Sugar Snap Peas, Husbandos, Nicole Tester
Sugar Snap PeasSugar Snap Peas is a 6-piece fusion outfit based out of Raleigh, NC. Drawing on a set of influences spanning jazz to dreampop, the Peas’ sound is characterized by intricate grooves, colorful harmonies, and a lushness that fills the room. The Peas guide audiences between intimate ballads and high-energy arrangements over the course of their live sets. Propelled by musical curiosity informed by sophisticated tastes, they offer a sound unique in the Triangle music scene.Instagram HusbandosHusbandos is a cheeky Durham-based jazz fusion band that alternates between sultry R&B bedroom vibes to whacky compositions with odd time signatures and total disregard for orthodox theory.Website | Instagram Nicole TesterNicole Tester is a singer/songwriter based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Her eclectic indie folk sound pulls from the roots of the Appalachian mountains where she was raised, intertwined with modern indie folk/rock/pop influences. Balancing wit and humor with introspection and insight, she is sure to cover a vast expanse of emotional ground with her lyrics and expressive voice. Her songs serve as a way to tell stories, process experiences, and simultaneously attempt to find common ground to connect with others.Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | Bandcamp
Molly Grace
LIFEBEAT, a program of The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, mobilizes the music and entertainment industry to provide the resources and support needed to take control of your sexual health and prevent HIV. On the ground at music tours, festivals, and special events, LIFEBEAT engages youth in discussions about HIV prevention, safe sex practices, and available support services regardless of status, gender, or sexuality. Through partnerships and community engagement, LIFEBEAT utilizes in-person outreach, broadcast, social media, and print campaigns to promote HIV/STI testing, prevention and treatment, and sexual health education. Nashville’s resident rising pop star Molly Grace has built a reputation on dazzling live shows packed with theatricality, full-throttle charisma, and powerhouse vocals. Channeling the queer joy of Chappell Roan, playful production of Remi Wolf, and irresistible magnetism of Prince, Molly is an artist who leans into the full spectrum of pop potential, creating music that’s all at once playful, polished, and packed with hooks. Whether commanding the stage at Bonnaroo —a set that earned her the accolade of Festival Highlight from The Nashville Scene — or headlining her ongoing But I’m A Pop Star! tour, inclusivity and optimism are front and center. Now, with her debut album Blush on the way, Molly is sharing her vision of pop music that’s both glamorous and deeply personal.Her work continues through a partnership with LIFEBEAT, a program of the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation that fights for social justice and human rights for those affected by HIV and AIDS. On the horizon, Molly will be opening for Betty Who, performing at Pride festivals nationwide and at All Things Go in September, cementing her status as the quintessential pop princess of our times — one who makes sure every single person in the crowd feels seen and emboldened. “I feel like my purpose is to make music that makes people feel good and confident and understood,” she says. “If you’re at a Molly Grace show, you’re going to feel better about yourself when it’s over.” Pop with a purpose, and glitter meeting grit — Molly Grace is delivering top-level artistry in every department. This show has been moved from Cat’s Cradle to Local 506. Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify | Bandcamp
O.F., Kill the Buddha, Paint Work
The Moss
In a musical landscape with fewer boundaries than ever before, THE MOSS’s exuberant brand of alternative rock spans genres, eras, and even oceans. The Utah-via-Hawaii group was born on the shores of Oahu in 2015, as teenage buddies Tyke James (vocals/guitar) and Addison Sharp (guitar) picked up a gig serenading diners at local taco trucks in between surf sessions. Naturally, their songs took shape in the spirit of the island, imbued with the joyfulness and breeziness of reggae culture yet cut with the introspection and communal spirit of mainland indie acts like Pinegrove and Cage the Elephant. By 2018, the duo had grown, enlisting Willie Fowler on drums and Addison’s brother Brierton on bass, and traded in beaches for the Great Salt Lake. They hit the stage at spots like local cornerstone Kilby Court, live-testing their modern-indie-meets-’60s-blues with a wide-eyed exuberance that translated effortlessly into their 2019 self-released debut, Bryology. Colored by the sound of Stratocasters jamming through reverb-cranked Fender amps, all backed by bouncy rhythms, Bryology marked a big step for the still-young quartet – but, true to The Moss’s nature, was still hard-coded with a DIY ethos. “We basically had no budget,” James remembers fondly. “We bought some nice mics and an interface and I ended up learning how to mix while we were recording.” The follow-up, 2021’s Kentucky Derby, brought a more aspirational, blue-sky tilt to the foundation they’d laid on Bryology, expanding the group’s sonic arsenal while keeping the relatable lyrical style and sun-soaked sentiment at the forefront. “I’m really proud of how we’ve evolved as a band over time,” Addison Sharp says. “It feels like we’ve taken every different influence and mashed them all together to create something that feels really special.” “Bryology seemed like a collection of separate songs we put together to make an album, whereas Kentucky Derby is a similar thought and story coming together to collectively make a more cohesive album,” adds Brierton Sharp says, noting the album’s tracks are sneakily arranged in pairs of two that seamlessly flow into one another. “Each song could be listened to on its own, or you could listen to them all and get a broader sense of our intention.” No matter how listeners choose to interact with The Moss’s music, the band just hopes they feel something. It’s that kinetic relationship between band and audience that makes their live performances – including a pitch-perfect recent set for Audiotree – so compelling. “No matter what we do, we want to make sure the songs are fun to play live,” says Fowler. “We pride ourselves on being a band people want to see live.” “There’s something special that happens when you get an immediate reaction to a song,” says James. “Whether it’s during a live show or even just a songwriting session, if there’s a reaction from people in the room, you know you’re on the right track.” XX Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify
Twen
Twen is a van-lifeing rock band that emerged onto the east coast music scene in 2017 with their distinct blend of shoegaze, indie rock, and post-punk influences. Though the band was formed in 2016 by lead vocalist Jane Fitzimmons and guitarist Ian Rollins Jones, their emergence post-pandemic has marked the beginning of what is essentially an entirely new project; save for their keeping the name “Twen”. This latest chapter is marked by the band booking their own tours, designing and screen printing their own merch, directing and editing their own music videos, and producing and mixing their own albums; all to a degree which would seem impossible to believe, if you didn’t know that they also built their own mobile-home from scratch and have been living in it, traversing the North American continent for the past 3 years. The duo-led 5 piece are readying their 3rd LP to be released in 2024, but have already debuted lead single ‘SeaStar’; an early 00’s throwback to Southern California beach anthems that finds the band further evolving from the coy, shoegaze aesthetics of ‘Awestruck’ (2019) – to a modern classicism; characterized on their 2nd LP ‘One Stop Shop’ (2022) by political (yet hopeful) lyrics, indelible hooks and a home-grown sonic mix that rewards the listener with each subsequent spin. With over 350 shows under their belt across North America and Europe, including arena appearances supporting Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Wet Leg, Whitney, Tacocat, & White Reaper, Twen’s live show exhibits their all-around relevance as a DIY rock band thriving in the digital age. Website | Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | Spotify | Bandcamp | TikTok
Kitty Craft
Kitty Craft is Pamela Valfer. Debuting in 1994 with the S/T cassette release on the Australian, Toytown label, and IT’S STUPID EP 7″ in 1995, Pam’s sound was originally a low-tech affair. 1997’s I GOT RULEZ EP 7” expanded her sound with keys & sampler, leading to 1998 release of BEATS & BREAKS FROM THE FLOWER PATCH (originally released in the USA by Kindercore Records). In 2000, her 2nd full-length album, CATSKILLS followed on March Records in the USA. Both albums had Japanese tours and Japanese CD releases with Rock Records. Around 2003/2004 after the completion of her 3rd Album… Pam dropped the mic, hung up her headphones, and put kitty craft into hibernation. The album was put down and filed away. Pam then focused on her visual and multimedia art, and career as an art professor. In 2019, kitty craft woke from her hibernation and quietly without fanfare, released “Beats and Breaks from the Flower Patch” and “Catskills” on all streaming & digital platforms. Followed soon after by “Lost Tapes”, a gem of an album, comprised exclusively of previously unreleased songs recorded as a full album in 2003, but was shelved never to see the light of day…until now. In some kind of pandemic zeitgeist, along with stuff like Lofi Girl/ChilledCow, a 90’s aesthetic resurgence, and the popularity of new and old vinyl records – kitty craft has been adopted by a whole new group of digital natives. Amazing and unexpected. Valentine’s Day 2022 brought us kitty craft’s first full-length LP vinyl record… MEW (1994-2004), an anthology album with tracks spanning all eras… MEW, shows an artist with a clear vision from the start. 2023: Takotsubo Records brings you the expanded CD versions of the kitty craft discography. Starting with BEATS & BREAKS and LOST TAPES… Both include previously unreleased songs. Back at home with Darla Records for worldwide distribution! Fall 2024: Darla Records and Takotsubo co-release a deluxe 2xLP version of BEATS ABD BREAKS FROM THE FLOWER PATCH. Available now at a record store near you! Spotify | Instagram
Little Image
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The Old Ceremony
Chapel Hill institution The Old Ceremony plays lush, literate cinematic folk rock. Now in their twenty-first year and having toured extensively in the US, Canada, and Europe, they have seven albums under their belt, including their newest album, Earthbound, released in October 2024 on Robust Records. They are especially known for their live shows, which bring their powerful songs together with spontaneous energy and musical interplay, making each night a new experience. TOC is led by songwriter Django Haskins, and includes vibes/organist Mark Simonsen, bassist Shane Hartman, violinist Gabriel Pelli, and drummer Nate Stalfa. Website | Bandcamp | Facebook
JD McPherson – SOCKS: A Rock N’ Roll Christmas Tour
Acclaimed singer, songwriter and musician JD McPherson will embark on his fifth-annual “SOCKS: A Rock n’ Roll Christmas Tour” this December with confirmed stops at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom, Nashville’s Basement East, & Minneapolis’s First Avenue, among several others. Tickets are available now via www.jdmcpherson.com/tour. These performances celebrate McPherson’s breakthrough debut Christmas album, SOCKS, which was released in 2018 on New West Records. The album features 11 all-original Christmas songs, the album has been the best-reviewed holiday record receiving overwhelming critical praise. Website | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify | YouTube
MAKE, Tacoma Park
MAKE – Website Tacoma Park – Website Spookstina – Website
