Mapache

On their dynamic and ambitious fifth album of cosmic-folk, Swinging Stars, Sam Blasucci and Clay Finch decided to take a trip and hunker down somewhere particularly special. Located in Stinson Beach in Marin County, California, the Panoramic House has recently hosted acts like My Morning Jacket, the War on Drugs, and Cate Le Bon, and was the ideal combination of scenic beauty and self-imposed confinement to allow Mapache to settle in for their most cohesive album yet. “That environment yields itself to a higher level of focus because everybody’s together for a week,” says Finch, explaining that the band stayed there during the process, sharing every bit of their time and energy on a shared vision. “We were all captive. No one could escape,” he laughs. Swinging Stars, an album of calm, second-nature swagger, is the natural result of a band that’s existed in one form or another for its founders’ entire adult lives. Finch and Blasucci first met as students at La Cañada High School, just north of Los Angeles, where they both had a guitar class: “There wasn’t much supervision or anything,” remembers Blasucci. “It was really nice. And we got to just play guitars together.” Many of the songs on Swinging Stars are the result of a significant amount of group work on the road, sharpening and refining them, getting them just so before hitting the studio with their trusted collaborator Horne, who produced the set. Swinging Stars is also notable for its introduction of drummer Steve Didelot as a formal member of the band, with him playing on every track, and contributing an original song as well—“Reflecting Everything,” a cowboy-chord ballad sparkling with Finch and Blasucci’s guitars, and with Horne’s impeccable slide guitar. There are also two special features: one from the Allah-Lahs’ Spencer Dunham, who plays bass on “French Kiss,” and another from David Rawlings, who graciously took the call to play acoustic guitar on the album’s finale, “Where’d You Go,” recording his part remotely. “He’s someone who Sam and I look up to in a pretty serious way,” Finch says. “So it was cool to have him.” Mapache is so easygoing that their vibe belies their prolificness at times. Swinging Stars is their fourth album in as many years, and they show no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Blasucci chalks it up partly to the fact that, when you have two principal songwriters in a band, “the songs come in quickly and they stack up quickly.” It helps, too, that they’re just in the right place to be making music. “We’re just trying to make hay while the sun shines,” as Finch puts it. “None of us have any babies or anything and we’re all pretty committed to playing as much music as we can. And really focused on making something beautiful.” Website | Instagram

The Astronomers

The Astronomers are the band you can’t help but root for. Led by frontman Michael Stensland and producer Ben Baker, the duo boasts a dynamic and energy-filled performance that blends pop, rock, and electronic elements, resulting in a sound that’s uniquely their own. Formed in 2019 and proudly independent the duo write, produce, mix, and master tracks from their home studio in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.Their music gained momentum in 2020 with the release of single “Overthinking,” which received support from top 40 radio station; 101.1 WIXX, hitting #1 on Christmas Eve of 2020. Subsequent singles “Bad Type” and “Hotel Rooms” also received full rotation status, with “Hotel Rooms” charting at #88 on US top 40 radio and hitting #1 on 101.1 WIXX.The Astronomers began 2023 with their first headline tour across the Midwest in support of their debut album, “The Occasion”, culminating in performances on The Rock Boat XXII festival at sea. The festival, which set sail from Miami to the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas saw The Astronomers playing alongside national acts American Authors, LIT, Neon Trees, and more.Following the release of the first two singles from their fourth chapter of music, “Orange Afternoon” and “Last Call” the Wisconsin-based duo is set to kick off their West Coast tour in June of 2023.With their undeniable talent, captivating live performances, and authentic sound, it’s only a matter of time before The Astronomers become household names.Website | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | YouTube | TikTok

Chris Stamey Group, Skylar Gudasz

With Rob Ladd (drums), Robert Sledge (bass), & Matt McMichaels (guitar). Special Guests include Brett Harris, Millie McGuire, Charles Cleaver, Nathan Golub, and Laura Thomas.On his new album, The Great Escape, Chris Stamey—known for his work in The dB’s, the Big Star’s Third concerts, and numerous solo recordings including recent forays into jazz and neo–Tin Pan Alley—returns to the electric guitar sounds and melodic lyricism that informed his classic ’80s solo records It’s Alright, Fireworks, and 2004’s Travels in the South—but with a twist!This time out, alongside adroit pedal-steel aces Eric Heywood (Jayhawks, Pretenders, Alejandro Escovedo) and Allyn Love, Mipso’s Libby Rodenbough, and Chatham County Line’s John Teer and Dave Wilson, he’s found a distinctive spin on the ’70s Southern California country-rock flavors of the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Soaring harmonies from Brett Harris (Big Star’s Third), Peter Holsapple (The dB’s), and Matt McMichaels (Mayflies USA, Surrender Human) fill out the picture on many tracks. And there’s an A-team of Caitlin Cary (harmonies), Don Dixon (acoustic bass), Will Rigby (The dB’s, drums), and Rodenbough (fiddle and background vocals) on “(A Prisoner of This) Hopeless Love.”There’s also a vibrant version of a lost classic, the Alex Chilton / Tommy Hoehn composition “She Might Look My Way,” remembered fondly by Stamey from his late ’70s live performances with Chilton and the (unreleased) studio recording of it they did together for Elektra Records at Todd Rundgren’s studio. Here, it features two world-class fellow producers: Mitch Easter (Let’s Active, R.E.M.) on drums and Terry Manning (Ardent Studios producer/engineer/guitarist; Staples Singers, Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top) on bass, guitar embellishments, Mellotron flutes, and harmonies. Most tracks, however, are expertly anchored by Rob Ladd (The Connells) or Dan Davis (Six-String Drag) on drums, often accompanied by co-producer Jeff Crawford on bass.Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | “She Might Look My Way” | “(A Prisoner of This) Hopeless Love”Growing up with a musical family in rural Ashland, Virginia, Gudasz first found her affinity for music by learning to play flute at age five, and soon started writing songs of her own. She later taught herself to play piano and guitar, drawing inspiration from use of alternate tunings in developing her own distinct style. Although she spent time in folk and rock bands after heading to North Carolina for college (where she studied Acting and Creative Writing), Gudasz has continued to strike off on her own with her lushly textured, sculpted singular sound. In the past few years alone, the Durham, North Carolina-based singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist has shared stages with the likes of Ray Davies, Cat Power and Sharon Van Etten as part of the Big Star’s Third tribute concerts, opened for Television and toured from the US with Teenage Fanclub to Europe with the Mountain Goats, and appeared as a background vocalist on albums by Superchunk and Hiss Golden Messenger, making her TV debut with the latter on Late Night with Seth Meyers.Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

Hank, Pattie & The Current

This is a seated show.Bluegrass visionaries Hank Smith (banjo) and Pattie Hopkins Kinlaw’s (fiddle) innovative twist on traditional bluegrass music is a soulful brew flavored with classical, Motown, jazz, and pop influences. Joined by Billie Feather on guitar and Stevie Martinez on bass, this dynamic, North Carolina based group is performing in support of their fifth album, LETTERS, out now on Robust Records.Website | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music Ashes and Arrows — 2023 MerleFest Band Competition WinnersFrom the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina to the peaks of Arrowtown, New Zealand, Ashes & Arrows captivate audiences around the country with their stunning vocals, thoughtful lyrics, and on-stage charisma. Website | Facebook | TikTok | Instagram | Spotify | YouTube | “Gold In The Mountains” | “Born To Love” | “Cover Me Up”

Spafford

Spafford is known for their astonishing improvisational ability and off-the-cuff extended jams, Spafford paints a picture in real-time each night with a musical palette known only to each other. It’s a private language comprised of both their talent as musicians as well as their formidable catalog of influences, spanning 90’s alt-rock radio hits to Steely Dan and The Crystal Method. Each Spafford show is a sonic pilgrimage, the journey of a team of musicians so in tune with each other that a single note communicates intent and purpose. Spafford is amongst the most creative and hard-traveling bands on the contemporary jam scene, performing countless sold-out headline dates along with high profile festival sets at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Firefly Music Festival, and many others.Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube

Taylor Swift Laser Dance Party

The Taylor Swift Laser Dance Party will feature a two-hour Taylor Swift LIVE DJ Set with a National Touring Laser Light Show. Swifties, you know what to do: Report to the dance floor!

Islands

If Islands’ last record, (2021’s Islomania) was a Saturday Night Fever dream, then the follow up–And That’s Why Dolphins Lost Their Legs–is the Sunday Morning comedown.“[Islomania] was exuberant and hopeful, and Dolphins is like the grim rejoinder,” songwriter Nick Thorburn says. “The songs attempt to tap into some of our darker impulses. The grim, unshakeable feeling that we live in hell, that there is no future, that all hope is lost. I wanted to explore those depths and see where it lead me.”Hopelessness aside, the collection of songs represents a big leap forward. With addictive hooks at every possible turn, Dolphins (the 9th record in the catalogue), stands out as quite likely the strongest and most articulate Islands album yet. Nick Thorburn and band manage to slyly tap into both the pain and the joy of living, often simultaneously, while stripping the music down to its simplest element: a strange sample rubbing up against a bouncing bassline, a snappy kick and snare firing off against a persistent, hooky guitar line.The music itself is settled on the spaces in between: the silences, the spareness. There’s an evocative wooziness within each song; a disorienting disassociation that draws you into its strange world.“I was in my head/all my friends and all my lovers dead,” Thorburn sings on the second song, “And All You Can Do Is Laugh”. Ruminating on a world being destroyed before our eyes, Thorburn, sounding like an acquiescent ghost, continues on: “Something’s changed/ Something’s wrong/Something strange must be going on/Since it came/Things just aren’t the same/You see the light/Coming over the hill/From up in the sky/Like a thief they come in the night”. Where do you go from there?Darker, it seems. And yet, always with a sense of humor. “Headlines” paints the picture of a feckless passenger in a car, helplessly careening into a tree during a volatile argument with a partner. But all the passenger can think about is how the event will be framed in next day’s papers. The paper’s headline: “Poor Tree, (Man Died).”The writing process began a lot differently, though. Initially, Nick had no intention of writing songs in the way he knew how.“During my time off from Islands, before releasing Islomania, I was finished with rock music, bored of the lyrics I was writing. I was toying with the idea of making…I’m embarrassed to say… beats.” Thorburn says, with a laugh. “I began tinkering at home, and quite quickly compiled a huge folder of instrumentals. I got together with my friend Fat Tony and we made a few songs together. But as things went along, I found myself getting increasingly excited by the possibility of a lyric here or there. At first it was just a hook, and then a verse. Before long, I was sitting on a big pile of Islands songs.”The songs, though, are more idiosyncratic and off-kilter than Islands has sounded in a while. And that’s a good thing. Though refined and deliberate, the music has a certain playfulness that Thorburn hasn’t tapped into in quite some time. The record is a notable departure from previous outings, but the DNA of Thorburn’s early work, namely his first band The Unicorns, can clearly be heard throughout songs like “Headlines”, “Life’s A Joke” and “And All You Can Do is Laugh”.Website | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify

Frenship

Jukebox The Ghost Presents: HalloQueen

Since 2015, piano-pop trio Jukebox The Ghost have turned their admiration of Queen into a holiday spectacular and music festival in miniature every Halloween. HalloQueen, as they call it, is a two-set extravaganza featuring one full set of Jukebox the Ghost originals (followed by a costume contest intermission) and another set of Queen’s greatest hits, complete with Queen regalia and an arena-sized performance to match!———-Jukebox the Ghost formed in 2006 and have been a steadily growing cult favorite and globally touring band ever since. Composed of Ben Thornewill (piano/vocals), Tommy Siegel (guitar/bass/vocals) and Jesse Kristin (drums/vocals), they have played over 1,000 shows around the world over the course of their career. In addition to countless headlining tours, they have also toured as openers alongside Ingrid Michaelson, Ben Folds, Guster, Motion City Soundtrack, A Great Big World, and Jack’s Mannequin, among others. In addition to festivals like Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Bonnaroo, and Bottlerock, Jukebox the Ghost have also performed on The Late Show with David Letterman and Conan.Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube

Bandalos Chinos

Bandalos Chinos was formed in 2009 in Beccar (north of the Buenos Aires metropolitan area in the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina). In the year 2004 the band consolidates with its actual line-up: Goyo Degano, Nicolás Rodríguez del Pozo, Iñaki Colombo, Salvador Colombo, Tomás Verduga and Matías Verduga.They have released 3 LPs: BACH (2018), Paranoia Pop (2020) and El Big Blue (2022); 2 EPs: Nunca Estuve Acá (2014) and En El Aire (2016); and Xmas Special Feliz Navibach (2020) and Feliz Navibach Vol.II (2022).2 Gardel Awards winners for Best Pop Album (BACH & Paranoia Pop) produced by Adam Jodorowsjy. They were also nominated to the Latin Grammy for Best Alternative Album and Best Recording Engineer (BACH).The sextet is considered one of the Argentinean and Latin American rock band with the biggest growth and projection of the last years. Opening the way to a new generation of artists that put faith in pop and rock songs.For many years now they have set out on tours around Argentina and Mexico, most of them with sold out tickets. In 2022 the band did 72 shows in more than 12 countries, being the first band of its generation performing at Luna Park Argentina and Metropolitan Theater of Mexico with sold out tickets. Performing also in other countries around the world; Guatemala, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Spain and France.They have participated in the most important Music Festivals: Lollapalooza (ARG), Cosquin Rock (ARG), Buena Vibra (ARG), Vive Latino (MEX), Coordenada (MEX), Catrina (MEX) and Primavera Sound (SPAIN). For 2023 they have already confirmed Asunciónico Festival (Paraguay), Vive Latino and Tecate Pal Norte (México), Estereo Picnic (Colombia) and Portamérica (Spain).Facebook | Instagram | Spotify | YouTube | Twitter

Genre: Miscellaneous