MAYFLOWERS – Night Two
with TjunioR, M4K3Sh1ft, Psydeffect and ELR4F! DJ Surreal The MC on the 1s and 1s We come out of winter every year with MAYFLOWERS… and 2025 is no different! Presented By: Obscure DiamondNice Enough EntHybrid PromotionsSelf-Made The Label and as always, in honor of our friend Desolit and all of the people who never got a chance to realize their creative dreams.
MAYFLOWERS – Night One
with OGI Kidd, Allahdamniit, ELTV, Brodie1 DJ Surreal The MC on the 1s and 1s We come out of winter every year with MAYFLOWERS… and 2025 is no different! Year 5 of this crucial series kicks off on May 8th at Reverb Lounge! presented by Obscure DiamondNice Enough EntHybrid PromotionsSelf-Made The Label and as always, in honor of our friend Desolit and all of the people who never got a chance to realize their creative dreams.
Conan
Conan’s doom is singular. Carved of granite. Yes, of course there’ve been changes since guitarist/vocalist Jon Davis founded the group in 2006, but the intention at the time toward superlative heavy – tonal extremity wrought with impressionist lyrics stripping ideas to the core where sometimes the whole line is just one word; they’ve always called it “Caveman Battle Doom” – remains at the root of everything they’ve done since. And across five studio records in the decade from 2012-2022, Conan have set the standard by which much of “heavy” anything is judged. And in comparison, most is found wanting. But for every time you’ve heard about Conan’s music being like galloping steeds or frost-covered sharp-peaked mountains, etc., imagery of largesse and violence, the truth is Conan are an exercise in frequency. It’s the low resonance that shakes your chest, the depth of the bass – now handled by David Ryley (ex-Fudge Tunnel) – the push of air from Johnny King’s kick drum, or the way the dark-fuzz distortion of Davis’ guitar is offset by shouting vocals cutting through that sometimes punishing onslaught, rarely to offer comfort so much as add viciousness to the crash, plod and pillage. In 2024, Conan sign to Heavy Psych Sounds as a recognized name and one of the foremost acts of their generation, wildly influential in their home country of the UK and well beyond; headliners in practice and theory alike. Their fifth LP, 2022’s ‘Evidence of Immortality,’ brought a dark ambience to coincide with its outright attack. With experiments in darkwave and synth adding breadth to the stated root purpose of aural force, it’s never been harder to guess where the next few years might take their sound, but whatever’s coming, Conan will make it kill. The better part of two decades later, their reliability remains unshakable. Which you want when your band is so heavy that the floor and your ribcage both start to vibrate. __ Canadian mixed-race mixed-gender duo Mares of Thrace deal in a brand of heaviness that draws as much from noise rock and hardcore as it does from the doom metal they’re commonly grouped with. The band came roaring back to life in 2022 after a considerable hiatus; while 2012’s The Pilgrimage (released on Canada’s Sonic UnyonRecords) catapulted them onto the world stage, garnering a premier on Pitchfork and praise in Decibel, Terrorizer, Metal Hammer, and countless other outlets, their currentera is fast eclipsing it. Their relentless schedule in support of 2022’s The Exile saw them tour the USA, Canada, and Europe (including a full tour with UK doom legends Conan,and stints with Bell Witch, Dopethrone, and KEN mode) and headline a showcase at new “North American Roadburn” festival Prepare the Ground.The band’s new incarnation sees vocalist and guitarist Trez (hailed as “absolutelyriveting, an unrivalled monster of a frontperson” by Exclaim! Magazine; a professional illustrator, she also creates the album, merch, and poster art) joined by Casey ondrums,a multi-instrumentalist and audio engineer whose bona fides include being tapped to replace Gene Hoglan in Zimmer’s Hole.2025 looks to be their most ambitious year yet, as they prepare to release their fourth full-length album–The Loss– on illustrious joint Toronto-Reykjavik label ArtoffactRecords (home of Kaelan Mikla and Gggolddd).
Abi Carter
With her unparalleled vocal abilities and virtuosic piano skills, Abi Carter is a standout among the next generation of artists. Abi cut her teeth as a young teen busking on the streets of California’s Coachella Valley, breaking into the public eye in 2024 with her soulful, emotion-dripping performances on American Idol. Earning praise from superstars such as Billie Eilish and Katy Perry, Carter won American Idol in what was rumored to be a landslide vote. She’s since headlined Acrisure Arena, where she played to a packed room of thousands of fans. Also inspired by Billie Eilish as well as artists like Lizzy McAlpine, Phoebe Bridgers, Renee Rapp and Manchester Orchestra, both Abi’s story and her songwriting express a battle between light and dark, having battled a life replete with tumult while never allowing her inner light to dim. Her music can be succinctly defined as a gorgeous blend of powerful, dynamic, dramatic vocals and ethereal, cinematic pop.
ZAO
Leafblower
Leafblower’s the band and Tim’s the mascot. A master leaf blower, blowing fog all over your good times, with leafblower the band as the soundtrack: four dudes in jumpsuit uniforms. Think Kraftwerk meets yard work, plus Busch Light, with noise guitars instead of synths. It’s dissonant stuff, reverb fed through tin cans and amplified. Take the roughest looking dudes in your neighborhood (shovel man from home alone but drunker, with unlimited gasoline). And there’s four of them. Those poor kids inadvertently seeing leafblower descend into their practice space are going to need major psychiatric work to undo their deep-seated fears of all things lawn associated. And that’s without even hearing the music. Leafblower is loud. It is an experience. Listening to them is like holding an industrial leaf blower, 64cc and gas powered. The ones that strap to your back. Pulling that starting rope, jumpsuit on. Unleashing fury. Fuck you, leaf-litter. You got that beast cranking and everyone walking by crosses to the other side of the street. That is leafblower. – Paul Hansen
nightlife
Dubbed “one of the most exciting bands in the alternative scene right now” by MTV, nightlife tests rock music’s boundaries by weaponizing retrofuturism, golden-era soul, and modern rock sensibilities to make a soulpunk sound that drips with groove, catharsis, and swagger. the band burst onto the alt underground in 2021 with a thesis statement in “new low,” a rose-colored, disco-tinged take on the thick, bottom-heavy post-hardcore popularized by bands like Issues, Sleep Token, and Bad Omens in the late 2010s. every song they’ve released since has sent a shockwave through the rock & r&b communities, seamlessly blending different forms of current r&b and soul into their ever-evolving sound & leading Kerrang! Magazine to call them “one of the artists shaping rock music right now.” The band has quickly built a reputation as a show-stopping live act, bringing their unique approach to tours with the likes of Rain City Drive, Outline in Color, FOXCULT, and more. powered by guitarists Julian Lofton (he/him) & Dan Macon’s (he/him) fluid basslines and drummer Isaiah Walker’s (he/him) pocket-based beats, nightlife’s rhythmic backbone meets vocalist Hansel Romero’s (they/them) dynamic style and experimental production to create music that feels alive – that scratches an itch only nightlife can.
Diva Bleach
Diva Bleach is a “sparkly pop-rock” duo consisting of bassist/vocalist Sydney Roten and Brie Ritter from Phoenix, Arizona. Wearing their hearts on their sleeves, Diva Bleach shares stories of heartbreak, loss, friendship and more through their music. Music has always been an important part of their lives, taking music lessons at the same school and then ultimately teaming up to create Diva Bleach in 2021. The band has appeared at Zona Fest on the main stage with Portugal, The Man and has played alongside bands such as The Front Bottoms, Poolkids, Twin XL, Sundressed and more. The duo has now joined the InVogue Records family and are set to tour this spring with Young Rising Sons and 44 Blonde, and will be on the Sad Summer Festival tour this summer.
HARBOUR
Since their formation in 2014, HARBOUR has gone from packing rooms in their native Cincinnati, to selling out venues across the United States. After the successful release of their 2023 album – To Chase My Dreams, Or To Just Lie Down? – the band is looking to follow it up with their fifth studio album in 2025. After a couple trips around the country supporting bands such as Bilmuri & Wilderado, they are poised for their first Full-US headlining tour. With more music & shows in the works, the band has no plans of lying down anytime soon.
Carver Jones & The American Dreamers
