LUCY (Cooper B. Handy)
Born in Cape Cod, Cooper B. Handy started releasing music as LUCY in 2009. In the years since, the Western Massachusetts based singer/producer has made a career of self-releasing music and videos, unpolished & posted in near real time. LUCY’s captivating live performance has earned him a cult following on the DIY circuit, playing shows in basements and warehouses across the country. His music is experimental and raw – at times even abrasive. His GarageBand-based production has never swayed far from the sample packs and synth sounds he started writing music with 14 years ago. Aggressively prolific, Handy has amassed an extensive catalogue that is both eccentric and earnest. His music channels a sense of creative exploration, and his lyrics pack real wisdom into unassuming one-liners.
Graham Hunt & Prize Horse
Graham Hunt can’t stop making records. Since 2019, the Madison, WI-based songwriter has been amassing a dense catalog of singular music at a pace rivaled only by the quality of the output itself. Now already on his sixth album, American Pyramid, Hunt pushed himself out of his comfort zones, eschewing the homespun, computer-oriented explorations of his previous work and instead entering Minnesota’s legendary Pachyderm Studio with an eight-piece band to try and capture a different side of his boundless creativity. The result is an album that stretches out musically and lyrically, with Hunt using his surrealist spin to dissect both the traditions of American indie rock as well as the unnerving detachment of the American experience itself. American Pyramid arrives barely a year after Hunt’s 2025 album, Timeless World Forever, the final release in a trilogy of records and a capstone on a significant part of his life. “I knew I was going to be moving from this house where the home studio is, so I gave myself the limitation of making those three albums that specific way, and then I knew I’d do something different,” he explains. “Part of me felt like I could live in that house and make an infinite amount of records there with the same process forever, but for a long time I’d also had this vision for tracking an album live with a band in a studio–I knew that’s how I wanted to make the next record even before I wrote any songs for it.” Hunt’s innate creative restlessness has always served him well but it wasn’t enough to simply record the songs with a group rather than alone: he even self-imposed limitations on the writing process itself, choosing to avoid demoing on the computer or even fleshing out the songs beyond simple iphone voice memos. “I wanted to keep it to just chords and melody and then figure out the rest with a group of people in a live room studio setting, I just hadn’t done it like that in a very long time.” And this would be no ordinary live band, instead a group of eight fellow multi-instrumentalists, each an impressive creative in their own right, all assembled to help Hunt see his vision through. “I was thinking about all the people who have played in my band in all its different iterations over the years, and I just wanted to try and get as many of them involved as possible,” he explains. “We only did two rehearsals before we went into the studio and everyone ended up swapping instruments and changing roles throughout recording. That sort of helped to recreate some of the feeling of what I do when I’m making music with the computer, but executed with a full band.” — Minneapolis’ Prize Horse make “a fuzzy, dreamy form of alt-rock that manages to be heavy and spaced-out at the same time” (Stereogum). The trio’s debut album, Under Sound, embarks their musical evolution which takes flight with ethereal, fuzz-laden tones departing from the grittier layers of their previous 2021 Welder EP.
Bayway
Exhorder
Formed in 1986, Exhorder’s journey has proven exciting, yet tumultuous. Fraught with euphoric peaks and crippling valleys throughout its existence, the band debuted that summer with the do-it-yourself demo recording, “Get Rude”. Swiftly building a strong local following in the New Orleans punk rock scene, Exhorder entered a legitimate 24 track studio in 1987 and crafted their controversial classic demo, “Slaughter In The Vatican”. However, as fate would have it, the band broke up for the first time in early 1988 due to internal struggles. A reformation ensued later that year, and Exhorder set out once again to pursue its vision. The band soon signed with Mean Machine Records, but the label dissolved before the band’s debut could be completed. Following a series of lineup shifts, a second full-length entitled “The Law”, and multiple hiatuses, the band finally relaunched itself in 2017. In the years that followed the relaunch of the band, Exhorder has toured extensively in both the United States and Europe. The reputation the band has carried as a force onstage continues to grow. With a new release in association with Nuclear Blast completed and was released in 2024, Exhorder are plotting another busy year performing worldwide.https://www.exhorder.com/ No/Más – hardcore / crust / grindcore from DC Phantom (Phantom G.D.L) is a young band from Guadalajara, Mexico, that has quickly established itself as one of the most solid and promising acts in Latin American metal. Their sound, rooted in relentless speed/thrash metal and a dark aesthetic, has allowed them to connect with international audiences and gain increasing recognition within the global scene. Intoxicated -Thrash/death metal from FL
Mike Baggetta & Eli Winter
Each show features solo sets from each artist, with special guests, throughout The South & Midwest this November. Join us for an intimate night of new songs and new sounds. _____ About Mike Baggetta: “Mike Baggetta is a player of immense subtlety across all dimensions, working with an impressive palette of tones … distilling Robert Fripp’s loopscapes with hints of John Fahey.” -The Wire, UK “…A terrific player, capable of weirdly elegant fretwork, shivery Tom Verlaine-esque tones, freeform freakouts and crunchy fuzz, shifting from one zone to another with a naturalness and ease.” -Aquarium Drunkard About Eli Winter: “Here, the Chicago-based wunderkind—an accomplished writer with storytelling bonafides beyond the guitar—merges the mythos of his native Texas with jazzy, explosive bombast, like a cowboy on DMT.” — Pitchfork “Eli Winter’s second turn as bandleader unfolds like a sky bleeding exhaust fumes, alternating pedal steel waltzes and jazz-burnt fuzz bombs. The record starts with an ecstatic riff on a Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell tune and doesn’t really let off the gas.” — NPR
Ouija Macc
Mr. Phylzzz
Formed in late 2015, mr.phylzzz (pronounced mr. flyzzz) has spent the last decade mutating, evolving, and cementing their reputation as one of the most blistering, uncompromising forces in modern noise rock. What began as a raw, multi-instrumental project has sharpened into a lean, mean, two-piece wall of sound consisting of Clinton Jacob (guitar/vocals) and Danny Sein (drums). Now anchored in the gritty musical landscape of Chicago, the duo crafts a chaotic, high-velocity sonic assault that balances punishing, heavy riffs with an undeniable knack for twisted, melodic hooks. The band’s rapid, jagged trajectory quickly caught the ear of Tom Hazelmyer, founder of the legendary underground imprint Amphetamine Reptile Records (AmRep). A badge of honor for any band pushing the boundaries of aggressive music, mr.phylzzz made their label debut on the prestigious Dope Guns ’N Fucking in the Streets Vol. 14 compilation. They followed that up with their first proper full-length album, Penitent Curtis, in 2019—a record that laid the groundwork for their signature blend of cranked amps, driving percussion, and volatile vocal delivery. When the pandemic brought the world to a standstill, the project underwent a metamorphosis. Operating in isolation, Jacob continued to write at a feverish pace. As restrictions lifted, a relocation to Chicago sparked a powerful new chemistry with the addition of drummer Danny Sein. The resulting synergy produced 2022’s Cancel Culture Club, a critically acclaimed record that showcased a tighter, more furious version of the band. The album drew well-deserved attention from noise rock royalty, featuring guest appearances from the Melvins’ King Buzzo and Kevin Rutmanis. Refusing to let off the gas, mr.phylzzz returned to the studio to track their next chapter, 2023’s Fat Chance. Captured in a rapid-fire, four-day session at Chicago’s iconic Electrical Audio, the album perfectly bottles the raw, frantic energy of their live performances. The songs are dense, blown-out, and hyper-focused, earning praise across the underground for keeping the historic flame of midwestern noise rock burning bright. While their records are masterclasses in controlled chaos, the stage is where mr.phylzzz truly becomes a monster. Renowned for their furious, tight, and unpredictable live sets, the band spent a grueling autumn tearing across North America as the main opening act for the monumental Melvins and Boris “Twins of Evil” tour. Playing to packed rooms and massive crowds night after night, the duo proved that two people can create an atmosphere just as heavy, loud, and mesmerizing as a five-piece band. Today, mr.phylzzz remains a relentless touring machine and a staple of the underground circuit, constantly writing, traveling, and pushing their gear to the absolute limit. They are modern torchbearers of heavy music—chaotic, cathartic, and entirely on their own terms.
Steel Beans
Slothrust
The Velveteers bring a visceral energy to their explosive sophomore album, A Million Knives, loaded with blistering rock anthems infused with melodic indie songwriting. With GRAMMY® Award-winning producer Dan Auerbach at the helm, the Boulder, CO trio encapsulates the raw, forceful, and profoundly heavy power of their live performances and laser-focuses a spotlight on tightly crafted songs as they carve out their own distinctive niche. Driving The Velveteers is the commanding presence of frontwoman Demi Demitro, a no-bullshit, five-foot-something spitfire with thunderous guitar riffs and soaring vocals, backed by her incendiary double drum duo. The band’s signature dual drum setup creates a thunderous foundation that propels their gritty, dynamic garage rock sound. On A Million Knives, this setup melds seamlessly with a more modern indie rock influence–the attitude of Wolf Alice, the colossal sound of Queens of the Stone Age, and the singular lyrical voice of Hole. The Velveteers have built a dedicated following through relentless touring and electrifying performances, sharing stages with renowned acts such as Smashing Pumpkins, The Black Keys, Greta Van Fleet, Guns N’ Roses, and Des Rocs. With A Million Knives, The Velveteers offer a compelling testament to their rising stardom, a rock ‘n’ roll album as beautiful as it is electrifying.
TJS
Emerging in 2024 from Bellevue Nebraska , United States, TJS blends rock, indie rock, alternative rock, dance pop, synth pop, indie pop, pop and singer songwriter into a genre-defying sound. TJS is a Boston-based artist from Nebraska who blends synth pop energy with the emotion of folk pop. His sound combines electronic textures with an intimate, storytelling approach that captures both nostalgia and modern life. A student at Berklee College of Music, TJS brings a thoughtful sense of musicianship and sincerity to his performances, creating music that resonates with authenticity and heart.