Chris Cohen ~ 22 Degree Halo
AGE RESTRICTION: Only Ages 21+ can purchase tickets for this show. NO REFUNDS/EXCHANGES for anyone underage who purchases or attempts to use these tickets. Doors: 7:00 PM Show: 8:00 PMChris CohenChris Cohen was always a quiet kid. In fact, this introversion was one reason he began playing music as a toddler—to communicate without speaking, to identify with others without the direct representation of words. It has worked, too, with Cohen’s terrific stint in the mighty Deerhoof and his own captivating art-rock act The Curtains preceding production and session work for the likes of Weyes Blood, Kurt Vile, Le Ren, and Marina Allen. Somewhere along that long way, Cohen started writing lyrics. He found that, though it didn’t come naturally, the process offered a new sense of self-discovery and reckoning, a way to see himself and the world from unexpected angles. His three twilit albums of casually complicated pop during the last decade radiated these epiphanies: handling family strife, navigating advancing age, and understanding social woes. But Cohen has never had as much to sing so directly as he does on Paint a Room, his first album in five years and his debut for Hardly Art. If Cohen’s meanings have previously lurked inside the tessellated musical layers he built alone, they are newly clear and resonant here, animated and underscored for the first time by a band playing in real time. There is the endless miasma of state violence on the subversively melodious opener “Damage,” the existential exhaustion of modernity on the horn-traced jangle “Laughing”: this is Cohen communicating with friends not only through his deep understanding of groove, harmony, and hook but also with his listeners through songs that croon of our uneasy little era. In the past, Cohen made records in spells of isolation, phases when, as he puts it, he would “try to make my world a lot smaller.” He would play any of a dozen or so instruments until he stumbled upon something interesting, then slowly build upward and outward upon the idea. The method was solitary and stepwise, an act of accretion and deletion. Cohen, though, has been playing live with bassist Davin Givhan, drummer Josh da Costa, and keyboardist Jay Israelson in some fashion for the better part of a decade. This time around, then, he built demos in the dusty garage of the suburban Altadena rental that smelled like old wood and gasoline and tried something new—he took the songs on tour with that crew, yielding total control by letting them fill in or flourish their own parts as they saw fit. They came back home and began recording as a band. Cohen even called in a few friends to help, with Jeff Parker contributing the fluttering horn arrangement on “Damage,” and Parker collaborator Josh Johnson (who produced Meshell Ndegeocello’s Grammy-Award-winning album The Omnichord Real Book) supplying flute, sax, and clarinet arrangements throughout the record. It felt a little bit like producing someone else’s records, with Cohen given the chance to step back and evaluate others’ contributions to his own songs rather than scrutinize every little bit he made himself. This was a longtime ambition realized, another way of relating to others openly through sound.22 Degree Halo22 Degree Halo is a band from Philadelphiahttps://www.instagram.com/22__degree__halo/
Ducks Ltd. ~ Grocer
AGE RESTRICTION: Only Ages 21+ can purchase tickets for this show. NO REFUNDS/EXCHANGES for anyone underage who purchases or attempts to use these tickets. Doors: 7:00 PM Show: 8:00 PMDUCKS LTDDucks Ltd. are a Toronto band featuring Australian lead guitarist Evan Lewis and U.K-born, U.S.-raised singer, bassist, and rhythm guitarist Tom McGreevy. As Ducks Ltd., the two thrive on skirting the edges of buoyant jangle pop and driving power pop. Their latest album, Harm’s Way, contains anxious songs that McGreevy explains are “about struggling. About watching people I care for suffer, and trying to figure out how to be there for them. And about the strain of living in the world when it feels like it’s ready to collapse.” Harm’s Way is an undeniable evolution of Ducks Ltd.’s songwriting process. Where their critically acclaimed 2021 debut Modern Fiction and 2019 EP Get Bleak were self-recorded and self-produced in a Toronto basement, here, they made an LP in Chicago with producer Dave Vettraino and some of their favorite musicians. These collaborators include Finom’s Macie Stewart, Ratboys’ Julia Steiner and Marcus Nuccio, Dehd’s Jason Balla, Moontype’s Margaret McCarthy, Lawn’s Rui De Magalhaes, Dummy’s Nathan O’Dell, and Patio’s Lindsey-Paige McCloy. Ducks Ltd.’s touring drummer Jonathan Pappo also appears on the LP. The band first showed this collaborative streak on a 2023 covers EP, which featured guests like Mo Troper, Ratboys, Illuminati Hotties, and Jane Inc. that boasted renditions of songs by The Cure, The Feelies, and The Jesus and Mary Chain. Where those songs started as ideas on days off from tour, Harm’s Way is also a product of writing on the road while supporting acts like Nation of Language and Archers of Loaf. “When we got signed, we had played maybe five or six shows ever,” says McGreevy. “After last year, it’s well in the hundreds. Those things change your perception of your own music and songwriting.” This well-earned and road-tested confidence made the making of this LP their most intuitive and organic yet. “Our relationship is built on trust and we don’t let our egos come into the creative process in any way,” says Lewis. “We have this really great thing where every decision with the band is filtered through both of us. Here especially, we really figured out how to make something that truly sounds like us.” GroccerGrocer is a band from Philadelphia. Lead by three distinct vocalists, each with a unique voice both on and off their respective instruments, they flicker between moments of brash chromaticism, saccharine pop sensibility, and rhythmic acrobatics. Their compositions are both meticulous and volatile, while their live performances are lauded for explosive chemistry with cheeky curiosity.https://itsgrocer.bandcamp.com
Bad Luck 13 Riot Extravaganza ~ Freeze MF ~ Meat Hook and the Vital Organs ~ St Brigid ~ Howlin
AGE RESTRICTION: Only Ages 21+ can purchase tickets for this show. NO REFUNDS/EXCHANGES for anyone underage who purchases or attempts to use these tickets. Doors: 7:00 PM Show: 7:30 PM Bad Luck 13 Riot Extravaganzahttps://badluck13riotextravaganza.bandcamp.com/album/with-friends-like-these-who-needs-enemiesFreeze MFhttps://freezemf.bandcamp.com/Meat Hook and the Vital Organshttps://meathookandthevitalorgans.bandcamp.com/track/born-to-be-vileSt Brigidhttps://stbrigid.bandcamp.com/Howlin
Xana ~ Rachel Bochner
AGE RESTRICTION: Only Ages 21+ can purchase tickets for this show. NO REFUNDS/EXCHANGES for anyone underage who purchases or attempts to use these tickets. Doors: 8:00 PM Show: 9:00 PMXanaXana is a Queer Canadian artist based in Vancouver, BC. With her genre bending records, Xana pushes the boundaries of pop music with her authenticity and brings listeners on fantasy adventures to heartfelt moments with unapologetic and intimate writing. She spent her childhood rocking out to Avril Lavigne, Eminem and The Little Mermaid and in her adolescence she became heavily influenced by artists such as Halsey, Lorde, Taylor Swift and Ryn Weaver. Her high energy tracks grab the attention of the listener with not only the gentle confessions in the lyrics but the feelings and emotions in her melodies. Xana’s music encompasses themes of LGBTQ romance, female empowerment, sex positivity, self reflection and discovery.WebsiteInstagramTiktokYoutubeSpotify Rachel BochnerSince making her debut in 2020, New York-based artist Rachel Bochner has gone on to make some serious waves with her fiery, playful pop sound and whip-smart lyricism. Giving grit to vulnerability, she is unafraid to own the thoughts, mistakes, and emotions we tend to shy away from. Rachel melds the dark with the whimsical, turning the trials of navigating your twenties into music anyone can sing along to. With a musical thumbprint that could only be recognized as her own, Rachel is poised to set the pop world ablaze.IG | TikTok | Youtube | Twitter
XIXIX ~ Tucked In ~ Moustapha Noumbissi
**All shows 21+—valid ID required** Doors: 7:00 PM Show: 7:30 PM XIXIXBorn out of quarantine boredom, XIXIX is the solo project of Philadelphia based music producer Will Brown. Pulling influences from the synthesizers of LCD Soundsystem and The Cure to the screaming guitars of Neil Young and Built to Spill, XIXIX is best served to an intentional listener who can separate intrapersonal lyricism from a highly approachable soundscape. Released in fall of 2021 his debut album set the stage for an ethereal synth pop experience, only to be juxtaposed by a raw and aggressive live show driven by Brown’s guitar playing and affinity for punk and hardcore. With nothing left to the imagination besides how to pronounce the name, there’s no sense that Brown is playing a part when he brings himself onstage. Brown’s effortless genre-blending style is credited to the way he’s been able to chameleon himself into an amalgam of different bands and collaborations across his career. His debut record featured credits from Grammy Award winning engineer/producer Nicolas Vernes (War on Drugs, Animal Collective, Deerhunter). He has since collaborated with producer Nick Verruto (Tierra Whack, Meek Mill) and worked in the studio with countless other Philadelphia artists including Caiola, Julian King, and Ali Awan among others.https://open.spotify.com/artist/2i6PxJ8bSLsQ89SiZXjHWs?si=VYYAAqe5QsGanCgWLQtttw&nd=1Tucked InBorn in Brooklyn, New York at Pete’s Candy Store, Tucked In began as a duo with Gunnar Flinchum (vocals) and Shae Ferguson (guitar). The group’s evolution has taken them through the indie rock scene in New York to the sandy shores of Vero Beach, FL to their current residence in Phoenixville, PA. Along the way, the group has won the attention of their audiences with their raw instrumentation backed by refined vocals and tight harmonies. Drummer Connor Lord and recent additions Dan Rodgers (bass) and Carrie Morgan (keyboard/vocals) have taken the band’s sound a step further. The five members spent the fall of 2022 writing and recording the band’s most recent EP, Cocoon.https://www.tuckedintheband.com/Moustapha NoumbissiMoustapha Noumbissi is a songwriter/multi-instrumentalist based in Philadelphia, PA. Born in Belgium to Cameroonian parents, Moustapha grew up a participant of many musical traditions including–West African drumming, American pop, and choral music–his latest recordings favor Indie Rock and Psychedelic Soul. His recent work with producer Lee Clarke is testimony to liminality, self-definition and simultaneous reverence for and refusal of genre.https://moustaphanoumbissi.bandcamp.com/
Golden Apples ~ Greg Mendez ~ The Mops ~ Lowercase Roses
**All shows 21+—valid ID required** Doors: 7:00 PM Show: 7:30 PMGolden Appleshttps://goldenapples.bandcamp.com/Greg Mendezhttps://gregmendez.bandcamp.com/The Mopshttps://themopssongs.bandcamp.com/ Lowercase Roseshttps://lowercaseroses.bandcamp.com/
BENZ ~ Balmour ~ Michael Berg
**All shows 21+—valid ID required**Doors: 7:00 PMShow: 7:30 PMBENZBENZ’s music is described as Soul-fed Pop. Her favorite music genres are Pop, R&B, and Soul from singers such as Christina Aguilera, Aretha Franklin, and more modern artists like Khalid and Halsey.https://benzmusic.net/ BalmourBalmour is an alt/soul artist from Philadelphia. Mixing smooth tones with a no-nonsense lyricism, the kid knows how to get his point across. Balmour invites you to demo his newly developed project, Double HP. This interactive RPG based experience , changes with each playthrough. Please select an Avatar then press play to begin! 🕹🕹🕹Instagram: @balmour Michael BergMichael Berg is an acoustic soul artist based out of Philadelphia. He writes original music with a contemporary focus on melody and lyrics. The artist has three EPs available on all streaming services. You can catch Michael performing live throughout the city of Philadelphia.Instagram: @michaeljamesb_
Bad luck 13 ~ Wolves attack ~ HELLRAD ~ Blasphemous ~ All The Damn Vampires
**All shows 21+—valid ID required** Doors: 6:00 PM Show: 6:45 PM Bad luck 13https://badluck13riotextravaganza.bandcamp.com/releasesWolves Attackhttps://wolvesattack.bandcamp.com/releasesHELLRADhttps://hellrad1.bandcamp.com/Blasphemoushttps://blasphemousphilly.bandcamp.com/All The Damn Vampireshttps://allthedamnvampires.bandcamp.com/
The Roaring Shell ~ CJ Mills ~ Sco
**All events 21+ — valid ID required for entry**Doors: 7:00 pmShow: 7:30 pmTHE ROARING SHELLhttps://theroaringshell.bandcamp.com/track/linoleumCJ Millshttps://bandcamp.com/k0nstantine1313 Sco https://instagram.com/its.sco?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Sophie Coran https://www.sophiecoran.com/
Kat & The Hooligans ~ Nolan Lunsford ~ Maria Mirenzi
**All events 21+ — valid ID required for entry**Doors: 7:00 pmShow: 7:30 pmKAT & THE HOOLIGANShttps://katandthehooligans.bandcamp.com/releasesNOLAN LUNSFORD https://www.instagram.com/nolanlevilunsford/?hl=en MARIA MIRENZI https://youtu.be/L4J1EIGcXVU