The Bridge City Sinners – “Break The Chain” Tour
18+ Standing Room Only Show 17 and under admitted with a parent or guardian From the misty, pine-covered hills of the Pacific Northwest hail the Bridge City Sinners, who span the continuum from prohibition era jazz to Appalachian death folk. This traditional string band line up bends the meaning of the word genre, Playing festivals from Punk Rock Bowling, to Muddy Roots, to Oregon’s Bluegrass String Summit. They started their journey by busking on sidewalks across the country and now this supergroup of musicians find themselves on the national tour circuit. The Sinners still hold true to the DIY mentality of putting albums out on a self made record label, Flail Records. With talented musicianship and a punk as f***! live show, this is one band you don’t want to miss.
Pajamas wsg Hannah Laine
18+ Standing Room Only Show | 17 and under admitted with a parent or guardian In an era of precision-crafted playlists and algorithmic recommendations, Pajamas is a refreshing anomaly. Hailing from Ann Arbor, MI, Pajamas’ style has been described as “exploratory rock” – a good descriptor for Pajamas’ sound which contains a smorgasbord of influences from across almost the whole canon of American music tradition. This four man group is redefining the live music experience, standing on the shoulders of giants and crafting performances that are as much about the journey as the destination. The band’s rocky overall sound is nuanced, feeling almost like each song is an interesting, in-depth conversation between the band and audience. This engaging live performance style has earned Pajamas a dedicated fan base across the country affectionately known as ‘bedheads’. The band’s four members – Nicholas Orr, Graham Low, Owen Kellenberger, and Liam Gallegos – weave together a tapestry of sound that is both intricate and expansive. Songs blend seamlessly into one another, creating a sense of flow and continuity that is all too rare in modern music. Pajamas draws influence from the likes of Pink Floyd, Phish, Chick Corea, Grateful Dead, Jaco Pastorius, David Bowie, Brian Blade, Radiohead, Victor Wooten, Allman Brothers and many others. Since 2018, Pajamas has played hundreds of shows across the Midwest and beyond. From festivals like Summer Camp and to big stages like Frederik Meijer Garden Amphitheater they’ve shared the stage with nationally touring acts including Goose, Aqueous, Karina Rykman and many others.
THE SPITS
18+ Standing Room Only Show | 17 and under admitted with a parent or guardian Originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan, brothers Sean and Erin Wood formed The Spits with Lance Phelps in 1993 after realizing rock had gone limp, hated partying and just plain wasn’t fun anymore. And even though they didn’t even know how to play, the self-professed deliquents who grew up with New Orleans–style jazz and bluegrass “got cultured” and formed a band dead set on reminding the world how to have a good time. The Spits didn’t fit in with the punks or the garageheads when they landed in Seattle two years later, but carved out their own path with a series of empty open mic nights and parties under a bridge in the University District. Things started snowballing a year or two later with a good word from Mudhoney’s Steve Turner and a reputation for livewire gigs. By the late 90s/early 00s, The Spits were almost as famous for rowdy shows and outrageous costumes as they were for their acid-fried melodic rippers. Releasing five LPs over the next decade-plus, in addition to EPs and 7-inches, the gospel of The Spits spread far and wide, expanding the band’s live legend further and further while giving more fans the chance to hear their uniquely catchy songwriting and punk mayhem. And while several band members have come and gone since their formation, including Wayne Draves and Josh Kramer, The Spits have never lost their edge, never lost their live chops and most importantly, never lost that sense of beer-soaked chaos.
Superchunk
18+ Standing Room Only Show 17 and under admitted with a parent or guardian Following a series of worldwide tours celebrating the 30th anniversary of their landmark album Foolish in 2024, Superchunk’s return to the road is heralded by “Bruised Lung,” their first new song in over a year. Since releasing their first 7-inch in 1989, Superchunk have run the gamut of milestone albums: early punk rock stompers, polished mid-career masterpieces, and adventurous curveballs. “Bruised Lung” finds them as vital as ever, a scorching guitar anthem that at once recalls what has earned Superchunk their reverent following while looking forward to their future. “Bruised Lung” is elevated by Merge Records favorite Rosali on lead guitar and backing vocals. Catch Superchunk all over the country this fall.
ELECTRIC SIX with The Rock and Roll Bad Guys
Standing Room Only 18+ | 17 and under with Parent or Guardian Electric Six. The band that put out an album a year for what seemed like 666 years. The most reliable act in show business, there was simply no question that each year would bring another E6 record on Metropolis Records. Mayans based their calendar on Electric Six. Flocks of migrating birds used the new Electric Six record as a homing device. Small time criminals were sentenced to four to seven E6albums with time off for wonderful behavior. In a business so fickle, so unreliable, so difficult to navigate…the only constant was Electric Six. There was always an album a year… ….until there wasn’t. Five years has gone by since the last Electric Six offering and we’ve heard the chatter. “Electric Six just doesn’t have it anymore.” “Electric Six has really let me down.” “Gotye will have an album before Electric Six does.” As we all know…talk is cheap. And bullshit walks. And now there’s a new goddamn Electric Six record ready to go and it’s good, Jack. Real good. Behold Turquoise is here, the long awaited studio album return of Electric Six!!! Perhaps the catchiest, brightest album in their catalog, Electric Six reminds you how profoundly fun they can be, hitting you over the head with fourteen pop explosions guaranteed to burrow their way into your dance hole. The recording of Turquoise began in January of 2020, but you know, something distracted us for a couple of years shortly after starting the record. The pandemic tacked a bit of time onto the schedule of this project and Electric Six certainly felt the need to tap into the collective feelings of the time in tracks like “Panic! Panic!” and the title track “Turquoise”. The overall vibe of Turquoise ranges from the infectious pop of “Take Me To The Sugar” and “Staten Island Ass Squad”, to the heavy rock of “Child Of Hunger” and “Skywriting”, to the Springsteeny goodness of “Units of Time”. Electric Six is a band for all tastes, all times and all sizes. The pandemic slowed us all down and ripped time into shreds. It forced Electric Six to take a little time to look at itself in the mirror. And who did Electric Six see staring back? The answer? It saw Electric Six. It saw Turquoise. When a band finally makes an album this exciting, it doesn’t need to do anything else anymore anytime soon ever again. But it will…..Electric Six can never die. And we are still the band that does one album a year….if you re-define “year”. Which we do. Turquoise is Electric Six’s long awaited 15th studio album and it is available on Metropolis Records on September 8, 2023.
Canceled – Future Living (Album Release Show) wsg Shai-Li
18+ Standing Room Only Show 17 and under admitted with a parent or guardian This show has been canceled due to weather and illness we hope to have a make up date soon ! all tickets will be refunded
Tigers Jaw with OSO OSO & Snoozer
This is a 18+ event with standing room only 17 and under admitted with a parent or guardian I Won’t Care How You Remember Me, by the Scranton, Pennsylvania-based band Tigers Jaw, is an ode to living in the present. As this hectic era of distraction whirrs, ticks, swipes, and scrolls by each of us at an alarming speed, the ability to maintain a sense of priority for the human elements in our lives as well as a reflective understanding of self, remains a lost art. But here, the group has seized upon it. Tigers Jaw’s sixth album—and first for new label home Hopeless Records—finds members Ben Walsh (vocals/guitar), Brianna Collins (vocals/keyboards), Teddy Roberts (drums), and Colin Gorman (bass) at the height of their powers, fusing their collective skills with the synchronicity and energy the band honed over several years of non-stop touring. The result is a back-to-the-basement approach elevated by the unmistakable production of their longtime friend and collaborator Will Yip. The band’s most sonically ambitious and lyrically affecting album to date, I Won’t Care How You Remember Me sees a newfound freshness and creative freedom crystalizing the lush and dynamic world of Tigers Jaw.
Mustard Plug wsg The Abruptors, K-Man &the 45’s, The Write Ups
This is a 18+ and over event with standing room only Mustard Plug started out in 1991 in the punk clubs, basements, and dive bars of the Midwest, playing punk-influenced ska music before most people in the U.S. had ever heard of ska. They embraced a DIY work ethic that had been ingrained in them growing up in the 1980s hardcore punk scene, and applied it to everything they would ever do together as a band. Mustard Plug self-released their first cassette tape, 1992’s Skapocalypse Now!, and played constantly to earn enough money to record their first album, 1994’s Big Daddy Multitude, which was released on legendary NYC label Moon Records. With their newfound national distribution and exposure, the band climbed into their van and performed their music for new fans across North America.For their next album they enlisted their heroes, the Descendents’ Bill Stevenson and Stephan Egerton, to record their breakthrough ska-punk classic Evildoers Beware at The Blasting Room. After meeting the crew from Hopeless Records in the beer line at a Descendents show at the Whisky-A-Go-Go, the band teamed up with the then-fledgling LA punk label to release the album to an eager and rapidly expanding fanbase. Released in 1997, Evildoers Beware solidified the band’s own take on the genre, combining the edginess of punk and the danceability of ska with sure fire melodic pop hooks. Through relentless touring and word of mouth, Evildoers Beware sold over 150,000 copies and solidified the band’s position within the burgeoning third wave ska scene. The band even flirted with commercial radio play with their cover of The Verve Pipe’s “The Freshman,” but decided mainstream pop fame was not for them. They never shot a video or commercially released the song despite the radio buzz.During the first decade of the new millennium, as the media’s focus on ska waned, the band returned to the ska underground, touring constantly and taking their explosive live show further afield to Europe, Brazil, and Japan. While many of their 90’s ska peers went on hiatus or moved from the genre, Mustard Plug doubled down, organizing the hugely successful Ska Is Dead tours from 2004-2009. In 2007 the band returned to The Blasting Room and released their darkest and most critically acclaimed record, In Black and White. The 2010s brought more touring and playing higher profile festivals including Riotfest, Back to the Beach, Amnesia Rockfest, The FEST, Pouzza, Groezrock, and more.In March 2020, while touring Australia, Mustard Plug watched as the live music industry began to collapse in front of their eyes. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread, the band was forced to take a 16-month hiatus. Stuck at home, they workshopped songs for a new album.The band returned to The Blasting Room recording studio in January 2023 with their longtime producer, Bill Stevenson. Teaming up with ska label Bad Time Records, they released the new album on September 8, 2023. Where Did All My Friends Go is a return to form for Mustard Plug, with melodic dance floor bangers and darker lyrical themes inspired by the pandemic and the unraveling of modern society. The album is sure to please both older fans from the 90s and the new generation of ska fans who have been building the genre’s momentum in recent years.The band is currently doing what they do best: touring in support of the new album. They will be playing around the U.S. throughout the next year, continuing their 32-year run and adding to their career tally of over 1,900 shows.
Future Living w/ Moon Orchids, Tambourina
18+ Event standing room only Future Living hails from Kalamazoo and Chicago, hugging Lake Michigan with all their might. This syrupy space rock is the work of Anne and Chafe Hensley, Neal Markowski, and John Patterson. Their first record, Solutions-Based Entertainments, was released in 2021.
PUP w/ Snotty Nose Rez Kids
2023 Bell’s Beer Garden Series21+ EventStanding Room Only Every PUP record arrives with an implied “contents under pressure” warning; the tension between the band’s instinct for the melodic and its gift for chaos propels the songs forward while making them also seem close to flying apart in a horrifying spray of tears and gore. To listen to PUP enough is to spend parts of every day mentally echoing some hilariously self-lacerating, utterly undeniable choruses; you will find yourself thinking “this is the mosh part” at moments when you would otherwise be tearing yourself apart. All that tension is always just barely held in place by the band’s craft. It couldn’t be anything but uneasy, but THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND is the sound of a band that is not just comfortable with but in command of that chaos. PUP is not really that kind of band, though, and THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND is not that kind of record. It is still very much a PUP album, but relocating from the literal basement where they wrote Morbid Stuff to the janky manse in which they put together its follow-up afforded the band space to grow, and to make not just the next PUP record but the most PUP record. There is no faking that, which of course makes it all much harder to do. In the best PUP songs, the whole process is not just visible but thrilling—the anguish and doubt that drives the songs is nurtured, over a few loud minutes, into something first legible and then somehow empowering. There are a lot of these songs on THE UNRAVELING. The alternately plaintive and anthemic “Matilda” is a classic galloping PUP shout-along recrimination-fest that sounds bigger than previous entries in this robust subgenre without losing any of the signature acid. “Waiting” is pure paint-stripping heat, topped by some legitimately towering choruses. “Robot Writes A Love Song” dissolves into a wash of nervous synthesizer before becoming what is surely the most emotional song ever written from the perspective of a computer being overwhelmed unto death by actual human emotions. THE UNRAVELING is not a departure from what got PUP here, really; for all the new breadth, this is still very much the fourth album by the band that has spun songs about The Bad Decisions Lifestyle into scrappy art. The hooks are as bright and barbed as always; the poison threaded through every song is no less potent. But a fourth album should be different from the first, or even the third, and THE UNRAVELING is. THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND is that next step—not towards perfection, or even towards some more perfect version of writing songs about fucking up, but just in the direction of its choice. It’s a product of this endless awful broader moment, but also very much a step forward into that uncertainty. “The whole album process really brought us closer together, even as things unraveled,” Babcock says. “It’s hands down my favorite PUP record, and I don’t think it could’ve been made under any other circumstances.” It’s the sound of a band learning how to share the mansion with the bats.
