The Takes
At the intersection of rock riffs and earnest songwriting, you find The Takes, a folk-rock group hailing from Portland, Oregon. The band – composed of Sumner Rahr (guitar/vocals), Guido Rahr (guitar), and Phoebe Webb (bass) – weaves emotion and escapism through their songs, all while sticking to the roots of rock.
Bobo Thuh Breadboy Birthday Bash Tour
The Devil Said Jump
The Devil Said Jump is a queer Americana band from Chicago. Megan and Emily <3 Madeline Reddel is an Omaha, Nebraska based singer-songwriter that combines elements of alternative, folk rock, and indie music to bring a passionate sound to the Midwest. Madeline has brought her sound to cities Omaha, Lincoln, Kansas City, Brooklyn, and Montreal. Madeline has supported and performed with artists Melt, Abby Holliday, The Wildwoods, MARIS, Buffchick, Anna Justen, Olivia Ridgley, she’s green, Ada Lea, BabyJake, Steady Wells, and more. Grace Lundy is an indie folk singer from Lincoln, Nebraska.
Zashed
Adjust The Sails
Adjust the Sails is an emo band from Atlanta, GA. Fronted by Shane Hurst, Adjust The Sails is known for catchy, acoustic driven songs and heartfelt lyrics exploring death, love, and addiction. FFO: The Front Bottoms, Mom Jeans., and Modern Baseball Sunday Cruise is a Chicago-based indie/alternative rock band built on raw emotion and infectious energy. Fronted by songwriter Zoe Garcia alongside Camden Kiefer (lead guitar), Cassidy McGill (bass), and Nolan Manke (drums), the band has been quietly building something special, earning over 5 million streams since their 2020 debut Am I Pretty? Their 2024 album The Art of Losing My Reflection marked a natural evolution for the band, exploring themes of self-discovery, mental health, and the messy complexities of young adulthood with warmth and vulnerability. In 2025, they followed it up with Eat My Heart — a 5-track EP that centers queer relationships with the same emotional honesty and melodic heart that has always defined their sound. At their core, Sunday Cruise makes music for the moments that are hard to put into words. With a growing catalog and a community of listeners who keep coming back, they’re a band that only gets more interesting with time. Follow along at @sundaycruiseband. FFO: Indigo De Souza, Clarion, and Destroy Boys Bridging the gap between humor and sincerity, HummusVacuum is a tongue-in-cheek EmoPunk outfit based out of Columbus, Ohio. Mixing earnest, anthemic emo/power-pop songs with fast-paced eccentrics, HummusVacuum aims to bridge the gap between poignant punk ferocity and light-hearted sensibility in a way that feels fresh. FFO: Jeff Rosenstock, Origami Angel, and Motion City Soundtrack worlds greatest dad is an emotive indie band from Atlanta, GA. We make music that we like and we hope you like it too. FFO: Tigers Jaw, Microwave, and Pool Kids Proving with every show that pop punk is alive and well is Connecticut band, Cinema Stare. The four piece powerhouse of emo and pop brings a distinct energy to their performances. In 2023, the band released their debut album, “The Things I Don’t Need”, to a heartwarming reception. After multiple US tours, the band is gearing up for a fun 2026 with a new record release, more tours, and even sillier shenanigans. FFO: Daisy Grenade, Like Roses, and Sweet Pill
Tim Kasher
Hey, you. Sponges of Experience was written over the 4-day weekend of Memorial Day, 2025. It was a challenge to myself: when I was a wee teenager, I heard Elvis Costello mention on some talk show (I’ve long forgotten which) that he could write an album over a weekend. It was an offhand remark, a throwaway line as he was promoting something or other. As I had already become a prolific writer myself, I was curious if I could pull off something of the sort.Fast forward to 35-odd years later, I decided to give it a shot. I offered myself FOUR days rather than just the two, and perhaps that’s a cheat, but since it was Memorial Day weekend I decided to allow it. As it turned out, I absolutely needed those extra two days.The other rules were simple: I just needed to write a complete composition and completed lyrics for enough songs to fill an album. At least… eight songs, though I would’ve been disappointed with just eight. I kept pushing myself to write as much as possible, as I wanted to have enough songs to be able to weed out one or two of the crappier contributions. All of the additional arrangements you hear were written and recorded after the fact, casually over the remaining year, no rush nor rules on those parameters.I have a nice little community online, a Patreon group called, “Tim Kasher’s home phone”, that I shared the weekend challenge with. They were incredibly supportive, helping keep me to task as I didn’t want to let them (nor I) down. As soon as I finished a song I went live online to perform it. ‘Receipts’, you might say.I started strong: four songs the first day and four songs the second day. Excellent, after two days I had already hit that minimum quota of eight songs! But as mentioned, I wanted more; more songs to be able to pick and choose from.The third day was rough. Unsurprisingly, I hit a wall and had to take the bulk of the day off as I simply could not muster any inspiration. I managed to eke out one more song that day. But the fourth and final day bore more fruit, including The Collapse and Don’t Hang Up, a couple of favorites. What a ride.Spurred on by many of the kind folk in the Patreon group, I decided not to cut any songs from the album and let it be released as a complete artifact of the weekend. I can’t claim to love all these songs, but I do love some of them, and certainly, all of them are endearing to me.This funny little trifle of a weekend project wound up meaning a lot to me. I love music and songwriting in a way I don’t think I’ll ever quite be able to explain, though I’m sure I’ll continue to try, and will continue to express this adoration for the rest of my days. I feel so incredibly thankful for being a songwriter, and I encourage all of you to become songwriters as well. They don’t gotta be good songs, it’s enough that they’re simply yours. With sincerity, Tim.
Slumbering Sun
Slumbering Sun – Slumbering Sun is a powerful new melodic doom entity formed by members of underground mainstays Temptress, Destroyer of Light and Monte Luna. Their resulting sound explores broader melodies and sonics than their other bands, inspired as much by Celtic folk standards as by doom in the vein of Warning, even with hints of the classic 90s heft of Soundgarden and Alice In Chains. doomgaze / post-doom / doom metal from Austin https://slumberingsun.bandcamp.com/ Insomniac – A band that exists between this world and the next. A bouncing ball on the sound and rhythm of the universe. An aural guide. Writing their songs in the frequency of the earth, the Atlanta-based quintet’s sound casts the light on the magic and strange beauty in the balance between unconsciousness and dreams. heavy psychedelic rock / doom from Atlanta https://insomniacvibes.bandcamp.com/music/ Weaving Shadows – 4 piece Existential Dread Inducing Sludge/Doom from Nebraska https://weavingshadows.bandcamp.com
EXECUTION DAY
Missing Singer
“Missing Singer” is a music project featuring two longtime members of the Omaha-based band Normandy Invasion.
Wic Whitney
Are you gay? Do you believe in god? Are you mysteriously attracted to humanoid cartoon animals? Well, Wic Whitney answered yes to two of those questions. Hi, my name’s Jadè, I’m Wic Whitney’s dying house plant. 2025 was a busy year for Wic, opening for the Nicotine Dolls on two separate cross-country tours, headlining his first tour in the summer and dropping his first full length project “Foolhardy” in the Fall. All of which went exceedingly well, or so he told me while putting the finishing touches on his grandmother’s casserole (see below). His eclectic genre-full combination of hip-hop, folk, and funk is held together by his soulful vocals and thoughtful lyricism that entices the listener to take a breath and be present in whatever feeling life is throwing their way. He’s also a sensational lay. With a heart that doctors call “too large”, Wic puts his whole foot into the unique charismatic sound he creates, and it shows in both his live performance and his online presence. Amassing hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of views and streams there’s just something about this grey eyed dandy with sleep apnea that people like. In 2026, Wic started strong with a show at Chicago’s famous Lincoln Hall and will be performing at Chicago Pride Fest before hitting the road for his headlining tour in July. As a plant, I need three things to live : sunlight, water, and feel-good music. Wic Whitney gives me exactly two of those things. If I’m not alive in the coming months may life be merciful to you and may Wic Whitney have gained another fan. Mona’s Chicken Dorito Casserole • 2 1/2 cups diced chicken • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth • 1 can cream of mushroom soup • 1 can cream of chicken soup • 1 (4oz.) can chopped green chilles • 1 lb bag Cheddar cheese, grated • 1 (8 oz) Doritos, crushed Mix all ingredients except Doritos and cheese. Cover bottom of greased 13×9 inch baking dish with 1 cup chips. Layer in order: 1/2 chicken mixture, 1/3 cheese. Top with chips and remaining cheese. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.
