Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, Yoko Homo, Goose Harrington
Aesthetically, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat hates to tread water. At the same time, the Baltimore-based two-piece of vocalist Ed Schrader and bassist Devlin Rice won’t force their songs to fit a preconceived style. “The next album’s always gotta be different from the last one. We’re different people from record to record. So, writing authentically to ourselves will always bring our work to a place that we haven’t been to yet,” Rice said. Schrader added, “We’re terrified of turning into AC/DC. We never want to be married to one scene or time or sound. We want to be the Boba Fett of bands! Constantly altering the way in which we make records has been pretty key in that process.”For Orchestra Hits, the band’s latest, that alteration was welcoming longtime musical comrade Dylan Going into the fold as a co-writer and co-producer. A songwriter in his own right, a guitar sideman for ESMB on their last two tours, and a collaborate with Rice in the noise riffage band Mandate, Going had both a unique vision and an intimate familiarity with the ESMB vibe.Goose Harrington is experimental electronic party music summoned from the sky to terrorize your local park. Honk. Yoko Homo is Cathartic Dancefloor Angst
Model Living, Home Entertainment, Torch the Hive
Model Living are a Chicago-based post-punk quartet formed in spring 2023. Their angular songwriting & urgent-yet-poetic lyricism seek to capture life in Your City (USA) & the ever-encroaching doom surrounding them. Guitarist Jay Martinez, drummer Nico Ciani, & bassist Matt Ciani create a hazy backdrop of repetition & tension for vocalist Geoff Daniels’ frantic depictions of a city ravaged by displacement, restaurant groups, & Exponential Growth. Torch the Hive is a spawn of antifacist pro mental riffy punk that punches you in the throat Also featuring Home Entertainment
96 Cougar, Jim the Kid, Beach Trash
96 Cougar plays a deep-fried blend of punk rock with heavy alt-country and psych influences, kind of like if Ween grew up covering the Minutemen. Their new album “Forklift Rodeo” comes out on cassette on March 7, 2025, via Already Dead Tapes and Records. Jim The Kid is a recording artist based in Chicago, whose unique brand of synthesizer and guitar fueled rock-‘n’-roll sounds familiar yet hard to place. With a large catalog of songs both loud and quiet, hard-hitting and sensitive, dancey yet contemplative, Jim The Kid thrives in experimentation and self-exploration. Joined on stage by The Painkillers, his live show is one that’s filled with dancing and high-energy performances played from the heart to give the audience a night they won’t forget. Jim The Kid & The Painkillers are Jimmy Clarke on guitar and vocals, Victor Kamhazi on guitar, synthesizers and backup vocals, Tommy Nelson on bass, and Ranan Vales on drums. From deep within the Okefenokee swamp arrives Jacksonville Florida’s most sinister crime syndicate: Beach Trash is a progressive metal wrecking crew, armed and dangerous packing riffs, cheap beer, and just a little bit of LSD. Loud, sweaty, and unapologetically wild, they’re here to melt faces and crash on the couch.
Creature Fight, Quinine, Blous3, Universal Automation
Creature Fight is a Chicago post rock band who describes themselves as good music for moody people Quinine is a rock band from Sacramento formed in 2023. Taking an influence from early diy 90s alternative, the band has created a nostalgic sound that has a chaotic twistThey’re debut LP is being released in conjuction with the tour on Julias War and Cherub Dream records Blous3 is a Sacramento noise rock art-punk whatever band. Formed in 2021, Blous3 is chaotic and jagged in the best way. UNIVERSAL AUTOMATION is a DIY supergroup made up of the best songwriters in Chicago. Unofficially backed by the Teamsters, they only accept gigs at premier events where the drinks are flowing and the vibes are immaculate. Dependent on said vibes, they seamlessly drift between genres to deliver a once in a lifetime performance.
Calico Plaid, Girl Cologne, Shotgun Funeral, Carnivore Mommy
Camille is from a border town in Texas, Nic is a Chicago local – together they make inanely melodic alt rock as Calico Plaid, littered with as many guitar solos as possible. The rest of the group is made up of 3 power houses who all front their own projects and bands in the Chicago scene. We like to mosh and get weird! Girl Cologne is an alt/punk rock group from Cleveland, Ohio.Their sound and lyricism expertly capture the feeling of nostalgia associated with the singer/songwriter genre and the cinematic, head banging musical nature of classic punk and grunge bands. Not only do they bring it musically, the group advocates for LGBTQ+ rights as most of its members identify as queer. They also spread awareness about chronic illness as the band’s lead vocalist has POTS. SHOTGUN FUNERAL is a queer 3 piece alternative, emo, punk band from Chicago with post-hardcore elements. Three writers/vocalists, two guitarists, one bassist (and a slew of rotating drummers) who experiment and ultimately have fun bending genres to leave listeners feeling nostalgic for the past, yet ingrained in the present. Ever wanted the theatrics of emo and the horror of queercore to smooch a little?Maybe you’re a lil’ freak who desperately wants to be Mommy’s favorite?May we introduce to you, Chicago’s very own eerie, dancey, sick, and scream-soaked…Carnivore Mommy.
Rat Tally, Social Cinema, Liska
Rat Tally makes sad music for sad people. Or happy people. Or whoever. Whether it’s due to their years as touring musicians, gradually honed songwriting and stylistic ambitions from scrappy, garage-y roots, or some combination of all of the above, Social Cinema makes an immediate impression with seasoned beyond their years songwriting chops and a road-hardened work ethic and resolve to match. Since adopting the Social Cinema banner in 2021, the alternative/indie rock quintet has issued four EPs — 2022’s Causing Scenes and Repeat, Get Along, and Stay Numb in 2023 — and a number of singles highlighting the outfit’s multifaceted songcraft prowess, and has shared bills with the likes of Metric, Saint Motel, Slothrust, The Velveteers, Spiritual Cramp, Bad Bad Hats, Sego, THICK, PUP, The Macks, and more. With Briggite Bardot hair, psychic abilities, and enough broken hearts to inspire an entire discography, Chicago’s-own Liska has all the makings of a “pop girly,” the Gen-Z-originated internet term of endearment reserved for the most iconic of icons. Liska fans appreciate her signature, Gwen Stefani-esque pout and her impish lyrics. Both her vocal delivery and the topics she sings about are unapologetically girlish. With inspirations stemming from Charli XCX, Evanescene, Britney Spears and No Doubt, there’s a little bit of something for everyone
King Sans, Frozen Charlotte, The Metalliques
King Sans is Chicago’s Gothic Noisepunk Duo Frozen Charlotte is the newest project from Madison, WI based multimedia artist Sigra DeWeese. Blending DeWeese’s signature airy coloratura vocals with a heavy, hardcore infused production and catchy, pop sensibility, Frozen Charlotte boasts a dynamic sound for fans of Lung, Deftones and Lingua Ignota. Live show supported by the musical talents of drummer Samwise Baker, second bassist Quintin Bovre, and Keyboardist Riley Rentfro. Local cosmic act The Metalliques have a cinematic, sultry and surfy sound with lounge and spaghetti western elements that would be equally at home in a David Lynch film or 70s soft core escapade.
bloodsports, ira glass, Stalled
bloodsports is a brooklyn-based slowcore and noise rock band. Since moving to New York at the beginning of 2024, they have built up a following through their dynamic and emotive live performances, dissonant guitars and driving rhythms. ira glass is a post-hardcore band from Chicago When the Wall Breaks Down says of Stalled- “Their music has everything I love to hear in a live music context- slow, moody passages, effect-drenched guitars, intricate rhythms, and unbelievably powerful sonic explosions when you least expect them.”
Oh Geeez, Not Again, Luke Frees & The Shadowband, 5pm to Nowhere
Luke Frees writes songwriter-driven rock music and plays live with his backing group, The Shadowband. Retro-inspired guitars, soaring avant saxophones, and a tight rhythm section give the band its energetic edge, all the while prioritizing the writing and serving the song. Their newest album, Tomorrow’s Lucid Dream, is now available on all streaming platforms, and their greatest hits compilation album can be found on vinyl at lukefrees.net. Arriving from out of the woods along the shores of Lake Michigan, Oh Geeez, Not Again is here to soundtrack your expedition through the wilderness of reality. The Milwaukee indie pop quartet – Sean McGibany (vocals/guitar/banjo), Jack Gilmond (vocals/guitar), Alex Dollenmayer (drums), and Joe Ludwig (bass) – are lifelong musical adventurers and distill their sound from an eclectic blend of 2000’s pop punk, 2010’s alternative, and 90’s country.Specializing in colorful lyrics, driving organic beats, and nonstop melodic hooks, their songs are sure to get stuck in your head and make you feel like the protagonist in your own coming of age movie. Milwaukee alternative rock voyagers 5pm to Nowhere emerged in 2020 under the creative vision of singer-songwriter Jacob Webb, drawing from the grand emotional balladry of alternative icons like Jeff Buckley and Sufjan Stevens. With drummer Ben Dahms, keyboardist Noah Bayer, and guitarist Christian Lese infusing 5pm to Nowhere with new indie rock sound and energy, 5pm to Nowhere continues their sonic expedition into uncharted territories.Milwaukee alternative rock voyagers 5pm to Nowhere emerged in 2020 under the creative vision of singer-songwriter Jacob Webb, drawing from the grand emotional balladry of alternative icons like Jeff Buckley and Sufjan Stevens. With drummer Ben Dahms, keyboardist Noah Bayer, and guitarist Christian Lese infusing 5pm to Nowhere with new indie rock sound and energy, 5pm to Nowhere continues their sonic expedition into uncharted territories.
Jett Girls, Rareforms, The Laughing Hearts
The Jett Girls are a rag tag group here to wreak havoc, cause chaos, and marry their love for the absurd with high powered rock music. Rareforms makes heavy psych rock tinged with 90’s influences. A power trio bringing a high-energy show with riffs and intricacies to pull people in from the other room. The Laughing Hearts are from Chicago. Our first full length Album “TRACES” is out now. We are excited to share it with you. We have been a band since 2017, and will be forever.