Hot Like Mars with The All American Funk Parade
18+ Standing Room Only Show 17 and under admitted with a parent or guardian Hot Like Mars is Chicago’s funkiest, most soulful rock band, turning heads with their exhilarating live performances and consistently compelling studio releases. The dynamic quintet – Anthony Perry (Lead Vocals / Keys), Frank Minella (Guitar / Vocals), Patrick Walsh (Guitar), Donoven Brown (Bass / Vocals), and Wes Julien (Drums / Vocals), has earned regional acclaim in recent years, delivering high-energy, genre-bending live shows that leave audiences spellbound. Leading with exceptional song craft, intrepid improvisation, and world-class instrumentation, the group’s uplifting presence has earned them a reputation as one of the most exciting bands on the circuit today. Since their inception in December 2023, Hot Like Mars has rapidly risen through the music scene, garnering online acclaim, social media virality, and a fervent live following. They’ve shared stages with heavyweights like Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and Andy Frasco, packing iconic venues such as The Metro and Park West to the brim. Their Chicago residency alone saw them sell over 1,000 tickets, further cementing their status as a must-see act. In a testament to their growing influence, Hot Like Mars has gone viral on Instagram and TikTok, launched their live catalog on nugs.net, and had multiple singles spotlighted on Spotify’s “Modern Jam Band” editorial playlist. In just five months, the band unleashed seven live singles and a live album, all met with widespread praise from fans. This summer, they’re set to release their first studio single ahead of a full-length studio album dropping in Fall 2024—a project that will undoubtedly elevate their profile even higher. The album release will kick off an extensive tour across the Midwest and beyond, bringing their infectious grooves and inspiring tunes to an ever-growing audience. Diversity is at the core of Hot Like Mars, and their mission is to break down racial barriers, uniting people through the universal power of music. Each song is crafted to inspire, motivate, and get listeners dancing to their irresistible rhythms. As we look ahead to the rest of 2024, anticipation is building for what promises to be an exhilarating year for Hot Like Mars.
Dogs in a Pile
This is a 18+ event with standing room only17 and under admitted with a parent or guardian The sandy shores of Asbury Park, New Jersey are hallowed ground in the northeast; the rolling waves have ushered generations of venerated musicians to worldwide acclaim. Dogs in a Pile, an eclectic quintet, has emerged as the heir apparent to the town’s rich musical legacy. Merging funk, jazz, and rock and roll with psychedelia, the quintet presents a completely original vibe built on kaleidoscopic soundscapes eerily reminiscent of the days of yesteryear. The Dogs employ a unified approach to performance and songwriting, crafting aural mosaics through adept instrumentation and humble precocity. As avid storytellers, they draw inspiration from personal experiences, balancing life’s foibles with ever-present youthful sanguinity. Dogs began when Philadelphia University of the Arts guitar gun-slinger Jimmy Law began playing with young Joe Babick (drums), a student at the Count Basie Theater program in Red Bank, NJ. Lightning struck when they were introduced to Berklee School of Music student and bass player Sam Lucid, who immediately suggested fellow Berklee student and keyboard player Jeremy Kaplan. The addition of fellow Berklee student Brian Murray (guitar) in 2019 made for the quintessential final piece in the Dogs’ puzzle. A string of successful local shows drove the development of a massive northeast fan base, affectionately known as the Dog Pound. The band’s astronomical growth culminated in an epic, sold-out performance at the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park during the summer of 2021. Armed with a fresh batch of new material, Dogs in a Pile is taking its perpetually evolving testament to the Great American Songbook on tour in 2022, visiting plenty of new cities and spreading good music and good energy to good people along the way.
The Cat Empire: Bird in Paradise Album Tour
2025 Bell’s Beer Garden Summer Concert SeriesThis is a 18 and over event. 17 and under admitted with a parent or guardian The Cat Empire have returned with vibrant, self-affirming new single-‘Doing Fine’ is out today via BMG Australia. Lead singer Felix comments, “Doing Fine is one of the edgiest and most dynamic tracks on the Bird In Paradise album. Lyrically it’s raw-grief, rage, reckless joy-brought together in the furnace of The Cat Empire’s very live performance.” LISTEN TO ‘DOING FINE’ HERE The third single off their forthcoming tenth studio album Bird In ParadiseoutMarch7, 2025viaBMGAustraliaalmost didn’t make the cut. The band’s musical director Ross Irwin explains, “Doing Fine went on quite a journey as a song. It was one that we weren’t sure was even going to make it onto the album, and as we headed into the studio it was 50/50 as to whether we would even pursue it. But once we started recording it and developing it during the tracking sessions, it transformed into a really exciting musical journey that has become a favourite track amongst the musicians and engineers who worked on the record. It has fire, it has drama, and it has a healthy dose of heart and lyrical honesty.” To accompany the new track, the band have offered up their latest video, an explosion of flamenco dance interspersed with Felix’s heavy-hitting boxing moves. Felix states, “The boxing / flamenco dance collision brought to life in the video clip seem to provide the right intent. It hits hard and it calls for something beautiful in the chaos. On the new album, Felix Riebl comments “Musically speaking, Bird in Paradise is an Australian-Flamenco, Afro-Cuban project. We’ve drawn from the themes of contemporary flamenco and Cuban music, and combined it with the grit, and toughness of Aussie rock history. Add Ollie’s Jazz influence and you have a sound only The Cat Empire can create. These influences are shaped by undercurrents of urban and outback Australia, adding an undeniably Aussie edge to international sounds.
All American Funk Parade
This is a standing room only 18 and over event. 17 and under admitted with a parent or guardian. The All American Funk Parade’s Annual Holiday Dance Party is the single greatest event of the year. There will be tons of moms mistletoeing. Countless piper boys piping. Everyone a’dancing. And music of an ilk so unprecedented, it will have you screaming for more.
Hot Like Mars with Butterscotch Boys and The All American Super Jam
18+ Standing Room Only Show 17 and under admitted with a parent or guardian Hot Like Mars is Chicago’s funkiest, most soulful rock band, turning heads with their exhilarating live performances and consistently compelling studio releases. The dynamic quintet – Anthony Perry (Lead Vocals / Keys), Frank Minella (Guitar / Vocals), Patrick Walsh (Guitar), Donoven Brown (Bass / Vocals), and Wes Julien (Drums / Vocals), has earned regional acclaim in recent years, delivering high-energy, genre-bending live shows that leave audiences spellbound. Leading with exceptional song craft, intrepid improvisation, and world-class instrumentation, the group’s uplifting presence has earned them a reputation as one of the most exciting bands on the circuit today. Since their inception in December 2023, Hot Like Mars has rapidly risen through the music scene, garnering online acclaim, social media virality, and a fervent live following. They’ve shared stages with heavyweights like Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and Andy Frasco, packing iconic venues such as The Metro and Park West to the brim. Their Chicago residency alone saw them sell over 1,000 tickets, further cementing their status as a must-see act. In a testament to their growing influence, Hot Like Mars has gone viral on Instagram and TikTok, launched their live catalog on nugs.net, and had multiple singles spotlighted on Spotify’s “Modern Jam Band” editorial playlist. In just five months, the band unleashed seven live singles and a live album, all met with widespread praise from fans. This summer, they’re set to release their first studio single ahead of a full-length studio album dropping in Fall 2024—a project that will undoubtedly elevate their profile even higher. The album release will kick off an extensive tour across the Midwest and beyond, bringing their infectious grooves and inspiring tunes to an ever-growing audience. Diversity is at the core of Hot Like Mars, and their mission is to break down racial barriers, uniting people through the universal power of music. Each song is crafted to inspire, motivate, and get listeners dancing to their irresistible rhythms. As we look ahead to the rest of 2024, anticipation is building for what promises to be an exhilarating year for Hot Like Mars.
Lettuce
2024 Bell’s Beer Garden Summer Concert SeriesThis is a 18 and over event. 17 and under admitted with a parent or guardian LETTUCE is (a) the prime ingredient in a salad, (b) a slang for cash, (c) a green herb that can be smoked, (d) a genre-busting six-member musical collective formed in 1992 by four alumni of the prestigious Berklee College Of Music, or (e) all of the above. If you answered “e,” then you’re in on the sheer magic of a band that both feeds the rich history of funk music and combines it with strains of hip-hop, rock, psychedelia, jazz, soul, jam, go-go, and the avant-garde. The GRAMMY® Award-nominated six-piece is comprised of Adam Deitch [drums, percussion], Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff [guitar], Erick “Jesus” Coomes [bass], Ryan Zoidis [alto, baritone, tenor sax, Korg X-911], Eric “Benny” Bloom [trumpet, horns], and Nigel Hall [vocals, Hammond B-3, Rhodes, clavinet, keyboards]. To date, their discography includes Outta Here [2002], Rage! [2008], Fly [2012], Crush [2015], the EP Mt. Crushmore [2016], the live album Witches Stew [2017], Elevate [2019], Resonate [2020], Unify [2022], and now VIBE – a single 48 minute continuous session of pure, free-flowing improvisation, available digitally for the first time. With VIBE, Lettuce cement their status as boundary-pushing innovators over three decades into their lauded career, blurring lines and smashing up jazz chords, psychedelic passages, big horns, strains of soul and go-go, hip-hop elements for an uplifting, improvisational sound all their own. Ryan Zoidis explains, “we got into a vibe and hit record. 48 minutes went by like a blink of an eye. This is our first purely improvised recording. Nothing planned, nothing edited or overdubbed. This is a true spontaneous musical expression captured in its entirety.” All together now… Lett us VIBE.
Ghost-Note
This is a 18 and over event.Standing Room Only GHOST-NOTE IS AN EXPLOSION OF SOUND. HEADED BY SNARKY PUPPY’S MULTI-GRAMMY–WINNING PERCUSSION DUO OF ROBERT “SPUT” SEARIGHT AND NATE WERTH, FEATURING AN EXPANSIVE ROSTER OF NEXT-LEVEL MUSICIANS — REPRESENTING MEMBERS OF PRINCE, SNOOP DOGG, ERYKAH BADU, HERBIE HANCOCK, KENDRICK LAMAR, MARCUS MILLER, TOTO, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, AND MORE—THE BAND IS PUSHING FUNK MUSIC INTO THE FUTURE, BUILDING ON THE PIONEERING FOUNDATIONS LAID OUT BY THE LIKES OF JAMES BROWN AND SLY & THE FAMILY STONE AND INFUSING THEIR FRESH TAKE WITH AFROBEAT, HIP-HOP, PSYCHEDELIA, WORLD FOLKLORE, AND MORE. WITH THE RELEASE OF 2018’S SWAGISM, GHOST-NOTE MADE THEIR MISSION CLEAR. THE ALBUM PUT RHYTHM AT THE FOREFRONT, WITH IRRESISTIBLE, HEAVY-HITTING BEATS UNDERLYING THE GROUP’S WILD, RICH MUSIC. FEATURING NUMEROUS GUEST COLLABORATORS, INCLUDING KAMASI WASHINGTON, KARL DENSON, BOBBY SPARKS, NIGEL HALL, TAZ, AND OTHERS, SWAGISM SHOWCASED THE BAND’S STUNNING ABILITY TO MELD AND AMPLIFY SOUNDS, ULTIMATELY ADDING TO GHOST-NOTE’S SHARP, COMPLEX COLLABORATIONS. THE BAND EASILY TRANSLATES THIS ADVENTUROUSNESS IN A LIVE SETTING. GHOST-NOTE’S LIVE PERFORMANCES ARE BOLD AND IN YOUR FACE, WITH THE GROUP OFFERING UP NONE OF THE TIGHT-LACED PRETENSES FREQUENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE BAND’S JAZZ ROOTS. FOCUSED ON CREATING SEDUCTIVE DANCEABLE GROOVES AND A CONTAGIOUS FEEL-GOOD ENERGY, EACH SHOW IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LET LOOSE AND CONNECT, FOR BOTH FANS AND THE MUSICIANS ALIKE. AFTER FORMING IN 2015, GHOST-NOTE HAS ALREADY TAKEN THE WORLD BY STORM. THE GROUP’S TWO STUDIO ALBUMS—2018’S SWAGISM AND 2015’S FORTIFIED—HAVE EARNED CRITICAL ACCLAIM AND POPULAR SUCCESS AROUND THE GLOBE, WITH BOTH ALBUMS HITTING THE #1 SPOT ON THE ITUNES JAZZ CHARTS. FURTHERMORE, THE EVER-GROWING FAMILY OF MUSICIANS HAS MOUNTED SUCCESSFUL HEADLINING TOURS IN THE UNITED STATES, EUROPE, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, CANADA, AND JAPAN AND PERFORMED AT HIGH-PROFILE INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVALS AND EVENTS ACROSS THE GLOBE. THEIR NEXT ALBUM WILL BE OUT IN 2024, AND THEY WILL BE TOURING TO SUPPORT THE RELEASE.
Playing Ping Pong | Andy Frasco & The UN | Dogs in a Pile
2024 Bell’s Beer Garden Summer Concert SeriesThis is a 18 and over event. Pigeons Frasco Dogs VIP Package To Include: One general admission ticket Early entry into the venue w/ merch access before doors open to the public Personal Meet & Greet + photo with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and Andy Frasco & The U.N. Access to a portion of Dogs In A Pile’s soundcheck Exclusive VIP Merch item Commemorative VIP Ticket & laminate If you ever wondered what “seizing the moment” sounds like personified, look no further than Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, the four-piece musical powerhouse known for their head-turning high-energy psychedelic funk shows. Infectious energy is an understatement. With a devout audience, affectionately known as “The Flock,” and a trail of sold-out tours behind them, the band takes a major step forward once again on their seventh full-length offering, Day In Time, set to release on April 26, 2024. Pigeons Playing Ping Pong are certainly making the most of the moment, and they might just inspire you to do the same.Andy Frasco & The U.N. have long been the high-flying DIY renegades of the touring scene known and loved for their kaleidoscopic musical fusion and one-of-a-kind onstage audacity. Now celebrating their longevity, the band is shaking things up with L’Optimist (Fun Machine Records/Soundly), as its title suggests, Frasco’s most hopeful and enthusiastic collection thus far. A testament to Frasco’s wide-ranging influences and boundless energy, his band’s sixth released studio album sees the magnetic frontman continuing to chart his path of self-exploration and personal discovery through increasingly introspective lyricism and musical adventure. Dogs in a Pile, an eclectic quintet, has emerged as the heir apparent to the town’s rich musical legacy. Merging funk, jazz, and rock and roll with psychedelia, the quintet presents a completely original vibe built on kaleidoscopic soundscapes eerily reminiscent of the days of yesteryear. The Dogs employ a unified approach to performance and songwriting, crafting aural mosaics through adept instrumentation and humble precocity. As avid storytellers, they draw inspiration from personal experiences, balancing life’s foibles with ever-present youthful sanguinity.
Here Come The Mummies
2024 Bell’s Beer Garden Summer Concert SeriesThis is a 18 and over event. Here Come the Mummies is an eight-piece funk-rock band of 5000 year-old Egyptian Mummies with a one-track mind. Their “Terrifying Funk from Beyond the Grave” is sure to get you into them (and possibly vice versa). Since their discovery, HCTM has been direct support for P-Funk, Al Green, Mavis Staples, KC and the Sunshine Band, and Cheap Trick; rocked Super Bowl Village; become a regular on The Bob and Tom Show; appeared on That’s My Jam with Jimmy Fallon; played massive festivals like Summer Fest, Summer Camp, Common Ground, Musikfest, and Suwannee Hulaween; and sold tickets by the thousands across large swaths of North America. Maybe that’s why the ladies (and some dudes) can’t stop losing their minds over these mayhem-inducing mavens of mirth. Some say they were cursed after deflowering a great Pharaoh’s daughter. Others claim they are reincarnated Grammy-Winning studio musicians. Regardless, HCTM’s mysterious personas, cunning song-craft, and unrelenting live show will bend your brain, and melt your face. Get ready! Here Come The Mummies. HCTM is: Mummy Cass – guitar, vocals Eddie Mummy- drums, vocals K.W. TuT- bass, vocals Spaz- keys, vocals The Pole!- bass Midnight Mummy- bari & tenor sax, keys, percussion, talk box, vocals Dr. Yo- saxes, vocal, tambo Highlander- tenor sax “H-POD” (High Priest of Death)- trumpet www.herecomethemummies.com www.facebook.com/herecomethemummies twitter.com/hctmummies
Mary Timony w/ youbet
This is a 18+ and over event with standing room only “As an artist, you have to keep dealing with your shit. Otherwise, you can’t keep making your art.”—Mary TimonyFor more than 30 years, singer-songwriter and guitar hero Mary Timony has cut a distinctive path through the world of independent music, most recently as vocalist and guitarist of acclaimed garage-pop power trio Ex Hex (Merge) but also as a member of seminal post-punk band Autoclave (Dischord), celebrated leader of the deeply influential Helium (Matador), multifaceted solo artist (Matador, Lookout!, Kill Rock Stars), and a co-founder of supergroup Wild Flag (Merge). Described by Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein as “Mary Shelley with a guitar” and dubbed “a trailblazer and an innovator” by [Mary’s former guitar student] Lindsey Jordan a.k.a. Snail Mail, Timony has distinguished herself as one of her generation’s most influential guitarists and songwriters. Although she has remained a cult hero and critical favorite since the early ’90s, appearing everywhere from 120 Minutes episodes to Coachella sets, Timony’s many triumphs have long been counterbalanced by crippling doubt and self-nullification.Her fifth solo album, Untame the Tiger, approaches these emotions head on. Her first solo release in 15 years is a startling document of an artist fully coming into her own power during the fourth decade of her career. It is the product of lessons learned during life-altering struggle. The mystical, acoustic-driven Untame the Tiger emerged after the dissolution of a long-term relationship and was bookended by the deaths of Timony’s father and mother. The album was recorded during a two-year period during which she was the primary caregiver for her ailing parents. “This was the hardest thing I’ve been through. Every week I had to manage a new crisis.”Untame the Tiger was produced by Mary Timony, Joe Wong (composer on Master of None, Russian Doll, The Midnight Gospel, Krapopolis, host of The Trap Set podcast), and Dennis Kane. The album was recorded over the course of two years at Studio 606, Magpie Cage, 38North, and in Mary’s basement. Additional engineering by J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines). Musicians include Chad Molter (Faraquet, Medications), David Christian (Karen O, Hospitality), and Brian Betancourt (Cass McCombs, Devendra Banhart, Hospitality). The album was mixed by Dave Fridmann (MGMT, The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev), Dennis Kane, and John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile, Waxahatchee).
