes delved further into their country/blues rock tendencies, led by Sumner’s raw vocals and backdropped by an organic four-piece sound of guitar, drums and bass. This era brought the band debut sets at Bonnaroo, BottleRock, Extra Innings Fest, and on two US headline tours, including sold out dates in NYC (Mercury Lounge), Chicago and Colorado Springs. Summer 2025 saw The Takes release anthemic, summery single “Take My Time”, produced by Jon Gilbert (Mt. Joy, Flipturn, Adam Melchor). The Takes are flipping to their next chapter with their third EP ‘Uprooting Roses’ produced with David Baron (The Lumineers, Michael Marcagi, Matt Maeson) out May 1, 2026. It coincides with dates supporting The Runarounds across the US and sets at Treefort Fest, Calgary Stampede, and more. With over 3.5 million career streams and past support slots alongside Houndmouth, Wilderado, Briscoe, and Penelope Road, The Takes are creating music for the moment and community – wherever in the country that happens to be. Instagram · TikTok · Spotify
Son Volt
After spearheading the alt-country movement with Uncle Tupelo, Jay Farrar pursued his vision with Son Volt, who recorded three landmark albums in the ’90s before the groundbreaking artist put the band on extended hiatus and cut three solo LPs. Missing the free exchange of ideas and the surprises that inevitably occur when a group of simpatico musicians lock together, Farrar assembled a new lineup of Son Volt in 2004 and has since released nine albums. The latest album, Sound Signal Serenades, was released as a special 2026 Record Store Day limited edition LP. Jay Farrar’s work often seeks out the ghosts of America’s discordant or forgotten past, converses at length with them, and writes songs that stake a claim to a better future. Website · Facebook
The Menzingers
Everything I Ever Saw finds the Menzingers entering a new era in what’s already been a storied career. The Philadelphia punk legends’ eighth album chronicles moments of significant change—the personal, the political, and the universal—while returning to the core creative principles that first put them on the map with listeners the world over. Twenty years in, the Menzingers have discovered that the wisdom gained with time’s passing is even stronger than the emotional armor they once wore in their youth, and Everything I Ever Saw captures the quartet embracing the here and now while strengthening the bonds that have held them together. Work on Everything I Ever Saw started in earnest after touring behind 2023’s Some Of It Was True, as the group felt a re-energized urgency while their worlds changed around them. “It wasn’t something that we initially set out to do,” vocalist/guitarist Greg Barnett says. “We started writing immediately after our last record in a very fun, casual way—but we were going through really special moments that we wanted to document.” “We’ve been doing this for so long that it’s routine,” vocalist/guitarist Tom May adds. “Between this record and the last record, however, so much happened in our lives, and we always write about what’s going on.” Indeed, the last three years have been plenty busy in the Menzingers’ world: while Barnett got married and welcomed his first child, May got divorced and navigated new emotional territory both in and outside of the band. “We’re no strangers to writing about breakups, but divorce is different,” he says. “There’s a weirdness to it that cuts so much deeper and hurts much more. The most devastating part is that you had a vision for your life that’s gone now, and you have to figure out how to navigate that while growing as a person. But through that suffering, I definitely became a better person than I was before. When you’re broken, you can put yourself back together in a way where you are who you truly want to become.” “It was sad for him, but he became the person that he always wanted to be, and he found so much happiness in this way his life changed,” Barnett adds. “I’ll always look back on this record as living in the moment of these massive changes in our lives.” While working on the record in the band’s new studio space in the Port Richmond area of Philadelphia, the quartet—rounded out by bassist Eric Keen and drummer Joe Godino—engaged in some group camaraderie (and, yes, a couple of frosty beverages) to help their bandmate and lifelong friend navigate this particular era of growing pains in his personal life. “Those guys took care of me,” May says, “and I can’t even put it into words how powerful that was. It solidified our creative relationship, because they’re some of the few people that I can talk about these things with.” It’s that sense of coming together that inspired Barnett’s lyrics on the charging “Nobody’s Heroes,” which opens with the glowing tick-tock of a drum machine before launching into the type of passionate burn the Menzingers have long been known for. “It feels like the story of the Menzingers to me,” he says while talking about the song. “I wanted to write about my experiences of trying to be there for him through everything he was going through. Then, the approach became the whole band rallying around each other, and an anthem for everything that we’ve been through, while shining a light on the connection that we have together.” Website
Michigander
$1 from each ticket will be donated to Headcount via GanderGives, the band’s 501c3 partnership with Plus1. Join the band in making a difference. Website · Facebook · Instagram · YouTube · Spotify
Night! Night!
Night! Night! Sleazy Post-Hardcore from Chapel Hill. Bandcamp · Instagram RIBS southern mobility meets uptown dentistry Bandcamp · Instagram
Crazy Chester: A Very Carrboro Tribute To The Band & The Last Waltz 50th Anniversary Tour
Formed in early 2020 for a series of one-off events in the piedmont region of North Carolina, Crazy Chester is a homegrown tribute act to The Band, consisting of Carrboro musicians Jones Bell (Mellow Swells, Ravary), Charles Cleaver (Big Star’s Third, Fancy Gap, Lemon Sparks), Rob DiMauro (Heat Preacher, Mixtape Grab Bag, One After 919), Justin Ellis (Slow Teeth, Ravary, Easter Island, One After 919), and Rafael Green (solo artist, Ravary, One After 919), respectively recreating and playing the parts of Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Robbie Robertson. For the sixth year in a row, Crazy Chester will be performing most of The Band’s legendary farewell performance from Thanksgiving Day 1976, immortalized in the 1978 Martin Scorsese film “The Last Waltz” – complete with additional musicians and special local guests to play the songs originally performed in the film by Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and many more. But this time – they’re taking the show on the road to celebrate 50 Years of The Last Waltz. A show that must be seen to be believed. Full list of guest performers TBD!
Plays Well With Others: Justin Ellis’ 35th Birthday Show
Local musician, multi-instrumentalist, music educator, and community event organizer Justin Ellis has been playing at the Cat’s Cradle since his high school battle of the bands at age 15. Twenty years later, he’s bringing it all back to where it began, bringing along bands, friends, bandmates, collaborators, and former students from the past two decades into one special night. Expect a few songs each from most of Justin’s bands past and present, unique matchups and collaborations, and loads of Justin’s favorite songs played by all of Justin’s favorite people in a rotating superjam of some of the best players in North Carolina and beyond. See you there! Ticket proceeds will go towards local pro-immigration organizations. Featuring Performances from Slow Teeth Ravary Crazy Chester One After 919 The MothmenRafael Green The Color Exchange Clockwork Kids Flash Car Amelia Riggs + No Exit The Plays Well With Others Megajam Marc Allen Jones Bell Joshua Bosworth Robert Chamberlain Charles Cleaver Anna Cobb Kent Corley Asher De La Torre Jeff DeLuca Rob DiMauro Ripley Florek Lauren Francis Morgan Friedman Danlee Gildersleeve Rafael Green Jeremy Haire JJ Meacham Helbert Cole Ivester Hazen Johnson Nick Johnson Chesley Kalnen Will Kitchin Georgia Moon Amelia Riggs Conlan Sharp Asher Simon Kate Stokes Geoff Thomas Jake Waits Grant Watson John Wolfe Andrew Yesnick And more!
Grrrlbands Showcase
Dance and sing along to songs by: Siouxsie and the Banshees Cyndi Lauper Rage Against the Machine My Chemical Romance Destroy Boys
Willow Avalon – Pink Pocket Pistol Tour
Originally from Georgia and now based in Nashville, Willow Avalon’s musical journey began with her first word, “Elvis.” Raised by her mother and grandmother in a small Southern town, she grew up playing piano in church and taught herself guitar at age 12, using songwriting as both an escape and a means of self-expression through a life-journey that has been anything but straight-forward. Her much-praised 2025 debut album, Southern Belle Raisin’ Hell, cemented her as one of country music’s most compelling new voices, blending classic country, Americana, and pop influences. She has performed at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, CBS Mornings, and the Grand Ole Opry, as well as festivals like Stagecoach, C2C, CMA, and Lollapalooza, bringing her electrifying presence to global audiences. With a sharp wit and rebellious spirit, she has shared stages with legends and rising stars alike, including Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Zach Bryan, Cage the Elephant, Paul Cauthen, Charles Wesley Godwin, and more. Solidified by sold-out headline tours in North America, Europe, and Australia, as well as hundreds of millions of views across social content, Willow Avalon is redefining what it means to be a modern Southern storyteller. Website · Facebook · Instagram · YouTube · TikTok · Spotify
