Philstock ’25
More Cowbell, Rattletraps, Honey Pumpkins, Wyatt Easterling Proceeds will benefit the ALS United North Carolina
Martin Sexton – Live Wide Open Tour 2026
This is a seated show. Martin Sexton tours in support the 25th anniversary of Live Wide Open – the critically-acclaimed double vinyl live album. The show will include these fan-favorites as well as some new material and surprise covers. “The real thing, people” —Billboard “Soul-marinated voice” —Rolling Stone “Mr. Sexton as an impassioned performer can bring women and men to tears when they see him live” —Wall Street Journal “The best live performer I’ve ever seen.” —John Mayer “Master of dynamics, reducing a room to silence with his blustering baritone, then teasing that silence with a fluttering falsetto.” —Acoustic Guitar Website | Facebook | YouTube | Soundcloud
Benjamin Tod and the Inline Six 2026 Tour
Sitting at a corner café table, Benjamin Tod’s eyes light up when asked what it’s like to finally embrace happiness and accept love. With a slight grin, he sips his coffee and leans back, one arm draped casually and comfortably over the chair. “I’m kind of settling into my age, into allowing myself to be happy,” the 33-year-old says. “For years, I led myself and the people around me into a lot of unnecessary darkness. And now, I’ve learned how to give and receive affection — it’s helped heal a lot of parts of myself.” Tod’s demeanor is a far cry from his usual stiff posture stance with arms folded, this permeating sense of trepidation and scrutiny for what trouble may be coming down the pike. The relaxed, calm aura is a sign of a human being who has overcome lifelong personal demons, one who has finally become liberated — not only in his personal life, but also his music. “This latest record is so unusual for what I do,” Tod says. “It’s almost a spite album, to prove what I can do as a writer in whatever medium I step into.” Titled Shooting Star, the album carves a fresh creative path for Tod, a storied singer-songwriter and frontman of Lost Dog Street Band. The self-proclaimed “proprietor of misery,” Tod finds himself transcending into a life of gratitude, patience, and stability. “People evolve and change. You’re growing as a person,” Tod says. “If you want to get healthier, you have to start intentionally behaving like a healthy person. You have to look around you and adapt to those things — if you don’t change your identity, it’s hard to change yourself.” For this latest solo endeavor, Tod tapped some of Nashville’s finest to conjure country gold. Shifting from his signature somber tone of struggle and survival, Tod and his coal fire throat radiate a feeling of clarity and new beginnings in the face of adversity. The result is this intrinsic, musical crossroads — more Hank Williams than Bob Wills, more Marty Stuart than George Jones. “Most of my career has been laser-focused on poetic, piercing songwriting in mainly a folk tradition.” Tod says. “I wanted to prove to myself and the industry that I could write an elite country record with ease. Either way, if I didn’t accomplish that goal, I sure as hell came closer than anyone on pop country radio.” The inspiration for the project struck in the summer of 2022, with Tod penning the opening track “I Ain’t The Man.” From there, it became this unrelenting, internal thirst for Tod to begin “imagining what all I could do within a genre slightly outside my comfort zone.” With a thick thread of honkytonk woven into it, the album leaves fingerprints on seemingly every style of country, from outlaw to red dirt, folk to indie, the culmination of which being a happily welcomed challenge for Tod — the ethos of his life and career at this juncture howling loudly “obstacles are opportunities.” Shooting Star is also a full-circle moment for Tod. Coming of age in Music City, he found himself squarely in the midst of rough-n-tumble Lower Broadway. Busking on street corners playing Woody Guthrie and Jim Ringer tunes for spare change. And getting kicked out of Robert’s Western World or Layla’s Honky Tonk “more times than most regulars had been before the age of 20.” Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify
Myka Lace, Kait Polgar, Roxanne Fortney, Laura Ivy
Myka Lace Myka Lace, an indie singer/songwriter originally from Danville, IA, has recently emerged in the vibrant Triangle music scene. Myka has been writing music for over 10 years and has only recently begun performing her music in front of audiences. Her music is deeply influenced by a diverse range of fellow artists and draws inspiration from the soft, beautiful, and melancholy moments of life. Instagram Kait Polgar Kait Polgar (kaitbird) is an up-and-coming singer-songwriter who got her start in Austin before relocating to Carrboro, NC. Classically trained in voice, she leans into the unpredictability of life with stories of naïvety, love and loss. Her music is a blend of folk and ethereal pop inspired by artists like the O’Pears and the Staves. Instagram Roxanne Fortney Roxanne Fortney is a songwriter from Chapel Hill, NC who uses soft melodies and meaningful lyrics to speak about love, loss and faith to relate to and inspire listeners. She has a folk singer-songwriter style with slight rock influences. Instagram Laura Ivy Laura Ivy is a local folk singer-songwriter from North Carolina, whose music focuses on the inner world of the human experience. She uses metaphorical links between man and nature to encourage listeners to dive deeper into their personal life experiences and conclusions. Laura is a vocalist who accompanies herself on guitar and piano, utilizing her opera training to create powerful melodies in a modern-folk style. Linktree
Langhorne Slim – The Dreamin’ Kind Tour
For more than two decades, Langhorne Slim has been a fearless voice in modern Americana, known for his raw emotion and rule-breaking spirit. On his ninth album, The Dreamin’ Kind, the Nashville-based songwriter plugs in his electric guitar and dives headfirst into big-hearted, 1970s-style rock & roll.Produced by Greta Van Fleet’s Sam F. Kiszka, the record pairs power chords and soaring hooks with the vulnerable storytelling that’s long defined Slim’s work. “It felt like I was blowing some old shit up so I could plant some new flowers,” he says. “I love folk music, but rock & roll tickles the same part of my soul. I wanted to explore that.”The collaboration began after Slim opened for Greta Van Fleet, leading to loose, inspired sessions with Kiszka and drummer Danny Wagner. Together they built songs that move from the propulsive rush of “Rock N Roll” and the swagger of “Haunted Man” to the tender sweep of “Dream Come True” and “Stealin’ Time.”Recorded over a year in Nashville, The Dreamin’ Kind bridges Slim’s rootsy past with a louder, more expansive present. It’s a record of freedom and discovery, equally at home in rock clubs and around campfires — proof that Langhorne Slim, ever the dreamer, still finds new ground to break with every song. Website | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Spotify | Facebook
Amelia Day
Amelia Day is a musical jack-of-all-trades. Standing at the intersection of folk, rock, and pop, Day blends heartfelt storytelling, raw delivery, and unforgettable melodies into music that feels both fresh and familiar — like rediscovering an old favorite. A self-described writer before anything else, her perceptive lyricism extends far beyond her 23 years, with lines reminiscent of songwriting greats like Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon. As the Spokesman-Review notes, Day has a signature style that features “wordplay, double-meanings and rhythmic variations,” with themes ranging from journeying into adulthood to climate change. Many of Day’s songs are also shaped by her intimate relationships, where her queerness and candor take center stage. Day’s upcoming EP EGO TRIP is her most personal project yet. Lead single “Lady Los Angeles” traces the sting of betrayal after discovering infidelity, while the rest of the EP takes listeners on an intimate journey through her grieving process. “The character of ‘Lady Los Angeles’ is representative of my ex’s obsession with attention and fame at all costs and my own fear of being seduced by those same temptations,” Day explains. “It felt like she was having an affair, not only with another person, but with the often-self-aggrandizing culture of Los Angeles itself.” Born and raised in the small town of Sumner, Washington — the self-proclaimed “Rhubarb Pie Capital of the World” — Day has been drawn to music-making since she could walk. “I had no idea what I was doing, but I had a toy ukulele and drum, and my parents had an upright piano that I would mess around on,” she recalls. “I could spend hours just playing around on the keys, making up little songs, which my piano teacher recognized and encouraged.” By middle school, Day was already writing her own songs “about myself and my (very angsty) preteen feelings.” Once Day got to college, she began performing her originals publicly, though not without roadblocks. “I had horrible stage fright up until mid-college,” she admits. Starting with farmers markets and local restaurants, Day gradually built up the confidence and the following that would lead to sold-out shows in Seattle, Boston, and D.C., as well as festival appearances at Bumbershoot (“one of my favorite sets I’ve ever played…there was a line of people outside waiting to get in!”), Capitol Hill Block Party, Folklife Festival, and Seattle PrideFest — all on her own. “I’m proud of getting to this point as an artist completely solo,” Day says. Day is proficient on guitar, keys, bass, and drums, often switching between instruments during her live performances. At other times, she lets the music take over — stepping away from the instruments to simply sing and dance with mic in hand. She says she aims to “create an environment of complete presence and joy, but also healthy catharsis of all the worst emotions.” As the Vanderbilt Hustler highlights, her set is “energetic, emotional and full of fun, just like all of her music.” Fans often leave Day’s shows on a high, blown away by her powerhouse vocals (drawing comparisons to Brandi Carlile, Norah Jones, Alanis Morissette, and others), and charmed by the joy she exudes while onstage. Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok
The Jack Wharff Band
Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, The Jack Wharff Band play a strikingly unique blend of bluegrass, Country and rock. Known for their electric live performances, masterful instrumentation, and their ability to make music that consistently defies the confines of genre, the young band burst onto the scene last year with snippets of jaw-dropping original songs posted to TikTok and Reels. Composed of vocalist/frontman Jack Wharff, drummer Garrett Howell, bassist Ryan Atchison and guitarist Evan Novoa, the salt of the earth four-piece has quickly captivated audiences with their infectious energy and unrelenting passion for the craft. The band has taken everything that has come their way in stride – viral videos of their original songs, a record deal with Big Machine Records, a move to Music City and more – earning a loyal following along the way. With an unparalleled ability to command an audience with vibrant stage presence far beyond their years and toe-tapping anthems that beg to be sung along to, it’s clear that this is just the beginning for The Jack Wharff Band. This fall, they are touring on select dates of Ole 60’s U.S. Tour 2025 and Max McNown’s Forever Ain’t Long Enough Tour. Early next year, the band will hit the road once again, opening on select dates of 49 Winchester’s 2026 Spring Tour. For more information and tour dates, please visit thejackwharffband.com. Website | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | YouTube | Spotify
Dirtwire – Universal Language Tour
Dirtwire stands poised between ancient Mother Earth and modern technology, a blend of ethnomusicology and the psychedelic trance state, gut-bucket delta blues and what the band variously dubs “back-porch space cowboy blues, swamptronica, and electro-twang.” It’s a sound informed by Dirtwire’s travels and performances around the globe, where East meets West and North joins South. From the favelas in Brazil, Femi Kuti’s Shrine in Lagos, Tokyo’s bluegrass clubs, Ayahuasca ceremonies in Central America, Gamelan performances in Bali, desert festivals in the Australian Outback, and the 20th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s modernized new capital Astana, the band spreads its message by building bridges across musical cultures in their own unique way. Dirtwire plays an array of instruments both ancient and modern, including West African kamale ngonis, jaw harps, space fiddles, whamola basses, Rickenbacher electric 12 string guitars, bowed Banjos and mouth harps from around the globe, all interwoven into modern laptop beat creation. Hailing from the underground west coast electronic bass music scene Dirtwire finds itself at the forefront of experimental electronic music production mixing in their wide array of world instruments with sampled beats and 808’s. Dirtwire’s live shows are a communal psychedelic journey, ranging from down home boot stomping get downs, to bass and blues electronic mashups, to ethereal cinematic beat driven soundscapes. Woven into each is the exploration of where live instruments meet computer production, and where tradition meets experimentation. Website | Spotify | Instagram | Bandcamp | YouTube | Facebook
Los Straitjackets & Deke Dickerson
Mike Campbell knocked on the dressing room door and brought in a friend to meet Los Straitjackets. It was the late 1990s and through a chance encounter with Campbell, the band found themselves opening a series of shows for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Mike introduced his friend: “You gotta meet these guys. They sound like the early Beatles… if they didn’t sing.” It was a high compliment because everyone in the band understood exactly how to take it. He wasn’t calling them the equal of Lennon & McCartney and company, just acknowledging that the band were high practitioners of the ‘combo’ sound: an early sixties line up of two guitars, bass and drums playing rock n’ roll music best exemplified by the Cavern Club-era Beatles. Constantly tagged with a slightly reductive “surf music” label, Los Straitjackets are better characterized as “instrumental rock n’ roll,” and have been since founders Danny Amis and Eddie Angel met and watched drummer Jimmy Lester play drums with Webb Wilder at a Nashville club. Their influences range from the double-picking-surf-attack of Dick Dale, to the proto-rock of Link Wray, the hooks of The Ventures, to the groove of Booker T. & The MG’s, all played with an energy that acknowledges The Cramps and punk rock. And past the golden age of instrumentals of the 1960s, one could argue they have brought this music to more fans than any other band, having done it for more than 30 years. They have taken their combo sound around the world, mostly making instrumental records, but also backing vocalists along the way, most notably for over a decade with Nick Lowe. It’s that collaboration that fuels this latest album, Somos Los Straitjackets. The lineup that has been touring since founder Danny Amis had to drop out of day-to-day operations because of his (winning) battle against multiple myeloma is Eddie Angel, longtime bassist Pete Curry, drummer Chris Sprague (The Sprague Brothers, Deke Dickerson) and Rochester guitar hero Greg Townson (The Hi-Risers, John Ellison). Playing hundreds of songs with and without Lowe, this four-piece has coalesced into an incredibly tight, rockin’ combo. “Playing behind a master like Nick Lowe makes you laser-focused on your playing. It has also made us very adept at coming up with twin guitar parts that complement each other,” says Eddie Angel. After recording with Lowe at Alex Hall’s Reliable Recorders, the band knew they had met the man who could capture the sound of this group. Angel elaborates, “We trusted Alex’s instincts and we were fans of some of the studio’s other outputs like JD McPherson and The Cactus Blossoms.” He continues, “The recording process we used this time was different. We got together numerous times at Pete Curry’s Powow Fun Room studio in LA to work up the songs, then we recorded demos to listen back to. Having some time to tweak the songs, and in some cases play them live, really helped when it came time to record.” They booked a session with Hall at bassist Pete Curry’s Marina Del Rey-adjacent studio, the Powow Fun Room, and followed up with a couple of sessions in Chicago. This list of songs built the first album of original material the band would record since Jet Set (2012). They worked on them at soundchecks and even peppered them into live sets. Website | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify
BENEE
BENEE makes sense of the world through music. She absorbs the chaos, confusion, and craziness of everyday life and molds it into addictive alternative pop. On her sophomore album Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles [out November 7th on Republic Records], the multi-platinum, New Zealand-born and Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and producer takes control back and channels anxieties of the unknown into irresistible anthems fueled by her signature creative storytelling and genre-bending production. BENEE opens up about the state of the world, saying, “The world right now is at a cultural turning point; it feels as though we are on a precipice…all we have understood and accepted about humanity and our world order seem to be on the verge of dissolution. In a post-COVID reality, the rapid rise of AI, environmental disasters, and the global rise in authoritarianism has left many of us in shock. The ground moves beneath our feet, and we can feel emotionally paralyzed.” She continues, “Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles is a deep dive into existential dread, where love, identity, and meaning slip through your fingers like sand. Each song grapples with the weight of existence. Feeling too small in a world too big, questioning whether connection is real or just another fleeting illusion.” BENEE has carefully built and invited listeners into a sonic and visual world of her own. Early singles “Soaked” and “Glitter” deemed her an artist-to-watch, and then during 2020, her Double-Platinum breakthrough hit “Supalonely” feat. Gus Dapperton and acclaimed debut album Hey u x established her as a phenomenon and one of pop’s most distinctive voices. Follow-up singles like “Beach Boy,” “Green Honda,” and “Do it Again” feat. Mallrat—which was chosen as the Official Song for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023—solidified her staying power. Along the way, she’s gathered billions of global streams, earned more than a dozen Platinum and Gold Certifications around the world, collaborated with everyone from Lily Allen to Grimes to Phoenix, toured with Olivia Rodrigo and Tate McRae, and played to sold-out crowds on multiple continents. She notably took home an MTV EMA and scored 10 honors at New Zealand’s Aotearoa Music Awards, as well as received nominations at the MTV VMAs, People’s Choice Awards, and more. Expanding her work into the film and TV space, her song “WHAT” is featured in the second season of the critically acclaimed Netflix hit Nobody Wants This, and she also contributed “Zero To Hero” to the A Minecraft Movie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). Not to mention, she made her big screen debut in the New Zealand indie film Head South. In the midst of everything, BENEE settled in Los Angeles full-time. Creating constantly, she embraced a wide swath of inspiration, listening to The Beach Boys, James Blake, Gorillaz, Groove Armada, and more. Over the course of a few years, she took her time to craft Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles, defining the overarching vision more clearly than ever. “I’ve never honestly sat for that long intentionally working on an album,” she notes. “It wasn’t rushed. We were able to try different things. As a result, this is more cohesive than anything I’ve done in the past.” Website | Instagram | TikTok | Spotify | YouTube
