Stereo Mapping, No Info, Big Step, Marcela
Big Step is the songwriting project and band of Jordan Paine. Through Big Step, Jordan uses carefully crafted lyrics to tell stories and tease out thoughts and ideas. Listeners experience all of this fully embodied thanks to the talents of Augie & Griffin (Bass and Drums). The music often sounds like a dance-y blend of singer/songwriter, alt rock and post punk with vocal harmonies added in. Also featuring Stereo Mapping, No Info, and Marcela
Sex Mex, Watermelon, Doomzday Slutz
Sex Mex is the alias of Clark Gray, a lanky and wiry dude who makes music, because it’s the only thing you can do where being a dorky weirdo is acceptable. While currently residing in San Antonio, Clark was born in the Midwest, something he attributes his ingenuity and “no fucks given” attitude to. In concept, Sex Mex is punk music from a dystopian future, but as time goes on it becomes less of a concept and more “it is what it is.” He is equal parts songwriter, musician, and audio engineer. He is also simultaneously hated by all three of those people. That’s because Sex Mex is music for people, not nerds who play guitar… Doomzday Slutz – Drug rock for slutz that fuck as hard as they hate. Watermelon – Super sour punk from Chicago.
Sleeping Trees, The Matriarch, Westhead
Sleeping Trees is alternative-folk band from Bloomington, IN. By combining elements of folk, rock, country, and improvised music, Sleeping Trees produces a eclectic sound elevated by fluid arrangements and poignant lyricism. The group is a seemingly unlikely mix of high-art players, indie rockers, and honky tonk shit kickers—an honest representation of what Bloomington, Indiana has to offer. The Matriarch is a queer, indie rock/folk pop duo based in Chicago, IL, made up of Mal Babcock and Mal Benoit- two best friends who share a name, a home, and a creative codependency that works too well.Their songs are a celebration of shared human experience and a testament to the transformative nature of art. Whether they’re writing about personal regret and climate dread (‘The End’), or the constraints of capitalism and a longing for change (‘K!’), themes of community, love, and growth remain at the heart of everything they do. Ever-evolving, heavy, and heartfelt is the music of Westhead, the project of songwriter, producer, and engineer Maxwell DiFrisco. Though Westhead is consistently cutting their teeth inside the studio, the 4-piece often brings their music to the stage with a heavier and dreamier sound. Expect to hear their lush folk music reconfigured for live audiences, with just as much heart.
Optic Sink, Current Union TM
Optic Sink are a hypnotic dance influenced postpunk band from Memphis touring on their new album “Lucky Number” out now on Feel It Records. Current Union TM – Science
Anne Helen Wells, Cyrus Chrome, violethead, Bonnie Brooks
Anne Helen Wells is a hardware electronic artist making submissive digital pop about the love of pain & the pain of love. Also featuring Cyrus Chrome, violethead, and Bonnie Brooks
Zastava, Hearthands, Mail., Cabwaylingo
Zastava – We are a music band from Detroit, MI Hearthands is a band from Chicago. The music blends elements of slowcore, shoegaze, dream pop, and 90s indie rock. Their debut EP Devotion came out September 1, 2025. Mail. – Chicago Post-Hardcore swept across the cornfields and cattails. Cabwaylingo – New guitar music project of Conor Lynch. First and probably only show for a while.
Bum Rush, Yolk, Sana All
Bum Rush is an irreverent and sonically adventurous punk trio from Chicago that always delivers when they take the stage. Like if the Minutemen leaned more into their bebop influence and used fuzz pedals. Yolk is a Madison-based alternative rock band whose sound combines memorable melodies, noisy guitars, and layered production. For fans of Wednesday, Radiohead, Dinosaur Jr., and anything else that is grungy and loud. Sana All is midwest emo-adjacent music from Chicago. With catchy guitar riffs, driving bass lines, and existential lyrics, each song is a story to get lost in.
partygirl, Truth or Consequences New Mexico, Harley Omega
If you’ve seen partygirl’s name before, the word “maximalist” is never far behind. Since bandleader Pagona Kytzidis formed the group in 2021, the kinetic six-piece has amassed a cult following for their relentless, inventive music. Whether you’re attending partygirl’s cathartic, emotional shows or discovering their new music online, you’ll find that the band is equally likely to enter a soaring chorus as they are an earthshaking breakdown. Listen past the pyrotechnics and you’ll hear the energy of scrappy upstarts with the sharp songwriting to match their brute force strength. Their debut record, I’m so charming, I forgot who I was, is the culmination of years fine-tuning and road-testing music, but it’s just the beginning for this immensely promising band. Theatrical, eccentric, and vulnerable all at once, it’s a wildly successful first effort from a band overflowing with creativity. Truth or Consequences New Mexico (TCNM) brings a signature style of overdriven alt-country (affectionately known as “crunchry”), with growling choruses, weeping slide guitar, and twinkling lead lines hanging over thundering, fuzzy rhythms. And, in case you’re wondering, they’re from Chicago. Harley Omega is an industrial project, fusing elements of metal, hip hop and techno. Harley seeks to create the soundtrack for the nightmarish dystopia we find ourselves in today.
Mellow Honey, Kay Zone, The Tracies
Embrace the psychonautic cerebrum-space pioneers, Mellow Honey! Tune out the dreary noise of the fluorine-powered mind campaign cast upon you by the elite. A glorious composition of acoustic propagation will carry you into a contemplative realm exploring the very fibers that hold together the reality of being. Join us in our exposition of human nature, the endless cycle of the work routine, and the modern day emotional anesthesia. Kay Zone – Sounds like prog rock space junk flying at 10,000mph also featuring The Tracies
Paper Hotel, First Electric, When the Wall Breaks Down
Paper Hotel is an experimental indie rock band- with themes of tension, push and pull, and vulnerability. First Electric is the solo project of singer, songwriter, and audio engineer Ellis Korblick Jay. The project’s all-genre approach to music is reflected in everything it does, whether that be writing songs, putting together a band for a live show, or curating a bill. First Electric’s songwriting process relies heavily on sample based rhythms and sequenced electronics to craft songs that feature introspective lyrics and guitar playing that ranges from riffs to sparse harmonies. However, it’s not common for these original arrangements to make it to the stage. Leaning into the intangible nature of live performance, no two live shows ever sound the same. Defined by collaboration, live shows are the project’s opportunity to work with and highlight local musicians that have left an impact on First Electric and his music. Joined by a different line up for every show, First Electric works with the strengths of a given ensemble to push his songs into uncharted sonic territories. The project also aims to build bridges between the many music scenes in Chicago by putting together bills with artists of all sounds and styles. When the Wall Breaks Down – Spontaneous, shapeshifting, ever-evolving improvised music from Chicago.