Name: First Friday Karaoke!
Start: 2026-12-04T20:30:00
End: 2025-07-21T23:00-05:00
Location: The Pinhook

Like moonlight bouncing through the leaves of an old oak, the newest piece in The Sonder Bombs ever transforming portfolio shimmers through the fog to reveal a new era for the band. In making peace with mortality, “The Star” reflects and embraces the power of losing control.&nbsp;&nbsp;Through navigating an industry built to suppress and exploit artists, songwriter/vocalist Willow Hawks croons the question, “will you see me for who I am? Not for what you bought.” Mixed by Sarah Tudzin (of Illuminati Hotties) “The Star” highlights everything we already cherish about TSB while gifting us so much more to obsess over. Self-funded &amp; self-released, The Sonder Bombs are only interested in carving their own way through the woods, straight to center stage.GAY MEATFormer Museum Mouth / Say Anything Collaborator!Karl Kuehn, the voice behind the cheeky moniker, details his solo debut, Blue Water, and how he is honoring his mother’s memory with his emo-tinged music.&nbsp;&nbsp; ROLLING STONE:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/gay-meat-karl-kuehn-interview-1235551053/">https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/gay-meat-karl-kuehn-interview-1235551053/</a>

The Sonder Bombs / Gay Meat

Po Dunk Ramblers: Bio: The Podunk Ramblers are a Bluegrass band based out of Columbia, SC playing a mix of traditional Bluegrass and modern Jamgrass. Their goal is to bring high-energy performances and fast pickin' to every show they play. Pickety Split: Pickety Split is a lively new take on traditional bluegrass. From the bluegrass standards to jamgrass-infused originals, Pickety Split is eager to bring their perspective into the acoustic music realm. Redbud: Redbud is a bluegrass band based in Boone, NC, honoring traditional bluegrass while blending in a fresh, modern style. As a group of young musicians, they create a warm, inviting sound that reflects both their deep respect for the genre’s roots and their passion for innovation.

Pickety Split / Redbud / Po Dunk Ramblers

Anjimile (ann-JIM-uh-lee) Chithambo has forged a distinctive musical path characterised by unflinching introspection and deep honesty. Emerging from Boston’s vibrant indie scene while studying at Northeastern University, Anjimile captivated audiences with earnest songwriting, delicate sonic textures, and performances that felt like prayer and celebration.&nbsp;Critical acclaim quickly followed; 2020’s Giver Taker, hailed by Rolling Stone as one of the year’s best albums, positioned him as a compelling voice exploring enduring themes of spirituality, identity, and liberation. With The King (2023), Anjimile intensified his examination of Black and trans existence amid personal and societal turbulence, reaffirming his courageous commitment to navigating discomfort as a means of liberation.You’re Free to Go is a portrait of transformation — not as a wound, but as an opening. Richly textured, this collection of songs is an honest reflection of life’s fluctuations. It holds space for contradiction and finds liberation in tenderness. As Anjimile beautifully articulates, the album embodies “breathing into the question,” acknowledging that life’s most profound moments often come without clear answers, but rather exist in the gentle tension of uncertainty and discovery. In every note, Anjimile provides space for each listener to reflect and uncover their own truths, while gently reminding us that freedom isn’t the absence of pain, but the courage to love, to ask, to keep beginning again.You’re Free to Go, picks up where The King left off, but with its hands open wide – a central question being: what happens when you let go and let love in?&nbsp;

Anjimile / Dino

Marisa Anderson channels the history of the guitar and stretches the boundaries of tradition. Her playing is fluid, emotional, and masterful, featuring compositions and improvisations that re-imagine the landscape of American music.&nbsp; The New Yorker calls Anderson ‘one of the most distinctive guitar players of her generation’, and NPR refers to her as among ‘this era’s most powerful players’. Her music has been featured in Rolling Stone, NPR, The New York Times, Pitchfork, the BBC and The Wire. Festival appearances include Big Ears, Pitchfork Midwinter, Le Guess Who and the Copenhagen Jazz Festival. Anderson is the recipient of the 2025 Spark Award for Oregon Artists presented by the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation.In addition to her solo work, Anderson is sought after as a collaborator and composer. Swallowtail, her second record in duo with drummer Jim White was released May 2024 on Thrill Jockey Records. 2024 also saw the release of the feature film score ‘ A Perfect Day For Caribou’, as well as appearances on records by Charlie Parr, Myriam Gendron and Big|Brave. In addition to multiple solo releases, past projects include 2021’s Lost Futures with guitarist William Tyler, and contributions to recordings by Matmos, Tara Jane O’Neil, Beth Ditto, Sharon Van Etten and Circuit Des Yeux, among others.Classically trained, Anderson honed her skills playing in country, jazz and circus bands. Her current work is focused on a mid-20th century archive of recorded music from the Islamic world, Southeast Asia and the Soviet Union.‘One of the best emotional mediums in the field of solo guitar, Anderson is a master of lovely melancholy.’ – Pitchfork

Marisa Anderson / Max Knouse of Califone + Joe Westerlund

🌈 ITS ALMOST PRIDE YALL !!! You know we gotta shake it up a lil bit ❤️ RUMPSHAKERZ PRIDE 🏳️‍🌈 : A dance party for the shakerz and catcherz 😅 June 13th <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/10pm/">@10pm</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/the_pinhook/">@the_pinhook</a> Music &amp; Curation by 🔥: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/dj_himbo/">@dj_himbo</a> &amp; <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/djwickednc/">@djwickednc</a> 5$ at the door all night I would stretch before this one 🤭

Rumpshakerz Pride Dance Party

Join us for a screening of two short films by local filmmakers. "For The Birds" by Mercurii Films and Three Jars Studios and "Border Lines" by Night Cat Productions are two films that may inhabit very different worlds, a quiet suburb and a seedy strip club, but both center on women confronting the gap between the lives they've built and the lives they imagine for themselves. From quiet longing to reinvention, each story explores the complicated pull toward change, autonomy and self-definition. The women are met with the question: What would it mean to fully choose themselves? Following the screenings, stay for a live Q&amp;A with the filmmakers to discuss the creative process , collaboration, and developing work within their local film community.

Movie Night - Screening "Borderlines" by Night Cat Productions and "For The Birds" by Mercurii Films and Three Jars Studi

MUELAS is a five-piece Atlanta heavy band built on dueling vocals, electric violin, low-tuned guitars, and hardcore-adjacent riffs that refuse to sit still. Their name translates to “molars” - and, by extension, “to grind” - a fitting shorthand for sets that hit like a demolition job while staying emotionally sharp and intentional. Their anti-ICE debut single “MELT” (Oct 10, 2025) earned year-end recognition - ranked #26 on Kapoorhouse’s “50 Best Atlanta Tracks of 2025” and #39 on Mainline ATL’s “Top 100 Atlanta Tracks of 2025.” MUELAS returned to the studio in December 2025 for a debut EP expected Spring 2026. Live video here: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://youtu.be/bTm3KzmEkOs?si=cMObNJVl9QUveBbR">https://youtu.be/bTm3KzmEkOs?si=cMObNJVl9QUveBbR</a>

MUELAS / Glamour World

yee haw fuck the law!&nbsp; Tuesday of every month will be QUEER LINE DANCE NIGHT.&nbsp; This night will be about all the line dances you know and the two you'll learn tonight! We'll follow the format of line dance instruction at 730 and 830&nbsp;​and then do line dance sign ups and and do three dances on and one rest song until the night is OVER :) Come sweat it OUT you queermosexuals! Sign up for our email list (at this night or queer country night) to get the dances in advance!&nbsp; Do you want to teach?&nbsp; Let us know. Donations please - $5-$10 no one turned away!&nbsp;&nbsp;Some dances may include:&nbsp;Country girl shake 3 So hot you’re hurting my feelings Walk the line Fuego High class Burn it to the ground Pieces to the puzzle High horse Texas time Askin questions The wolf My Maria&nbsp; Rattlesnake kiss Four on the floor Easy rider Cowgirls Redneck angel Honky tonk way 6s to 9sCopperhead Road&nbsp;

Queer Line Dancing Night

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/0aaTAvCeaU6aFivPk2XwnA?si=8QVR8bVuRRC9cNP-ziaadA%EF%BF%BC%EF%BF%BCReveri3">Reveri3</a>&nbsp;is ethereal alternative metal from Durham/Boone, NC.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/7dlXmKQF4peDqjv8vIAfpo?si=lFLiPy3QS5uQZ57cK7I8rA">https://open.spotify.com/artist/7dlXmKQF4peDqjv8vIAfpo?si=lFLiPy3QS5uQZ57cK7I8rA</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/7dlXmKQF4peDqjv8vIAfpo?si=lFLiPy3QS5uQZ57cK7I8rA%EF%BF%BC%EF%BF%BCAjena">Ajena</a>&nbsp;is punk-emo from Raleigh, NC.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/7dlXmKQF4peDqjv8vIAfpo?si=lFLiPy3QS5uQZ57cK7I8rA￼￼Ajena"> </a>

Reveri3/Ajena

Thanks so much for coming!  Can’t wait to have you in our space. Please ask staff their pronouns if you’re going to use them :) Parking can be wild - so come early.  You can also park in decks nearby for free on weekends.  And let us know how the show went!

DIRTY SOUTH JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION PARTY 

Mean Habit is a queer, all trans/femme, hardcore-inspired, post punk band from Carrboro, NC. Seething, palpable, raw rage meets poetic writing about highly personal experiences and their political contexts. Mean Habit screams about transphobic fetishization, intimate partner abuse’s role in patriarchy, and the reclamation of sites of dehumanization while rallying for autonomy, love, and the annihilation of capitalism.Razadan is a band from North Carolina.Guitarist/vocalist Khalil Quran met drummer Caleb Lackey in Greensboro, North Carolina in 2023. Over the next three years they played together on and off with several confused, frustrated bass players until they met Eric BrownIn January 2026, the Razadan demo was released on Bandcamp Their personal musical influences include Deafheaven, Black Midi, The Beatles, identity crises, existential dread, Mean Girls, Kik messenger, Lil Uzi Vert, Taylor Lautner, fingers heavily stained with hot cheetos that then aggressively swipe at an Android with a severely cracked screen, Waxahatchee, Wednesday, Mannequin Pussy, Perfect Pussy and Swae LeeRazadan will always be available only on BandcampUntil Bandcamp suckstooCOGS are a three-piece band from Durham, NC. They play anti-capitalist music that will make you want to dance and resist fascism. COGS stands for Cost Of Goods Sold, and more.&nbsp;In 2026, three members of NC post-punk band The Coyotes formed COGS as a new project with these objectives: Sabotage the existing machinery. Construct a new apparatus. Overcome our programming. Advance class struggle.

Mean Habit / Razadan / COGS

Welcome to the Streets, they are lined with fruit! Happy Pride to all the localFruits and fruity locals iut in these streets serving juicy ripe and fresh! A proud product of Rainy Daie Produxtions!June 20th Doors at 10pm the fruit juices will be flowing. Presented by Rainy Daie Produxtions at Durham’s currently longest running queer space , Since 4Eva, the Pinhook Featuring DJ Fruitti Pebbles and a big bowl of the sweetest and sourest fruits once can squeeze and juice!And to really get into the melon mindset, the party is “MONOCHROMATIC fruit Realness” so serve solid colors inspired by the fruit you most enjoy, and become the fruit inside!)The seedfull stylings of Durham’s fruittiest fruitsMx. Princexx PeritwinkleS.S. ByrdieG-ClefDustin ReamsBrigitte KissNaomi DixFeaturing: Aquarian Sky and Garnett StarletHosted by the big Lemon herself Stormie Daie!Raffle and Concessions supporting the LGBTQ Center of Durham.Make your Pride, Juicy Fruity Fresh and always GAY!

STREET FRUIT Drag + Dance Party

Theft World is an album about stealing.&nbsp;&nbsp;After seven shows on tour we were at O’Briens in Boston. The show was an especially feral and violent one and when we finished our set I ran over to the merch booth. A kid in the line caught my eye, a tall lanky white kid wearing a surgical mask and a Five Nights At Freddy’s zip hoodie with the hood on. When he finally got up to the table I asked if he knew what he wanted. I could tell by his eyes he was smiling underneath the zip-up. After a brief pause he recited my social security number to me. As much as it shook me, seeing him there in front of me felt harmless, like a little kid playing a prank on you, unable to contain their excitement and watch you realize what’s happened. I asked him if he’d talk to me alone and he instantly agreed. As soon as we got outside he excitedly admitted to stealing my information. He exclaimed that he “couldn’t believe the prize” he’d won. When I pressed him about why he had targeted me, he said because I had told him to. “You hid it well,” he kept saying, “but I figured it out.” I realized pretty quickly I was talking to someone who was not in the same world as me. He told me he was convinced that we had been leaving coded messages and patterns in our music that were all part of some massive scavenger hunt, and that he had won. In my head I was grazing through all the lyrics I ever wrote, all the songs we’d ever put out, trying to understand how someone could have come to this conclusion. The more I stayed quiet the more he filled the space with words, detailing the parts of this grand narrative and puzzle that I had supposedly made. After a few minutes I stopped him. I told him I had no interest in going to the police, and didn’t expect to get any of my money back. I asked him if he would be willing to tell me the story in full as he saw it, what he thought I meant in the lyrics, what patterns he was picking up, and how he decoded all of my personal information from the music. He was extremely willing, and after we packed up that night, we met him at a 24-hour halal spot. All of us set up audio recordings on our phones beforehand, and about 45 minutes later he had told us everything. None of it made any sense. We spent the trip home from Boston listening to the recordings in the van laughing and trying to make sense of what the kid had said. The more we listened to it the more entertaining things became, and we started to see recurring themes and characters in his rambling. He said he knew certain songs were from the perspective of “The ATM Man” and some songs took place on Earth while others were placed in “The Junk Space” and “The Grocery Store Casino.” I remember feeling a sense of jealousy that I hadn’t actually concocted this whole thing. The actual themes and ideas of the music we had made paled in comparison to this one kid’s freakish interpretation of them. We got back to New York the next day, played our last show at TV Eye in Ridgewood, and the tour was over. A week later, Connor and I were at his studio starting to lay out our next album. A bunch of demos were already done and we had been feeling super confident about it. But something felt off then. All the tracks felt too safe, even boring. We had been over the moon about them in the months before the tour but now it all just felt weak. The session was massively unproductive in terms of music, but we couldn’t stop talking about the kid’s story – my scammer’s story. It dawned on me later in the night: let’s make his album. Whatever this kid thought he was hearing, let’s make that. We ended up shelving the album we had worked on in the months leading up to our headline tour and started from scratch using the recording of our conversation with the kid as our guide. Theft World is that record

Lip Critic / Flatwounds / Bejalvin

The Brass Boudoir is an all-LGBTQ+ ensemble with a penchant for jazz, funk, and pop. Fronted by the multi-talented singer, instrumentalist, and burlesque artist Franny Starlight, these musicians bring sass, brass, and a whole lotta ass to your stage.The band will be debuting their EP at this show.

Franny Starlight & The Brass Boudoir

Lowertown finally caught their breath. Over the last few years, the New York-based duo of Olivia Osby and Avsha Weinberg was teetering on the brink. From constant touring and a separation from their label to creative frustrations and an unhealthy attachment to one another, their artistic partnership and, more importantly, their friendship were on shaky ground—especially since these experiences were colored by the disorienting intensity of their late teens and early 20s. It became clear that the two had to revisit their roots. Those roots sprung in Atlanta, Georgia, in the forests, in the soon-to-be abandoned venues, in makeshift punk communities, but their roots also strengthened somewhere else entirely: on the internet. The band grew up on Tumblr fanpages, Reddit forums, digital spaces that had not yet been corporatized. They were able to observe and take part in music, anime, and film fandoms that grew stronger in these ungoverned places. So much so, that the fandoms leapt from the virtual to the physical, bringing people together to meet at concerts, coffee shops, and conventions to discuss their obsessions and connect over shared interests. During the pandemic, they watched these spaces change, become commodified, and disappear; people no longer had these physical spaces to be solely amongst friends with shared interests where communities and fandoms could strengthen. Out of this vacuum, the Ugly Duckling Union was born. Inspired by the conceptual creativity of bands like Gorillaz and the emphasis on the communal concert experience of Fugazi, Lowertown’s new album, fittingly titled Ugly Duckling Union, is the conceptual world of Dale the duckling protagonist and his companions as they attempt to band together to defeat LBH, a tyrannical media corporation set on separating and isolating in their pursuit of control. Through the band’s online connection with fans, their Discord server with channels for their community to share their own art and talk to the band, and their Instagram and Youtube pages, where they have built a cult following, they have already begun to bridge the gap between the digital and physical. Lowertown shows are often giddily attended by those who have met through their web of online fandom. Ugly Duckling Union, accompanied by a conceptual story, a playable Minecraft world, a handbook, plush dolls, and drawn comics by Doctor Nowhere (Silas Orion), is creating the space to be obsessed together again. The tumultuous beginnings are in the rearview mirror for Lowertown, as we hear in the first seconds of the opening track, “Mice Protection”, Osby’s composed exhale, a symbolic moment that sets the scene for their most thoughtful, uninhibited, catchy, and eccentric collection of songs. Songs like “Big Thumb” epitomize just how far Lowertown has come. In an unkempt folk-jazz murmur, Weinberg slurs his words with palpable heart, while Osby’s lush vocal melodies and harmonica encircle to haunting effect. The song was written after an hour-plus jam on 12-string guitar and harmonica, and its impressionistic lyrics came from newspaper clippings. Lowertown are perhaps best known for their affecting musings on the melancholia of youth, always captured with biting honesty. But on Ugly Duckling Union, that anguish is funneled through a more mature, detached, and humorous lens.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://lowertown.bandcamp.com/">https://lowertown.bandcamp.com/</a>

Lowertown / Truman Sinclair

Pocket Nightmare Productions invites you to Queer Icons, a local drag and burlesque show featuring some of the most iconic names in Queer History. Hosted by Dress Takill and Holly Pocket as the "Death Becomes Her" duo, we are pleased to feature:Coop de Vil HeauxAllda SmokeBoom-Boom BathoryBuxom GusherEllis DHysteria ColePenny RebelNovember RainRed Holy WatersSiren St. JupiterVanessa X. Machina

Pocket Nightmare Productions Presents: Queer Icons

Puro Perreo Pari 

Thirdfest - a benefit festival for queer youth! with support from geronimostilton (screamo) doshinthegiant (NC violence) lloyd christmas (NC mathgrind) killedinkombat (TN scenegrind) the lost view (NC skramz) lucretia (NC melodic hardcore)

THIRDFEST: Geronimostilton / Lloyd Christmas / The Lost View / Lucretia / KilledInKombat / doshinthegiant

Bug HunterBug has the very unique skill of being able to put a lifetime of experiences in a single song. There is also a very rare quality where even the most painful lyrics manage to have a silver lining or hope within their theme. Every song has a story, and every story has something profound to pull from it. Every single album and song is an entire rush of words that manage to perfectly capture so many specific emotions and moments in time. There is such a rare quality in the writing, and I’ve yet to find another artist that I can fully compare to Bug Hunter.”&nbsp;The Narcissist CookbookMudslinger/songwrecker The Narcissist Cookbook uses five-rounds-rapid storytelling and powerful songwriting as a siege weapon trained on the barker between the stage and the audience. An irreverent, unpredictable and inimitable voice in modern spoken word.

Bug Hunter / The Narcissist Cookbook

COGS are a three-piece band from Durham, NC. They play anti-capitalist music that will make you want to dance and resist fascism. COGS stands for Cost Of Goods Sold, and more.In 2026, three members of NC post-punk band The Coyotes formed COGS as a new project with these objectives: Sabotage the existing machinery. Construct a new apparatus. Overcome our programming. Advance class struggle.

COGS / Twin Films

Bellows is the bedroom recording project of songwriter and producer Oliver Kalb. The sound of Bellows is sensory and delicate, subtle and quiet, but erupts with frantic wobbling drums, large orchestral sections and bursts of noise that push the conventions of pop and folk. Started in late 2010 in a bedroom in upstate New York, Bellows has since blossomed from a solo recording experiment into a large-scale rock band, employing the help of friends to bring Kalb’s intimate home recordings to life on stage in sweeping, loud, and intense live performances. Bellows’ sonic palate has developed and grown considerably across six albums released over the last fifteen years. Bob Boilen of NPR’s All Songs Considered named Bellows’ sophomore album Blue Breath one of his favorite albums of 2014. Two tracks from Bellows’ electronic-inflected third album Fist &amp; Palm were included in Stereogum’s Best Songs of 2016 list. The Rose Gardener was given a 9.0 review in Paste Magazine and was included in the publication’s Best Overlooked Albums of 2019 list.&nbsp;Bellows’ sixth album, the mammoth double-LP “Que Bello!”, will be released in June 2026.Locals Dirty Flowers (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/dirty__flowers/">https://www.instagram.com/dirty__flowers/</a>) and Paradise Motel Lounge (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/paradise.motel.lounge/">https://www.instagram.com/paradise.motel.lounge/</a>) will support.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://bellows.bandcamp.com">bellows.bandcamp.com</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://instagram.com/bellows4l">instagram.com/bellows4l</a>

Bellows / Dirty Flowers / Paradise Motel Lounge

Magic Tuber Stringband, hailing from North Carolina, probes the undercurrents of the landscapes around them. Highly skilled players and writers, the trio are leaders within the burgeoning avant composition world utilizing folk instrumentation. Their music appears to weave in and out of the fabric of their surroundings, reflecting their time spent living across the Southeast and studying its regional folk traditions and natural histories. Having performed recently at Big Ears, Hopscotch, Sound &amp; Gravity (and many other places along the way) the group’s music resonates well beyond their regional roots. Their newest record, Heavy Water, will be out May 22 on the venerable Thrill Jockey Records. The ensemble continues to stretch the parameters of acoustic instrumental expression with masterful flourishes of dense, textural arrangements, subtle minimalist gestures and deft improvisation.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://magictuberstringband.bandcamp.com/album/heavy-water">https://magictuberstringband.bandcamp.com/album/heavy-water</a>

Magic Tuber Stringband / Alli Blois & The Seeping Hearts / Maps / Many Hands

A decade ago, three employees of JJ’s Market and Cafe became Styrofoam Winos. Lou Turner, Trevor Nikrant, and Joe Kenkel bonded over their mutual adoration for Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Leonard Cohen, and dollar bin country records. Styrofoam Winos have always gone with the flow, which makes “Any River” an apt title for their new album, the follow-up to 2024’s “Real Time.” Their playful approach is bolstered by the chops of seasoned musicians who have performed many hundreds of concerts, both together and as touring members of Ryan Davis and the Roadhouse Band, MJ Lenderman and the Wind, and as solo artists. Each song on “Any River” came out of jam sessions at Turner and Nikrant’s home studio, and a shared Google doc of lyrics soon followed. They recorded in Louisville—their first album made outside of Nashville—with Roadhouse band mate and Equipment Pointed Ankh mastermind Jim Marlowe. Marlowe’s understated production kept the band’s unique synergy on full display. Styrofoam Winos manage to strike a perfect balance between reverence and irreverence for the musical traditions they’re working within. Their knowledge of the canon is scholarly, but such knowledge is always followed by a wink. It’s the music of experienced shapeshifters, defying easy categorization while remaining instantly recognizable.Listen to “Pearls,” the lead single here: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://lnk.to/StyroWinosPearls">https://lnk.to/StyroWinosPearls</a>

Styrofoam Winos, Ex Iguana, Anne Malin

Chuck Strangers is a Brooklyn-born emcee and producer who helped define the early 2010s New York rap renaissance as a core member of the Pro Era collective. Known for dusty, sample-rich beats and a laid-back but razor-sharp flow, he first gained broader attention producing key cuts for Joey Bada$$ and the Pro Era crew before stepping into the spotlight as a solo artist. His work always balanced reverence for classic East Coast boom-bap with a personal touch that felt both nostalgic and fresh. In 2024, Chuck released his deeply personal LP, A Forsaken Lover’s Plea, on Lex Records. This project showed him trading off verses with fellow torchbearers like Joey Bada$$, Remy Banks, Erick the Architect (of Flatbush Zombies), and Obii Say, and leaning on production from trusted collaborators including The Alchemist and Animoss. He’s also been busy outside his own projects, scoring placements and features on albums by the likes of Roc Marciano, Eyedress, Pink Siifu, and even adding verses to work with Ka, tying him into some of the most intriguing currents in underground hip-hop right now. Beyond solo releases and guest verses, Chuck still embodies that Pro Era spirit in his collaborations, and he continues to push his sound forward with frequent work alongside producers and emcees who value substance over flash. He recently released a single titled BMOP produced by Evidence, which keeps that momentum alive, bridging his gritty New York roots with a broader, more introspective view of where he’s at as an artist in a crowded landscape. 2026 will see a highly anticipated follow-up to his 2024 album.

Chuck Strangers w/ Akai (solo) 

Wombo’s third album, Danger in Fives, isn’t a reintroduction; it’s a reminder. Throughout Danger in Fives, Wombo — the Louisville-bred three-piece of Sydney Chadwick (bass/vocals), Cameron Lowe (guitar), and Joel Taylor (drums) — not only enhance their formula, but routinely perfect it. The 11 tracks on Danger in Fives fine tune Wombo’s enchanting alchemy while firmly pushing the band into new territory. Maintaining the confidence of Wombo’s last full-length, 2022’s Fairy Rust, Danger in Fives reconnects with the intuition that led their wild experiments on the 2020 debut LP Blossomlooksdownuponus. Wombo’s gauzy take on post-punk — characterized by a looming darkness which Chadwick jokes is “inevitable” in their music — floats between unexpected riffs and lived-in melodies. To perfect the formula, Wombo first had to tear it apart. Standard practices of writing and workshopping material in their post-war basement rehearsal space were paused, as the band explored alternative writing processes. Even demos that took shape quickly — Danger in Fives standouts “S.T. Tilted” and “Cloud 36,” plus its opening title track — were carefully analyzed and adjusted. “We really quickly threw a lot of paint down and it was almost the picture, but we still tweaked it for a year,” Lowe says.The time spent refining ideas allowed Wombo to process and workshop as they lived and toured. Danger in Fives marks the first time the band experimented with writing while on the road, with album standout “A Dog Says” assuming its final form in a hotel room. The band’s desire to change their model was in part to “get away from a results mindset, where it’s about producing things for a certain expectation instead of doing it all for the joy of exploring,” Lowe says. This commitment toward artistic exploration led Lowe to capture as many ideas as possible, resulting in over 30 demos he then brought to Chadwick to help pare down. “There were a lot of ones where I was like, ‘This sounds really cool but it doesn’t sound like a Wombo song,’” Chadwick recalls. From those ideas, the two fleshed out basic sketches before bringing demos to Taylor in the basement. Album centerpiece “Neon Bog” emerges from this batch, a free-flowing mosaic of fortunate mistakes driven by the band’s intuition and anchored by the recurring strike of a cowbell. Soaring, distorted vocals — a result of recording Chadwick’s take to a guitar amp simulator in error — are collaged with haunting echoes, embracing a studio mistake to end with something uniquely Wombo. The experimentation across Danger in Five’s writing process comes paired with subtle shifts in Wombo’s palette: the welcome addition of digital texture, and drum machine incorporated on a handful of tracks. “I definitely had to come to terms with it, but it’s for the sake of the song,” Taylor says of the digital additions, continuing, “It’s hard to get noises like that in the studio.” Taylor wasn’t alone in departing instrumentally to achieve Wombo’s collective vision for Danger in Fives. Standout single “Neon Bog” marks the only Wombo song to not feature Chadwick on her cherished Dan Electro bass, instead featuring Lowe on a heavier Peavey Foundation (offering what Chadwick calls a “fresh, janky quality”). “We tried it on the Dan Electro,” Chadwick clarifies, “but our quick decision ended up being the one that worked best.”&nbsp;

Wombo / Shower Curtain

Dikembe formed in December 2010. In 2011, the band embarked on a winter tour with&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Blew_It!">You Blew It!</a>.&nbsp; In 2012, they signed to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiny_Engines">Tiny Engines</a>&nbsp;and released their debut studio album titled&nbsp;Broad Shoulders. Kenny Jewett left the band in 2013 and was replaced with Randy Reddell. The band went on a summer tour in 2013 with Signals Midwest.&nbsp; They released their second studio album in 2014, titled&nbsp;Mediumship.&nbsp;They released their third studio album,&nbsp;Hail Something, as a 3-piece on their newly formed Death Protector Collective label. In October 2017 Andy Anaya of You Blew It! joined Dikembe on guitar. In 2020 they signed to Skeletal Lightning and released their 4th LP,&nbsp;Muck, their first with guitarist Andy Anaya

Dikembe / Padfoot

“Making music that sounds 'new' in the world of doom is pretty tough… and yet, Slumbering Sun has done it, again.” - Invisible Oranges&nbsp;Making music that sounds 'new' in the world of doom and stoner rock is pretty tough: it comes with the territory of being a direct descendant of Black Sabbath, I theorize. Making something that's both new&nbsp;and&nbsp;excellent is even harder -- and yet,&nbsp;Slumbering Sun&nbsp;has done it, again. Only two years after their independent debut&nbsp;The Ever-living Fire&nbsp;stealthily released as one of the best records of 2023, the Austin, Texas group is back with a sophomore album that transcends the original's mix of melodic doom and grunge through sheer audacity.&nbsp;Starmony&nbsp;continues the band's tradition of merging classic doom metal with damn near everything else, but it also reinforces their incredible knack for songwriting. There isn't just one riff or one passage that stands out on&nbsp;Starmony - from the moment the opening track "Together Forever" kicks off all the way through the end of the record, the Texans' ability to take risks and stun the listeners is what's the most impressive. We're premiering that opening track now -- take a listen.

Slumbering Sun 

Queer Noise Night Vol 2 -Featuring:Slime Queen Bingo (from Slime Planet/Tampa, FL)The original Harsh Noise Cringe Clown / screamed instructions and manic meltdowns for a class of unruly DIY music fans.<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="true" autoplay="false" disablekbcontrols="false" enableiframeapi="false" endtime="0" ivloadpolicy="0" loop="false" modestbranding="false" origin="" playlist="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZLx4N6xp0G0" start="0"></iframe></div>Breakdancing Ronald Reagan (from Hollywood, CA)America’s Worst Noise Artist / the type of cringe train wreck that you can’t look away from.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://breakdancingronaldreagan.bandcamp.com/music">https://breakdancingronaldreagan.bandcamp.com/music</a>Death Envy (from Stanton, CA)The Founding Father of Cringecore / Cybergrind for real MySpace heads who know that instruments are for chumps.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://deathenvy.bandcamp.com">https://deathenvy.bandcamp.com</a>With local support from:Dumb Dog Animalistic harsh noise from North Carolina. Amplified knives, collars, and modified electronics generate fur-raising feedback walls and howls through participatory play of pulling on harness chains and kicking kennels. Don't be afraid to bark. Don't be afraid to bite. Listen to the animal inside you.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://dumbdognoise.bandcamp.com/">https://dumbdognoise.bandcamp.com/</a>SpookstinaDrone rituals under a cloak of impermanence.<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="true" autoplay="false" disablekbcontrols="false" enableiframeapi="false" endtime="0" ivloadpolicy="0" loop="false" modestbranding="false" origin="" playlist="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9UfPUCdujVk" start="0"></iframe></div>

Breakdancing Ronald Reagan (Hollywood, CA) / Spookstina / Slime Queen Bingo (Tampa, FL) / Dumb Dog / Death Envy (Stanton, CA)

Every universe begins with a singular point, a quiet corner where instinct speaks loudest, where existential imagination can stretch its limbs. For acclaimed harpist and songwriter Mikaela Davis’ new album, Graceland Way (due TK via Kill Rock Stars), that singularity was a hillside home in Chevy Chase Canyon, a spot nestled in Los Angeles County where time slowed, the world fell away, and Davis could create from a sense of warmth and deep attentiveness. The “canyon country” epic born of that care ties a neo-western future back to the lineage of Laurel Canyon, the mythos of Elvis’s Graceland, and Paul Simon’s restless reinvention—a place where Davis can explore the fragile balance of light and dark, grace and struggle, rose and thorn, as well as the mystical power found at their nexus.&nbsp;The record’s musical big bang originated at the nexus of UHF Studio, where Davis and noted guitarist John Lee Shannon, co-wrote the record and co-produced alongside longtime collaborator Dan Horne. As the album’s story of an unnamed antihero navigating life in a failing world, her harp, his guitar, and their joint melodies weave a mystic depth. That’s immediately evident from the opening track “(Looking Through) Rose Colored Glasses”, a harp glissando burst functioning like a blissful wormhole to a new universe where dark Western tones come aided by Kurt G. Johnson’s pedal steel guitar and transformative harmonies from guest vocalists Madison Cunningham and Tim Heidecker. But even in this pained origin story, Davis’ glittering, opalescent voice and evocative harp find a depth of beauty.That duality is then immediately challenged in “Nothin’s On The Radio”, where the antihero arrives in a city devoid of meaning, the dystopia of modern homogenized radio writ large. “It already feels dystopic living in a world today where radio stations are all owned by a handful of corporations, all playing the same artists. Gone are the days when the radio was a way to bring people together, to amplify the voices of freaks and weirdos from all corners of the world,” she says. “I was fortunate to grow up in the last years of the golden age of FM radio, and being able to tune into this magical world far beyond my own was a transformative experience. Hearing artists like Sheryl Crow and Vanessa Carlton coming through the car stereo is what made me want to write songs and play music in the first place.”As the album progresses and the story continues, Davis and her compatriots explore magic and mysticism on “11:11” and the haunting darkness of “Mizmoon”. Cass McCombs wrote the latter, rattling percussion and Davis’ harp low end giving way to slippery shadows of violin. “When Cass first sent over the track, it was the coolest thing I'd ever heard,” Davis says. “The music and lyrics create such an ominous mood and I could imagine how the harp would carry the song right away.” Elsewhere, Wednesday vocalist Karly Hartzman contributes to “Junk Love”, an exploration of knowingly filling an empty space with meaningless physicality. Across Graceland Way’s, Davis’ harp masterfully powers the wide variety of soundscapes, taking on an ecstatic range of emotional color. “At the end of the journey, the place you were destined for all along isn’t even a place, it’s a state of mind: Graceland Way,” Davis says. “It’s all interconnected and the universe balances itself. You need the dark to see the light, and the most beauty usually happens where the two meet.”Born in Brooklyn and living in Kingston, NY, Nic Panken has toured extensively throughout North America and Europe, performing on NPR's Tiny Desk, at Newport Folk Festival and Austin City Limits as lead singer in NYC band Spirit Family Reunion. His debut solo record&nbsp;Near Divine or Merely Rhyme&nbsp;came out in April 2026, co-produced with multi-instrumentalist Jared Samuel (Kevin Morby), and featuring guest musicians Mat Davidson (Twain) and Austin Vaughn (Cass McCombs) among others.

Mikaela Davis / Nic Panken

Back2Zero Tour is a 12-stop international showcase highlighting some of the most exciting voices in the emerging underground rap scene. Featuring a lineup of producers and artists pushing the boundaries of modern hip-hop, the tour brings together a diverse group of performers whose sounds range from experimental and sample-driven to high-energy regional styles, creating a rare multi-artist event. **Osquinn (Atlanta, GA)** is a rapper and producer known for blending experimental textures with Southern hip-hop influences. Her breakout single “i dont want that many friends in the first place” has amassed over 40 million streams on Spotify, and her constantly evolving sound has made her one of the most recognizable voices in the new underground. **Feardorian (Atlanta, GA)** is a rapper and producer whose work combines dense lyricism with sample-driven production. Originally gaining recognition as a sought-after producer, their self-titled debut established them as a standout performer in their own right, solidifying their reputation as both a visionary beatmaker and compelling lyricist. **Mental (Washington)** is a rapper and producer known for an ethereal, atmospheric approach to hip-hop. Their production and songwriting have led to collaborations with artists including Lil Uzi Vert, Ken Carson, 2slimey, and Glokk40Spaz, bringing a polished but unconventional sound to the underground scene. **Tropes (Los Angeles, CA)** is a rapper and producer known for surreal lyricism and sample-heavy production. Their music pairs hard-hitting beats with poetic writing, creating songs that feel cinematic, abstract, and deeply immersive. **Heartstopmiami (Miami, FL)** is a rapper/producer whose music blends Miami and Milwaukee production styles into a fast-paced, high-energy sound. Their honest, conversational lyrics paired with upbeat, regional-influenced beats give their music a loose, fun, and instantly recognizable feel. **Bbyazul (Virginia)** is a rapper and producer who has collage-style production and a genre-blending approach to rap. Pulling from experimental hip-hop, internet rap, and sample-based production, his work ties is a mix of the wide range of styles represented across the tour. Back2Zero is presented as a full-lineup showcase, with all artists and special guest performing in one night. osquinn: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/2QpNu8tDPv9n7oY34J1TtN￼￼feardorian">https://open.spotify.com/artist/2QpNu8tDPv9n7oY34J1TtN feardorian</a>: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/2VddwtW7ie3dDcW8WKXHdn￼￼mental">https://open.spotify.com/artist/2VddwtW7ie3dDcW8WKXHdn mental</a>: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/7rQMXIWKXSMkd7dK8LQ7a4￼￼tropes">https://open.spotify.com/artist/7rQMXIWKXSMkd7dK8LQ7a4 tropes</a>: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/0XvXIfdZ2e5I66BFC4z0AV￼￼heartstopmiami">https://open.spotify.com/artist/0XvXIfdZ2e5I66BFC4z0AV heartstopmiami</a>: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/2CDbXr9gHNcwqx5uRxYU3f￼￼bbyazul">https://open.spotify.com/artist/2CDbXr9gHNcwqx5uRxYU3f bbyazul</a>: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/2cFzFwE1iCuc27XDA9c9DW">https://open.spotify.com/artist/2cFzFwE1iCuc27XDA9c9DW</a>

Osquinn / FearDorian / Mental / Tropes / Heartstopmiami / Bbyazul

In a genre full of tall tales and marketable lies, New Orleans’ Chris Acker crafts candid songs – weaving his wit and woes into a body of work that exposes the stale plight of the American Songster to the honest, and sometimes hilarious, light of day.In the tradition of Guthrie and Prine, Chris lends a quavering voice to the half-rotten romance of the unremarkable and unrefined. Regardless if you’re sitting by a backyard fire on a muggy Louisiana night or standing stage-side in some far flung town, when you hear Chris Acker playing, you’re hearing the end result of countless hours of observing the masters of the craft…and the end result of repeating their mistakes.From the folk revival through the golden age of country music, deafened by punk shows and brass bands alike, Chris’s songwriting is a nod to the absurd yet muted brilliance that inhabits the molded corners of the bars he patrons and cratered street he treads, paired with a pained honesty that merits a long second look.Acker released his fourth full-length album, Famous Lunch, on Gar Hole Records in October of 2024. Famous Lunch contains some of his best work yet: laid back, country-rockers like “Wouldn’t Do For You (Buddy)” and “Shit Surprise” (which Paste Magazine called a “song of the year contender” in 2024), a few raucous, bar-ready joints like “Don’t You Know (Who I Think I Am)” and “Bunn Machine”, and tender, folky triumphs like “Stubborn Eyes” and “Eyelash”, all showcasing Chris’ gift of building “vivid scenes at an impressively low word count” (No Depression).&nbsp;Acker tours solo or with his band The Growing Boys — Zach Thomas (bass), Nikolai Shveitser (pedal steel), Dave Hammer (guitar, vocals), Sam Gelband (drums, vocals), and occasionally Howe Pearson (piano).<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://youtu.be/gSnKcA5G9s8?si=BDUuKDs8arMIJKzi">“Aloe Vera” (Western AF)</a>The music of Creekbed Carter Hogan (he/they) is a quiet act of defiance made at the end of your rope. It is the warm feeling of solidarity coursing through your body as you link arms with strangers. It is a hard-won laugh, brittle but brave, in the face of what hurt you the most. It is finding hope where there is none, asking questions when you’re told to stay quiet, demanding a future you believe in, and facing a world hellbent on destruction with community, enthusiasm, and joy.

Chris Acker / Creekbed Carter Hogan

Orlando’s FELICITY are redefining what pop punk and emo can sound like in&nbsp;2026: stadium sized hooks built for chaos, catharsis, and community. Breakout singles “The Weather” and “GOD MODE” have pushed the band into a new lane. Anchored by a sound that bridges the anthemic power of Foo Fighters with the irreverent edge of Sum 41, FELICITY have built traction both online and on stage. Their viral content consistently reaches millions and they have shared the stage supporting legends like Fall Out Boy, The Used, and Story of the Year, along with festival appearances at Warped Cruise, So What?! Music Fest, and more. With their new album Mixtape, Vol. 2 (Out June 16th 2026) produced by Andrew Wade (A Day To Remember, Neck Deep), FELICITY is doubling down on their biggest strength: creating songs that hit like a mosh pit but stick like an arena chorus. They are a band in motion, actively building one of the most engaged fanbases in the alternative rock resurgence and positioning themselves as one of the next breakout live acts from North America.

FELICITY / blankstate. / Weymouth

In Ensenada, Mexico, where the Pacific horizon cuts a clean, unwavering line, Holy Wave recorded their latest full-length, i’m DADA, a record that feels both expansive and newly concentrated for the subterranean pop four-piece. Stepping outside the United States was less a retreat than a shift in perspective, creating distance to recognize a new sound that had been slowly taking shape among them. i’m DADA quickly revealed its character: more propulsive, more candid, and their most structurally deliberate work to date. Working alongside experimental duo Lorelle Meets the Obsolete at their studio El Derrumbe the sessions folded community into the album, though its emotional core had already formed over months of pre-production. Half of Holy Wave is Mexican, with roots in the El Paso border region, so recording in Ensenada felt intuitive and relaxed. Joo Joo Ashworth, mixing engineer and longtime friend, also provided a pivotal presence helping crystallize the album’s rhythmic language and subtly expanding the band’s sound. The songs began reflecting conversations about fatherhood and partnership, breakups and estrangement, the queasy acceleration of AI, and what it means to remain present and principled while the world lurches unpredictably forward. This tension is not announced but absorbed into the music. Holy Wave stretches their familiar sense of woozy atmosphere into something leaner and more direct. There are more loops and samples woven throughout than before, grooves that feel constructed, cyclical, hypnotic. Some tracks drift toward dub’s elastic spaciousness; others pulse with cinematic downtempo gravity. There is a fresh sense of momentum throughout the record, rhythms that pull forward, dream-saturated textures, sheets of fuzz, and softly suspended vocals. “dewey’s dirge” unfolds patiently: hazy guitars bloom, a softened motorik pulse moving steadily beneath. The vocals remain submerged, widening rather than exploding. It feels expansive and reflective, a comedown hymn that trades drama for immersion. “i’m DADA,” by contrast, locks into a lean, circular groove. A tight drum figure, rubbery bassline, and clipped guitar phrase repeat until they begin to feel animate. Lyrically, the song circles the complicated devotion of fatherhood, written in a brief pocket of rare solitude for a parent: Always loving (Try to do what’s right) / Always learning (There’s never enough time). “<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://s33.u.in/HAL”">s33.u.in/HAL”</a> plays like a transmission caught midair, faintly mechanical, immersive without ever fully resolving, capturing the album’s central sensation: the act of trying to communicate clearly through static. If earlier Holy Wave records often felt defined by their sense of drift, i’m DADA feels newly grounded. The album doesn’t abandon immersion; it disciplines it. Grooves settle, repetitions accrue weight, and the music is composed and unshaken amongst its heavier themes. What emerges is not reinvention but a sharpening, with Holy Wave sounding less like a band drifting through atmosphere and more like one deliberately shaping it amongst the chaos.

Holy Wave

Zoh Amba's new album, ‘Eyes Full,' is an album of tough and soulful songs that feel like a pure transmission from the heart. ‘Eyes Full’ is distinctly, instinctively tied to Zoh's hometown of Kingsport, Tennessee and the rediscovery of their first instrument, the guitar. The album courses with a type of muddy, loose acoustic blues, punctuated with bursts of feedback-laden electric guitar and sweet burnishes of Appalachian folk. It's a remarkable turn for an artist who has already become one of the most exciting saxophonists to emerge from NYC’s avant-garde scene.

Zoh Amba

The Body&nbsp;is a prolific musical force whose creativity is matched only by the astonishing weight of their sound. Duo&nbsp;Lee Buford&nbsp;and&nbsp;Chip King&nbsp;have established their own musical language that reimagines how rhythm, dynamics, and sonics can shape or dismantle song structure. Over the course of two decades, the duo has consistently challenged assumptions and defied categorization, redefining what it means to be a heavy band. On their new album, The Body are again pushing limits and testing the boundaries of the studio to explore the extremes and microtonality of distortion to find its maximal impact.&nbsp;I’ve Seen All I Need To See&nbsp;is The Body at their most incisively bleak, a towering monolith of noise.I’ve Seen All I Need To See&nbsp;marks both a return and departure for The Body. In contrast to the electronic-centric instrumentation and production-heavy arrangements of previous albums and Buford’s work in&nbsp;Sightless Pit, this album is focused on their core live sound: Buford’s booming, resolute drums paired with King’s obliterated guitar and howl. Following albums with extensive guest performances and acclaimed collaborations with&nbsp;Thou, Uniform, Full of Hell, and more,&nbsp;I’ve Seen All I Need To See&nbsp;is almost entirely the core duo. Guests vocalist/pianist&nbsp;Chrissy Wolpert&nbsp;and vocalist Ben Eberle are used very sparingly. Course, bristling distortion contorts every instrument, with samples of spoken word, cymbals, toms and King’s already noxious tone emerging from layers of feedback. The myriad of tonal interplays, captured in detail, has a movement all its own. The Body, together with engineer&nbsp;Seth Manchester&nbsp;of&nbsp;Machines With Magnets, capture the complexities of distorted sound in stunning detail. The clarity and the cacophony exceed anything they’ve created before, morphing desolate, festering soundscapes into an exhilarating sonic universe.BIG|BRAVE’s preternatural instincts and depth of skill as musicians are on full display on their most naked and austere record to date,&nbsp;OST. The trio entered the studio with broader concepts and themes in mind, but no preconceived music. The overarching concept was to make a film score for a film that had yet to be created, to use minimal instrumentation, or more specifically not their standard band instruments, and to improvise within these parameters. “Although this record could stand on its own, we envisioned it being paired with moving images, which introduced a fresh and exciting way of working,” notes guitarist&nbsp;Mathieu Ball. In addition to forgoing their usual instrumentation, they notably built their own. Ball created a stringed instrument using piano strings simply called “The Instrument”. This instrument ended up becoming a central figure to the OST’s sound. Guitarist/vocalist&nbsp;Robin Wattie&nbsp;adds: “The strings Mathieu used for his instrument came from a discarded piano thatch that had been laying around in the hallway of my tattoo studio for ages.” The Instrument’s presence is felt throughout the record as a conductive element amplifying the album’s earthly, grounded nature.OST was fully written and recorded in the studio. The band was free to enter the live room and record a take with whatever instrument was at hand. Once they had a good foundation for a song, Ball, Wattie, drummer&nbsp;Tasy Hudson&nbsp;and even engineer/producer&nbsp;Seth Manchester would each build on it, layering takes, from instrumental improvisations to abstract vocals, until they felt it was a completed piece. Wattie’s voice seamlessly blends with the instrumental flourishes made from “The Instrument”, a Wurlitzer, prepared piano, synths and a very limited amount of electric guitar.&nbsp;

The Body / BIG|BRAVE / Dead Halos

It took a world-shaking breakup for Amelia Day to find her true sound — and herself. She embraces the full range of her influences with "EGO TRIP," a genre-bending EP stacked high with alt-rock guitars, pop hooks, swooning keyboards, and the sharp songwriting of a lifelong storyteller. Inspired by the sudden collapse of a college romance, "EGO TRIP" finds room for anger, liberation, and healing, with Amelia nodding not only to the folk music she discovered as a child in the Pacific Northwest, but also the electrifying empowerment of her favorite 1990s frontwomen. The result is a collection of melody-driven songs that breathe new life into classic sounds, largely written in her adopted hometown of Nashville and recorded at Bear Creek Studio in her home state of Washington. With "EGO TRIP," Amelia Day creates her own geography.

Amelia Day 

FIRST FRIDAYS we are hosting donation based KARAOKE here @ The Pinhook!&nbsp; This is a historic night and has taken shape as Emo / 90’s / Pop / Power Ballad / RnB / Punk etc Karaoke Nights.&nbsp; This time its everything goes - everything that is in good taste ie aligns with our values of creating safer spaces.&nbsp; SO COME!&nbsp; PARTY!&nbsp; SING!&nbsp; DANCE!&nbsp; We’re here and queer and ready to get weird and wild on stage.&nbsp;&nbsp;

First Friday Karaoke! 

Sweet Dream is a Greensboro NC-based psychedelic power pop fusion group, a genre designation that is best fitting of their recordings. On stage however, you never know what you’re going to get - virtuosic playing, extra jams, total improvisation, jazz standards, and sometimes even straight ahead power pop and rock n roll. Sweet Dream is the musical brainchild of guitarist, vocalist, and bandleader Julian Creech-Pritchett. On the first three studio albums, Creech-Pritchett generally plays everything, aside from listed features on various songs. Their new live album …And Tonight, We Will Have A… is available on all streaming platforms June 5th 2026. From the 2025 holiday single “Someday at Christmas” and onward however, studio recordings feature the two constant members of the live band, bassist Ramon Garcia (Jacoozy) and Pearl Drums/Meinl Cymbals, Stick &amp; Brush/Lauten Audio (and more) -endorsed percussionist Xavier Ware (Suicidal Tendencies). All things Sweet Dream: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://linktr.ee/sweetdreamband">https://linktr.ee/sweetdreamband</a>

Sweet Dream / Banff

SLOW TEETH&nbsp;formed and started writing songs in Saxapahaw, North Carolina in the summer of 2021, initially as an opportunity for Robert Chamberlain (drums, synthesizers), Justin Ellis (bass, vocals, keyboards), and Jeremy Haire (guitar, vocals) to start playing music with others following the pandemic lockdown while previous respective projects were on indefinite hiatus. As the band's chemistry and highly collaborative identity coalesced, they began playing live in March 2022, tweaking and adapting their improvised post-rock compositions into finished songs and performing them in nearly every corner of North America. They released their debut record “I” in March 2025.Self-recorded and mixed in an old house that predates the Declaration of Independence,&nbsp; “I” is a great introduction to Slow Teeth’s sound - cinematic and dynamic music made by three sets of hands and feet transfigured into a symphony of sound, with deeply introspective lyrics about familial relationships, disillusionment with our crumbling institutions, and the relentless passage of time in a world seemingly upside down. It’s not all bleak - other songs lean heavily into the band’s extensive and varied musical influences (Radiohead/The Smile, Pink Floyd, Sigur Rós, to name a few)&nbsp;and favorite sci-fi novels and films (The Lord Of The Rings, Dune, The Green Knight), searching for a spark to light the way forward. Slow Teeth is at its core three people making music they wish existed, using the catharsis of live performance as the engine for creating songs and soundscapes whose reach exceeds their grasp.Slow Teeth has supported such acts as Explosions In The Sky, Xiu Xiu, A Place To Bury Strangers, Holy Fawn, hubris., and more. Notable venues played include The Cat's Cradle (Carrboro NC), The Haw River Ballroom (Saxapahaw, NC), The Ritz (Raleigh NC), Motorco Music Hall (Durham NC), The Paramount Theatre (Goldsboro, NC), Berlin Under A (New York City), Gold-Diggers (Los Angeles), The Pearl (Vancouver BC), Pie Shop (Washington DC), The Drunken Unicorn (Atlanta), Skylark Lounge (Denver), Shrine Social Club (Boise), The Basement (Nashville), Turn! Turn! Turn! (Portland OR), Red Dwarf (Las Vegas), and Bad Bar (Seattle).&nbsp; The band has also appeared at multiple festivals, including Treefort Music Fest 2026 (Boise ID), Bull City Summit 2023, Sleepy Fest 2025, the 2022 North Carolina State Fair, the 2023 Festival For The Eno, and the 2022-2025 editions of the Carrboro Music Festival - all in their home state of North Carolina.&nbsp;&nbsp;Outside of their original compositions and visceral live shows, Slow Teeth has organized and presented various one-off community events, including a block party (The Kraken, 2022), Hopscotch Music Festival Day Parties (Longleaf Hotel, Raleigh, 2023 &amp; 2024), live, improvised scores to silent films (“Metropolis” in March 2023 &amp; "Fall Of The House of Usher" on Halloween 2024) and full-album performances to celebrate the 50th anniversaries of the landmark Pink Floyd records&nbsp; ‘Dark Side Of The Moon” (Cat’s Cradle, 2023) and “Wish You Were Here” (Motorco Music Hall, 2025) - complete with guest musicians and interactive visuals. “"For all the atmosphere that defines Slow Teeth, “I” never feels like a passive listening experience. Every track on the album is a careful exploration of sound, a push and pull between tension and release. This is music that feels organic—like the way a plant grows, slowly but surely, its roots working their way deeper into the ground, reaching for something. And as much as the album leans into its quieter, more ambient moments, there are bursts of energy that break through, giving you something tangible to hold onto before slipping back into the shadows. “I” is not an album that follows a straightforward narrative. Instead, it’s about the feeling of being in-between, of being caught between two worlds and unsure which one is real. That sense of displacement is both haunting and exhilarating, pulling you deeper into its orbit with every passing track. It’s no surprise that Slow Teeth has earned a reputation for their powerful live performances. Their ability to take this atmospheric, space-filled sound and translate it into a live setting has already become a hallmark of their identity. " -&nbsp;Beat By Vocal “Their music exists in a liminal space, somewhere between the&nbsp;raw emotion of early shoegaze pioneers, the immersive soundscapes of Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky, and the unconventional song structures of Radiohead or Godspeed You! Black Emperor. [...]&nbsp;Slow Teeth is poised to become one of the most compelling emerging bands in the post-rock and experimental indie space.” -&nbsp;Modern MysteryBandcamp:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://slowteethmusic.bandcamp.com/">https://slowteethmusic.bandcamp.com/</a>LINKTREE:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://linktr.ee/slowteeth">https://linktr.ee/slowteeth</a>INSTAGRAM:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/slow_teeth">https://www.instagram.com/slow_teeth</a> ROD SMOTH<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.rodsmoth.com/">https://www.rodsmoth.com/</a> NO ONE MIND<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.noonemind.com/">https://www.noonemind.com/</a>

Slow Teeth / Rod Smoth / No One Mind 

Lie Heavy: Lie Heavy is a band bringing together notable N.C. rockers, Karl Agell, Graham Fry, Jeff JD Dennis &amp; Cary Rowells. You may know them from some of their previous musical forays with Corrosion of Conformity, The Backsliders, Leadfoot, Confessor, and Deltoid. The Lie Heavy sound draws on the original hard 'n’ groovy jams of Black Sabbath, Mountain, Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple and other hard rock and metal masters, mixed with some punk and hardcore influences, then fused with their own massive experience to craft heavy riffs, rhythms, melodies and songs. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://lieheavy.bandcamp.com￼￼Smoke">https://lieheavy.bandcamp.com Smoke</a>: Smoke is a heavy psychedelic rock band from Lynchburg, Virginia. Dalton Huskin (vocals/guitar), Ben Gold (lead guitar), Alex Thurston (drums), and Stephen Tyree (bass) blend a heady mix of psychedelic rock, southern fuzz, and Sabbathian doom with “lyrical pearls of schizophrenic wisdom” (Frazer Jones, Desert Psychlist). The band’s debut album, Groupthink, reached number 65 on the Doom Charts Top 100 Albums of 2022. They followed it up in 2023 with a split LP with Doomsday Profit. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://thecultofsmoke.bandcamp.com￼￼Iguanahead">https://thecultofsmoke.bandcamp.com Iguanahead</a>: Since clawing their way into the Nashville scene in 2022, Iguanahead has sunk its talons into the raw essence of rock music. Constantly shedding their skin to reveal new influences and grooves, while staying true to their "unpolished" sound, the band brings introspective and exploratory themes together with melodic riffs and bone-rattling energy. The result is what Iguanahead calls Lizardcore, the title of their first self released EP. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://iguanahead.bandcamp.com￼￼Doomsday">https://iguanahead.bandcamp.com Doomsday</a> Profit: Durham, N.C. sludge metal band Doomsday Profit have built upon their foundations of gritty, groovy, and psych-splattered sludge with their self-titled album. As ever, Doomsday Profit has a finger pointed squarely at the powers that be, but they’ve also learned to turn their ire inward, and balance their vitriol with melancholic nuance. This broader approach has turned their already dynamic performances into a must-see, with a live resume that includes Hopscotch Music Festival and Seismic Summer, as well as supporting slots with established acts like Thou, The Obsessed, Black Tusk, REZN, and Restless Spirit. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://doomsdayprofit.bandcamp.com">https://doomsdayprofit.bandcamp.com</a>

Lie Heavy / Smoke /  Iguanahead / Doomsday Profit

Blanket:Shoegaze/Post Rock/Grunge band from North West UK.Hailing from Blackpool (UK), Blanket have&nbsp;steadily carved out their place in the UK&nbsp;music&nbsp;scene with their immersive blend of post-rock, shoegaze, and cinematic soundscapes.&nbsp; Following the success of their critically&nbsp;acclaimed studio albums , Modern Escapism&nbsp;(Music&nbsp;for Nations) and Ceremonia (Church Road&nbsp;Records), the band have embarked on UK&nbsp;and&nbsp;European tours alongside Better Lovers, Slow&nbsp;Crush, Intersphere and many more.&nbsp; Blanket have also been gracing the stages of&nbsp;some of the UK’s most revered festivals,&nbsp;including 2000 Trees and ArcTanGent, where&nbsp;their rich, textured soundscapes resonated&nbsp;with fans old and new.&nbsp; Now back in the studio, Blanket have turned&nbsp;their focus to their roots, embracing the lush,&nbsp;dreamlike qualities of shoegaze as they craft&nbsp;their highly anticipated fourth studio album,&nbsp;set for release later this year.The Missing Piece is shoegaze, alternative, hardcore sounds from washington, dc.&nbsp; Recently viral band The Missing Peace has gained attention for their unique emotion and live energy.&nbsp; Their debut EP, THE VOID, has reached over 4M streams since being released in August 2025Day Aches:After breaking through with their “Promo 21” EP (Over 1 million streams) and their landmark debut LP, One Last Dream Before Dying (over 3.5 million streams), Day Aches has emerged as a driving force in the rapidly growing alternative and shoegaze scene of recent years. Blending grunge fueled shoegaze with elements of hardcore and nu metal, the band has carved out a sound that feels both nostalgic, yet forward thinking.Signing with Other People Records in 2026 to release their latest single, “In Water”, Day Aches continues to be a driving force in the Nügaze landscape&nbsp; as they continue to tour ahead of their next big release later in the year.

Blanket / The Missing Peace / Day Aches

Big D and the Kids Table front man David McWane has said, "There are people who want to be in a band and then there are musicians." Once in a while a group comes along that makes music simply because they have no other choice - they are addicted musicians. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/bigdboston">https://www.facebook.com/bigdboston</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/bigdandthekidstable">https://www.instagram.com/bigdandthekidstable</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://x.com/bigdboston">https://x.com/bigdboston</a>East Los Ska Punk from sick ass foos for sick ass foos. Est. 2001 - follow us on all social media handles and streaming platforms<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/matamoska">https://www.instagram.com/matamoska</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/OfficialMatamoska/">https://www.facebook.com/OfficialMatamoska/</a>

Big D and The Kids Table / Matamoska 

Los Angeles based electronic duo Spike Hellis comprises of Cortland Gibson and Elaine "Lainey" Chang, who got their start on Halloween of 2019. They self-released their first full-length, self-titled album in April 2022 under their imprint Over-Pop. Since finishing the album, Spike Hellis has hit the road hard with zero hesitation—completing tours throughout North America, Europe and Latin America. They've performed in good company with artists and friends, including Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, ADULT., Kontravoid, Choir Boy, Portrayal of Guilt, Plack Blague, Pixel Grip, Twin Tribes and numerous others. They have made frequent appearances at festivals such as Cold Waves, Ombra, Grauzone, Sound and Fury, Substance and Sanctum. Spike Hellis will release their sophomore LP, Successor, on August 7, 2026, followed by an extensive fall tour across the US and Canada. Blasting their bleak outlook and spreading their gospel of disenchantment and sarcasm, Spike Hellis announce their arrival. Nuxx is the electro project of musician and visual artist Madeline Seely. Taking inspiration from EBM, 90's techno, big beat, drum and bass, and digital hardcore, Seely has made Nuxx into a grimy yet-dancy powerhouse. Known for her dynamic performances, Seely has taken the project on tours through the US, Europe and Mexico. Since her 2020 demo, and through her most recent releases, "FTEV" and "No Money" (both out on NYC powerhouse Synthicide Records) Nuxx shows a direct evolution both as a musician and producer. Never one to slow down, Nuxx can be found somewhere between the strobe lights as her music pumps through your system.

Spike Hellis / NUXX

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.alkcm.com/">https://www.alkcm.com/</a>

Alex Cameron

Death Lens fuse the urgency of punk with the grit and melody of Southern California rock, turning everyday struggle into cathartic, communal release. Raised in working class neighborhoods and proud of their roots, the band channels lived experience into songs that balance sharp social awareness with a sense of hope, crafting choruses meant to be shouted back from the pit. On records like 'Cold World' and 'What's Left Now?' they sharpen their sound into tightly wound, hook-filled anthems, while tracks like "Monolith" and "Drown" showcase a band unafraid to be both vulnerable and volatile. With every show and every song, Death Lens continue to build a world where outsiders belong and resilience feels electric.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.deathlensband.com/">https://www.deathlensband.com/</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;Destiny BondDestiny Bond wants to live forever. Their latest album The Love (due out October 17 via Convulse) is built on themes of survival, resistance, and the immortality of love. Not a sanitized love, but the kind that sticks around even when things fall apart.A lot of the songs deal with raw introspection, conflict, identity, and grief, but they're just as much about the larger systems we're all up against. The band sees these elements as connected. The lyrics don't offer clean answers, but they don't hold back either. It's music that remembers what's been lost, what we're fighting for, and what's worth protecting.Their debut album Be My Vengeance received praise from Pitchfork, Stereogum, and Brooklyn Vegan — notable traction for a band that came together in DIY punk and hardcore.The live shows belong to more than the band. They are loud, raw, and communal. Destiny Bond played over 100 shows in 2024, and has toured with Glare, Baroness, Gel, and more.There's aggression in the music, but it's driven by care, not just anger. For them, playing hard and being honest is a way to create space — for themselves and for anyone else who needs it.Destiny Bond is coming into their own on their sophomore album, spreading The Love in a way only they can.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://newnoisemagazine.com/reviews/album-review-destiny-bond-the-love/">https://newnoisemagazine.com/reviews/album-review-destiny-bond-the-love/</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Death Lens / Destiny Bond

Emma Jane is a singer-songwriter from Durham, North Carolina. Emma writes what she knows, creating lush indie-pop songs that are equal parts nostalgic, powerful, and sweet. She recorded her debut project at Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville, NC in 2023. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/5GyEOcMdeexgOvbgCR3TeB?si=jOwq3FgrRLW4A91HJ-fiIQ&amp;utm_medium=share&amp;utm_source=linktree&amp;nd=1&amp;dlsi=8e24ea6a33024dc2￼￼Brian">https://open.spotify.com/artist/5GyEOcMdeexgOvbgCR3TeB?si=jOwq3FgrRLW4A91HJ-fiIQ&amp;utm_medium=share&amp;utm_source=linktree&amp;nd=1&amp;dlsi=8e24ea6a33024dc2 Brian</a> K &amp; The Parkway play earnest and expressive Rock &amp; Roll that’s drawn comparisons to Tom Petty, ‘70s Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Warren Zevon, and The Replacements. Their sound blends ragged Americana grit with memorable hooks. Following the release of their debut album Killing The Bear, the band immediately hit the road, clocking more than 50 shows across 13 states + DC. The band has shared stages with Wheatus, Steve Poltz, Nicki Bluhm, and Joe Grushecky, appeared on three major market TV shows including a live performance on "Today in Nashville," and gotten radio play on more than 30 radio stations across the US and Canada. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/0lsMew5z6XiZ7aFqmqPuqJ￼￼With">https://open.spotify.com/artist/0lsMew5z6XiZ7aFqmqPuqJ With</a> a sultry, soothing voice and carefully crafted lyrics, she earns her spot in a long tradition of storytelling songwriters. Juliana has toured nationally and been featured at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and Pride festivals across the Southeast, and her music has appeared in independent films and on the hit surreal fiction podcast “Welcome To Night Vale”. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hkzFTXRInjtqDNhaBw7nH">https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hkzFTXRInjtqDNhaBw7nH</a>

Emma Jane Livingston/Brian K & The Parkway/Juliana Finch

Bayonne’s music captures the indescribable. For 10 years, the Austin, Texas-based experimental avant-pop/electronic musician, born Roger Sellers, has been creating atmospheric soundscapes brimming with layers, texture, and deep emotional resonance. On his fourth and most immersive album to date, Filters, Sellers picks up where he left us on 2023’s mournful yet pop-minded Temporary Time. With its elegantly constructed melodies, silken synth-work, a sprinkle of field recordings, and an upbeat yet blissful blend of piano and percussion, Filters finds Sellers entering a new phase of existence as he works through the grief around losing his father and into a place of acceptance.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.bayonnemusic.com/">https://www.bayonnemusic.com/</a>

The ‘Filters’ Tour: Bayonne

Hardcore punk four piece SOJI produces energetic melodies paired alongside subversive lyrics reflecting on racism, womanism, police brutality, and the growing housing crisis. Aptly named “the crown revived”, SOJI comes out the gate swinging with a radically Black, Trans and Queer-led ethos and a dedication to disrupting existing punk spaces in favor of centering more Black Queer and Trans punks. They are taking this on the road and out of Philly in October with a southern tour, it's sure to be a good rageful time. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://soji215.bandcamp.com">soji215.bandcamp.com</a>

SOJI / Survival Tactics / Mean Habit 

Queer heartache is a unique experience, and one that Hit Like a Girl knows well. Drawing influence from pop, emo, indie and even hardcore, the band channels yearning, love and loss into intimate yet catchy music that may resonate with fans of Tigers Jaw, Future Teens, or Indigo De Souza. Hit Like a Girl strives to represent trans and queer artists, and inspire them to follow their creative pursuits. In 2016 Maroulis founded No More Dysphoria, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization created with the goal of helping transgender individuals pay for major aspects of their transition. Maroulis is a masterful and prolific songwriter. In the eight years since Hit Like a Girl’s inception in 2017, Maroulis has released 4 full length records (You Make Sense (2017), What Makes Love Last (2018), Heart Racer (2021)) and one EP (Becoming (2022)). The band has performed alongside the likes of Mom Jeans, Kississippi, Origami Angel, Pool Kids, and Prince Daddy and the Hyena, and has toured with acts including John-Allison Weiss and The Iron Roses. Hit Like a Girl just released Burning at Both Ends, their most collaborative LP to date on 3/27/26 via Cryptid Records. Spotify: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/0saOG9dPAQ3PCwLLVNlgvQ￼Bandcamp">https://open.spotify.com/artist/0saOG9dPAQ3PCwLLVNlgvQ Bandcamp</a>: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://hitlikeagirl.bandcamp.com">hitlikeagirl.bandcamp.com</a>

Tenderqueer / Hit Like a Girl / Between Two Trees

Since the release of her debut album Shapeshifter in 2016, New York based songwriter Jilian Medford – better known as IAN SWEET, has worked vigorously towards reinvention with each album. From the rocking rush of Crush Crusher (2018) into the emotional depths of Show Me How You Disappear (2021), gradually rising to the surface with the sparkling pop profundity of SUCKER (2023), Medford’s singular voice has only grown stronger. As IAN SWEET prepares for an exciting new chapter in her decade-strong discography, 2026 promises to be Medford’s most realized songwriting era to date. IAN SWEET’s music has been streamed millions of times worldwide and has been praised by the likes of The FADER, KEXP, The New York Times, NPR Music, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Stereogum, and elsewhere. “One of the most thrilling and experimental voices in indie rock.” — Rolling Stone “Jilian Medford might perform under the name IAN SWEET, but the sugary hooks in her dynamic indie pop are often cut with acid.” — The New York Times “[IAN SWEET] leans into high-adrenaline hooks and poignant self-reflection with confidence and grit.” — Pitchfork<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.iansweetmusic.com/">https://www.iansweetmusic.com/</a>

IAN SWEET

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://sweepingpromises.com/">https://sweepingpromises.com/</a>Sweeping Promises was born in a disused and reverberant concrete laboratory in Cambridge, MA. Tracked with a self-devised “single-mic technique” and mixed in mono, serial band-starters Lira Mondal and CauField Schnug completed their debut, Hunger for a Way Out, just in time to enter quarantine. With only a single basement show under their belt, the band received an unexpectedly wide reception, Firstly in online punk circles, and eventually stretching beyond. In 2023, having gotten the chance to tour the USA and abroad with live drummer Spenser Gralla, the duo relocated to their new home and DIY recording compound in Lawrence, KS, and released their sophomore album, Good Living is Coming for You, on Feel It Records (US) and Sub Pop (EU/UK). The album received wide critical acclaim for its pop songwriting and idiosyncratic punk production and led to yet more touring, boosting the band’s reputation as a Fierce live act.

Sweeping Promises

Cult of Queer Movement brings you ANOTHER Queer Latin dance night--this time, with a twist: "SONIDERO CUIR" at The Pinhook! Inspired by Mexican street party culture (bailes sonideros) This party honors community and music, and centers play, friendship and flirtation! Sonideros are famous for bringing the party to life through shout-outs, creating connections with people that may not have mustered up the guts to flirt otherwise! Bring a friend, shout-out a cutie, or even your amiguis that just achieved something impressive.Each month, learn a new style of Latin dance from rotating instructors, and dance to music from big energy DJs ready to show off their impeccable taste in dance music. ¡Órale, jochis, pónganse a bailar!($5-10 sliding scale donation to support the organizers and the space for hosting us.) Expect to hear: Bachata Salsa &amp; Casino Cumbia Merengue Chachacha and More! Cult of Queer Movement is a divestment from the mainstream Latin dance community. We aim to provide a safe, inclusive space for LGBTQIA+ folks. This is a queer-centered event, no bones about it! While allies are welcome, allies are encouraged to pay on the higher end of the sliding scale to help support the queer organizers that bring you these events!&nbsp;

Sonidero Cuir: Communal Dancing feat. Salsa / Bachata / Cumbia y mas

Mellowpunk is the sonic dream for indie enthusiasts and pop lovers alike, blending unique yet accessible melodies with punky grooves to craft a truly individual sound. Their lyrics, often exploring personal trauma, heartbreak, or even favorite video games, resonate with authenticity. Fully self-produced, the trio handles everything in-house from songwriting to recording and mixing. Originally from Boulder, CO, and now based in Providence, RI, Mellowpunk has cultivated a loyal fanbase that proudly claims to be ahead of the curve. Their connection to pop culture like anime and online communities only strengthens their appeal.Khallori is a 23-year-old Carrboro based singer songwriter. Her music draws from the simultaneous comfort and pain of nostalgia, the confusion of growing up and the beauty of all relationships.

Mellowpunk / Dreamscent / Khallori

HOUSE OF BLK is a late-night celebration of soulful, high-spirited house music rooted in Black queer joy, dance floor freedom, and community connection. Curated by The Conjure, this special night at Pinhook brings together deep grooves, classic house energy, and liberating rhythms from across the diaspora.Featuring sets by Gemynii, Femi The Femme, and special guest DJ Cera Jane making their Durham debut, HOUSE OF BLK invites you to come dressed in all black and ready to move.Expect a night filled with soulful house, underground dance energy, and intentional vibes created for Black, queer, trans, and allied communities to gather, release, and celebrate together.

HOUSE OF BLK: A Night of Soulful and High Spirited House Music 

If We Could, Would We is the latest effort from Brooklyn-based duo Gracie and Rachel (Gracie Coates and Rachel Ruggles), who have become known for their innovative brand of elevated indie-pop, complete with baroque string work and piercingly spare song structures. After releasing their self-titled debut to critical acclaim in 2017, Gracie and Rachel have been seen on stages opening for Ani DiFranco, Tori Amos, Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, and others. They have performed two NPR Tiny Desk Concerts and been praised by the outlet to “mix pop and classical in stark, infectious ways and make unforgettable, surprising music.” Their 2025 single “WTF” earned praise from The Line of Best Fit who raved, “Gracie and Rachel Deliver Folk-Pop for the Future on “WTF,”’” and Rolling Stone which named it a “Song You Need To Know.” The most personal and daring album of their career thus far, If We Could, Would We asks important questions about potential regret and openness, ultimately concluding that the only way out is through. It also finds Gracie and Rachel sharing space again after coming to a crossroads in their personal and professional lives. After the release of their 2023 EP Nowhere Now Here, Gracie spent part of the next year working on solo material, a journey that eventually led her back to Rachel, who was working through the end of a long-term relationship. Even as their paths diverged, Gracie and Rachel always found their way back to each other. Once reunited, they pushed themselves to keep growing. Sonically, If We Could, Would We expands their instrumentation, with Rachel incorporating the guitar on record for the first time and adding in a diverse array of other instruments and textures across tracks. Meanwhile, as a piece of art, If We Could, Would We symbolizes the duo’s ebbs and poses the existential question many ponder; If they could go back and do it all over again, knowing what they do now, would they? Rachel says, “We may never know, but here we are. I still have hope and belief. I just want to keep telling the story.”

Gracie and Rachel / Bella Peadon

FIRST FRIDAYS we are hosting donation based KARAOKE here @ The Pinhook!&nbsp; Suggested $5-10 NTALF! This is a historic night and has taken shape as Emo / 90’s / Pop / Power Ballad / RnB / Punk etc Karaoke Nights.&nbsp; This time its everything goes - everything that is in good taste ie aligns with our values of creating safer spaces.&nbsp; SO COME!&nbsp; PARTY!&nbsp; SING!&nbsp; DANCE!&nbsp; We’re here and queer and ready to get weird and wild on stage.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Esther Rose was on a long solo drive when she started writing the opening title track of Want, her stunning fifth album. At first, the words seemed almost like a joke, something to keep herself amused as the miles passed. “I want a puppy, but I don’t want a mess. I want to know where I’m going without GPS,” she sang from behind the wheel. Soon, the idea snowballed into a list of desires that spanned existential, spiritual, and mundane; romantic to platonic to familial; at once wildly ambitious yet piercingly relatable; all set to a catchy melody that blends her pop instincts with country storytelling and the raw immediacy of a basement punk show. In other words, she was on her way to another classic Esther Rose song. This precise blend has made the Santa Fe-based artist one of her generation’s most beloved songwriters: someone whose live shows are known to conclude in mass tears and group hugs. Still, something was different this time. “For me, these songs felt like revelations,” she explains, comparing the 11-song record to a memoir, alive with kinetic storytelling and personal insight. In its newly direct and stirringly nuanced writing, you’ll hear about rock bottom encounters, shifting relationships with substances, evolving perspectives on adult partnership, and, as evidenced by those early lines in “Want,” a few jokes along the way. Vivid and bracing, Want places you in the passenger seat while each of these feelings arrive. To match the multi-dimensional tone of the writing, Rose has made the most adventurous, hardest-hitting record of her career. Working with producer Ross Farbe and recording live-to-tape in Nashville’s Bomb Shelter, she travels as far as she’s been from the stripped-down classic country of celebrated early work like 2017’s This Time Last Night and 2019’s You Made It This Far. Following the wide-open serenity of 2023’s momentous Safe to Run, she now leans toward confrontational arrangements full of distortion and full-band spontaneity, never sacrificing a classicist’s gift for melody that makes each song instantly memorable. “Making this album was the most beautiful experience of my life,” Rose explains, describing the euphoria of sharing these intimate stories among trusted collaborators like guitarist Kunal Prakash, drummer Howe Pearson, bassist Gina Leslie, and pedal steel player John James Tourville. She also enlisted friends like singer-songwriter Dean Johnson (who duets in the stunning “Scars”) and New Orleans rock band Video Age (who she co-wrote “tailspin” with) to flesh out her vision. Ranging from stark solo performances to grungy blowouts, the album maintains a steady focus while never staying too long in one place. (Like David Bowie, Rose would arrive at the studio in carefully chosen outfits to set the tone for each session, guiding her bandmates to follow the mood.)<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.estherrose.net/">https://www.estherrose.net/</a>&nbsp;Sam Gelband is starting over while trying not to leave it all behind. His debut album “That’s All” is far from his first, but it is an arrival that’s been a long time coming. A recent collaborator with The Sons of Rainier, Bella White, Dean Johnson, and Chris Acker, Gelband emerges with his own true voice, one we won’t soon forget. &nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://samgelband.bandcamp.com/">https://samgelband.bandcamp.com/</a>

Esther Rose / Sam Gelband

#BlendsWithFriends is an open decks DJ skill share event 1rst and 3rd Wednesdays at The Pinhook in Durham! Come learn to DJ, spin some tunes, play with synths and make new friends. From 8pm-midnight, people will be able to sign up for short sets. All skill levels are welcome and instruction is available. Bring records, USBs or a hard drive of music. Donations please!&nbsp; Help us keep this event alive!&nbsp;Learn more about #BlendsWithFriends: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.treeecity.com/blog/2021/12/12/how-do-you-blendswithfriends">https://www.treeecity.com/blog/2021/12/12/how-do-you-blendswithfriends</a>

Blends with Friends / Open Decks 

Saddle Up Sissies…. Welcome to Queer Country Night. EVERY FIRST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH and QUEER LINE DANCING NIGHT every THIRD TUESDAY of the month.&nbsp; These sometimes change - so sign up for our queer country night specific email list and we'll keep you posted.&nbsp; <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://app.hive.co/l/3ym1nr">https://app.hive.co/l/3ym1nr</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;All ages.&nbsp;$5-$10 sliding scale!&nbsp;&nbsp;Get the hitch out of your giddyup and sashe on over to queer country night at The Pinhook from 7-11 or 12. The only constant will be country – karoake and line dancing w/ friends ... Saddle up sissy’s and lez do this – see you here ? It is what you make it! Tell your partner(s)?&nbsp;Karaoke will start at 7pm!&nbsp; The first line dance will be VERY beginner friendly and start at 730 (ISH).&nbsp; Until the next line dance lesson @ 830 / 9 we'll do a mix of karaoke and pretty simple line dances / karaoke and THEN we'll move to 1 for one - line dance / karaoke sign up after the 2nd line dance lesson.&nbsp; Is so fun and below are some dances that come up OFTEN at the end of the night.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;SOME LINE DANCES TO LEARN (yes they're all on youtube)&nbsp;&nbsp;Country girl shake3So hot you’re hurting my feelingsWalk the lineFuegoHigh classBurn it to the groundPieces to the puzzleHigh horseTexas timeAskin questionsThe wolfMy Maria&nbsp;Rattlesnake kissFour on the floorEasy riderCowgirlsRedneck angelHonky tonk way6s to 9s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://9thstreetjournal.org/2024/04/29/a-more-inclusive-nashville-inside-durhams-queer-country-music-scene/">https://9thstreetjournal.org/2024/04/29/a-more-inclusive-nashville-inside-durhams-queer-country-music-scene/</a>&nbsp;

Queer Country Night 

Two queer best friends, who’ve partied from sundown to sunup more times than they can count, in more places than they can name, noticed something missing in the Triangle party scene.They want the music they heard in L.A., the outfits they wore in Barcelona, and the attitude they carry in NYC, all in one room, with people from everywhere.Clubs need life, and we’re bringing it. Hot.Why? Because we said so.

THE WHY PARTY 

A night of music featuring Sub Empty hailing from Raleigh NC playing some Alt Rock.

Sub Empty / Manta Ray

SCIrens: Science-Themed Drag &amp; Burlesque is more than a show, it’s a high-energy celebration of creativity, inclusivity, and science with a whole lot of rhythm. Get ready for a night where STEM meets sequins, facts meet flair, and nerdy gets downright sexy.&nbsp;Headliners are: Stormie Daie, D Luca Valentine, Dollyboy, and Harmony Valentine. The Host is Pepper Insult. Featured Performers Myth Congeniality and Nik in Drag!!

SCIrens: Science-Themed Drag & Burlesque

For 10 years, Boom Unit Brass Band has paraded their powerful sound throughout the Triangle and all across North Carolina. Their 10-piece line-up of Trumpets, Trombones, Saxophones, a Sousaphone, and Drums draws inspiration from traditional New Orleans Second Line Brass Bands as well as modern Brass, Funk, and Hip-Hop. Boom Unit Brass Band plans to head into the studio this summer to record their debut LP. Get up outta your seat and move your feet to the big sound of Boom Unit Brass Band! <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://linktr.ee/boomunitbrass￼￼We">https://linktr.ee/boomunitbrass We</a> are the No Quarter! Brass Band out of Greenville, NC. You can’t go wrong with this young, hot, and contagiously energetic 9-piece brass band playing your favorite hits from the past couple decades! <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://linktr.ee/noquarterbrassband">https://linktr.ee/noquarterbrassband</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://linktr.ee/noquarterbrassband￼"> </a>

No Quarter! Brass Band w/Boom Unit Brass Band

<h2>The Experience 4 is a multi-sensory live showcase blending music, visual art, food, and vendors into one collective moment. Designed to be felt as much as heard, this event encourages intentional style, creative energy, and full presence throughout the night.</h2>This is closing night for the RASTAA &amp; BAND OF SLIME residency , we are taking it back and honoring our first time ever performing at the Pinhook 4 years ago.&nbsp;Co headlining this show is Katie Blvd &amp; Pynk MoscatoDress code encouraged : Green &amp; Brown&nbsp;Headliner: RASTAA &amp; The Band Of SlimeLink:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://youtu.be/VcDZdwioyVU?si=LImrRt8GejlHvP8l">&nbsp;https://youtu.be/VcDZdwioyVU?si=LImrRt8GejlHvP8l</a>Co-Headliner: Katie BlvdLink:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://youtu.be/4sbCIth5vNg?si=Gqfdd487hAwRuygG">&nbsp;https://youtu.be/4sbCIth5vNg?si=Gqfdd487hAwRuygG</a>Support: Pynk Moscato&nbsp;Link:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://youtu.be/5pCZazcDBrk">&nbsp;</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/live/kQ6Trn9qRb0?si=r-Tdgi8GbLWUF1FI">https://www.youtube.com/live/kQ6Trn9qRb0?si=r-Tdgi8GbLWUF1FI</a>

THE EXPERIENCE 4: RASTAA & BAND OF SLIME w/ Katie Blvd & Pynk Moscato

King GarbageThis GRAMMY® Award-winning band has quietly impacted pop, R&amp;B, and hip-hop with production credits from The Weeknd, Travis Scott, and SZA to Jazmine Sullivan, Ellie Goulding and Billy Porter. In 2021, KG co-wrote “Sing” for Jon Batiste’s We Are. It gathered eight GRAMMY® Award nominations, and took home an award for “Album of the Year.” KG also penned “Sweeter” [feat. Terrace Martin] on Leon Bridges’ Gold-Diggers Sound, which notched a GRAMMY® nod in the category of “Best R&amp;B Album.”<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="true" autoplay="false" disablekbcontrols="false" enableiframeapi="false" endtime="0" ivloadpolicy="0" loop="false" modestbranding="false" origin="" playlist="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j19JUF8hdzw?controls=0" start="0"></iframe></div>C.Shreve the ProfessorChris Shreve is one of North Carolina's most prolific and consistent artists. His songwriting, MC ability, production skill, and performances have reached Carolina legend status over the last 10 years as he's found his own niche on the underground circuit. Collaborations with D.R.U.G.S. Beats, Es-K, and Jarv have helped solidify his place in independent hip hop.<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="true" autoplay="false" disablekbcontrols="false" enableiframeapi="false" endtime="0" ivloadpolicy="0" loop="false" modestbranding="false" origin="" playlist="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y989Bwz7ZoI?controls=0" start="0"></iframe></div>OC from NCOC from NC is a Burlington, North Carolina MC and songwriter. With heavy music influences by Nas, Wu Tang, Common, Black Thought, Phonte, &amp; DOOM, OC has been rising in NC with his relentless album release schedule and live performances that help set the bar for the Carolinas. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://ocfromnc.bandcamp.com/">https://ocfromnc.bandcamp.com/</a>

King Garbage / C.Shreve the Professor / OC from NC

Come join us on our collective patios for collective hangs!&nbsp; We've got sun and fun with free karaoke inside The Pinhook and Primrose DJ's @ their spot.&nbsp; We'll have cornhole and other patio games.&nbsp; Just hang out downtown with us!&nbsp; All Ages.&nbsp; All Fun.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Pin & Prim Patio Party: FREE KARAOKE

Celebrating the release of Those Dogs and Peach Rings split record “Hangout Forever” released through Three Count Records. Those Dogs is a punk band from North Carolina. Although primarily a punk band they mix elements of ska, emo, and hardcore into their sound. Combined with a DIY ethos, Those Dogs aims to create fun, energetic, and cathartic music that people can dance to.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.thosedogsband.com/">https://www.thosedogsband.com/</a>&nbsp;&nbsp; Peach Rings is North Carolina emo power-pop!! With a blend of the fifth wave emo stylings of today and melodic hook driven pop rock of the 90s, peach rings write songs about identity, queer love, and mario 64 speedrunning tricks.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://peachringsnc.bandcamp.com/">https://peachringsnc.bandcamp.com/</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;The Dead Ringers&nbsp; Based out of Durham NC, the dead ringers fuse pop melodies with punk sensibilities to make fun, energetic, and heartfelt music. Hailed as "pretty good" by most of Nora's friends, and "loud and obnoxious" by most old people, the dead ringers are doing their best to not really care what people think.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://thedeadringersband.com/">https://thedeadringersband.com/</a>&nbsp;

Those Dogs / Peach Rings / The Dead Ringers

DapYP is a Burlington, North Carolina-born artist blending hip-hop, soul, and forward-thinking style into a sound and presence that feels both grounded and global. A world-touring act currently navigating a multi-city run, he continues to build momentum with his latest release, “Runnin.” Known for bringing music, fashion, and visual identity into one world, DapYP has also been featured in New York Fashion Week, further cementing his place as an artist whose reach extends beyond the stage.

DapYP / BrassiousMonk / DJ Wicked

Pinpointing the specific catalyst for an avalanche can be slippery — any combination of classic elements, human interference, or freak accident can trigger disaster — and documenting these precise moments often rests on serendipitous reflexes. On Two Wheels Move the Soul, Robber Robber offer themselves as ignition and capture every sound in the wake. Involuntarily thrust into the throws of rootless nomadism, Robber Robber ringleader Nina Cates collects a series of pressurized vignettes to assemble the Burlington quartet’s thrillingly explosive sophomore album.&nbsp;Two Wheels Move the Soul was written and recorded throughout the winter of 2024 and 2025, a season of Cates’ life characterized by near-constant upheaval. In January of 2025, Cates (and Robber Robber co-founder) Zack James were displaced from their longtime home at the behest of a landlord’s call to have their building demolished. In a moment’s notice — and amidst a particularly brutal Vermont winter — Cates and James were left to fend for themselves. Luckily, the two were able to tap a deep well of support within their community, finding respite on the couches of Lily Seabird, Greg Freeman, and Thus Love’s Echo Mars. An unused attic provided their longest arrangement.&nbsp;The personal and economic chaos of living at the mercy of nameless powers-that-be redirected into a hyperfocused attention on Two Wheels Move the Soul. Returning to Little Jamaica Studios — one of the sites for their acclaimed debut Wild Guess — Cates, James, guitarist Will Krulak and bassist Carney Hemler hunkered down with their trusted engineer Benny Yurco. The familiarity between the cast of characters allowed the studio to become a sanctuary, and foregrounded Two Wheels Move The Soul’s constant foray into sonically adventurous terrain. “Everywhere else that we had to be, we were very much visitors,” James recalls. “When we were working on the record, it was nice because it felt like this is our space.” Still, an overwhelming sense of impending doom hangs over Two Wheels Move the Soul. Every scribble on the guitar thins the air, each stab of percussion and wave of distortion makes it that much harder to breathe.&nbsp;On Two Wheels Move the Soul, landslides come early and the news of their arrival is just as chilly. Propelled by Cates’ nonchalant bars — inspired by the effortlessly-cool cadence of Gucci Mane and Lou Reed — Two Wheels Move the Soul saunters in and out of frame with the implicit assurance that any gaze will follow. Album opener and lead single “The Sound It Made” rattles into existence, eschewing exposition to plunge directly in the deep end. The polarized extremities of Robber Robber’s sonic palette fuse throughout Two Wheels Move the Soul, spanning post-punk scorchers, burnt-out slacker anthems, and melodies that sweeten the bitter pills stomached along the way. “Yes I know, gotta work for my pay,” Cates exhales on standout “New Year’s Eve,” a swaggering depiction of life’s myriad impediments. “I’m tired, so is everyone - how can I complain?” Cates wastes no time indulging in the miseries of late-stage capitalism, opting instead to resolve casual disappointment with a cool composure. “What more is there to do?,” Cates asks on “Pieces,” the slow-burning b-side intro that plainly lays out what happens when your life falls apart: “you’ll end up with a piece.”&nbsp;

Robber Robber / Empath

🎤 The award-winning Carolina Waves Open Mic returns Wednesday, May 20 at The Pinhook! Hosted by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://Mir.I.am">Mir.I.am</a> of K97.5 with music by DJ KidFromTheHill, Carolina Waves Open Mic is the premier platform for artists of all ages, talents, and genres to showcase their skills. Whether you rap, sing, produce, play an instrument, dance, spit poetry, or just want to be in the room with creatives, this is where you need to be. Step into a welcoming, supportive crowd, connect with fellow artists, network, create content, gain traction, and be seen on the Carolinas’ #1 indie stage. 🚨 Arrive early to sign up. The list fills up quickly and performance slots are first come, first served. 📍 The Pinhook 📅 Wednesday, May 20 🎤 Hosted by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://Mir.I.am">Mir.I.am</a> Questions? Email <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:info@carolinawaves.com">info@carolinawaves.com</a>

Carolina Waves Open Mic Hosted by Mir.I.am of K97.5

GrrrlBands is a Carrboro-based community music program that brings women and gender-expansive adults together to form bands, build musical skills, and perform live no matter their experience level. Through instructor-led rehearsals and collaborative learning, participants rediscover their creative voices while forming supportive, multigenerational musical communities. Each season culminates in a high-energy showcase where these newly formed bands take the stage and celebrate the artists who inspire them. This show features GrrrlBands performing music by iconic artists including The Go-Go's, No Doubt, Haim, Japanese Breakfast, Big Thief, and Amyl and the Sniffers. Learn more about the program and upcoming shows: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.grrrlbands.org">https://www.grrrlbands.org</a>

GrrrlBands performing music by: The Go-Go's, No Doubt, Haim, Japanese Breakfast, Big Thief, and Am

If the heat doesn’t get you this cast will! Come out if you dare all Fae, furries, furries, and fights. MONSTER MAYHAM is clawing its way to Durham and the Pinhook is the place to be a freaky creepy and fearsome!May16th doors at 10pm sliding scale $8-$15 will give you a chance to scream and commune with the beings beyond the veil!Your Monster of ceremony. Mx. Princexx is sure to keep all of them tame, but beware claws tend to have a mind of their own!

Monster Mayhem 

Death Lens fuse the urgency of punk with the grit and melody of Southern California rock, turning everyday struggle into cathartic, communal release. Raised in working class neighborhoods and proud of their roots, the band channels lived experience into songs that balance sharp social awareness with a sense of hope, crafting choruses meant to be shouted back from the pit. On records like 'Cold World' and 'What's Left Now?' they sharpen their sound into tightly wound, hook-filled anthems, while tracks like "Monolith" and "Drown" showcase a band unafraid to be both vulnerable and volatile. With every show and every song, Death Lens continue to build a world where outsiders belong and resilience feels electric.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.deathlensband.com/">https://www.deathlensband.com/</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;Destiny BondDestiny Bond wants to live forever. Their latest album The Love (due out October 17 via Convulse) is built on themes of survival, resistance, and the immortality of love. Not a sanitized love, but the kind that sticks around even when things fall apart.A lot of the songs deal with raw introspection, conflict, identity, and grief, but they're just as much about the larger systems we're all up against. The band sees these elements as connected. The lyrics don't offer clean answers, but they don't hold back either. It's music that remembers what's been lost, what we're fighting for, and what's worth protecting.Their debut album Be My Vengeance received praise from Pitchfork, Stereogum, and Brooklyn Vegan — notable traction for a band that came together in DIY punk and hardcore.The live shows belong to more than the band. They are loud, raw, and communal. Destiny Bond played over 100 shows in 2024, and has toured with Glare, Baroness, Gel, and more.There's aggression in the music, but it's driven by care, not just anger. For them, playing hard and being honest is a way to create space — for themselves and for anyone else who needs it.Destiny Bond is coming into their own on their sophomore album, spreading The Love in a way only they can.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://newnoisemagazine.com/reviews/album-review-destiny-bond-the-love/">https://newnoisemagazine.com/reviews/album-review-destiny-bond-the-love/</a>&nbsp;

John-Robert has been a notable performer since he was a child, it is simply what he was born to do. At only 13 years old, John-Robert was handpicked to perform on the Ellen show as a musical child prodigy. At 19, he left his hometown Edinburg, VA (pop. 1,070) in 2019 to move to LA and start his music career, bypassing a scholarship to Berklee. He was signed to Nice Life/Warner by Grammy-nominated producer Ricky Reed (Leon Bridges, Lizzo) and released a handful of singles and EPs over a few years, earning him co-signs from artists Alessia Cara and Camilla Cabello. But it was a live fireside performance of his 2023 song “Come Pick Me Up” that catapulted John-Robert’s lilting blend of traditional folk and Appalachian country into the modern pop landscape. He toured extensively in 2023 and 2024 in the US and abroad supporting artists like Madi Diaz, Rayland Baxter, Leon Bridges, and even Liam Gallagher. Virginia, and his family there, has always been a source of inspiration for the singer-songwriter. On making his 2023 EP Garden Snake he says, “It was like trying to make a Virginia record in LA.” A move back home to Virginia in early 2025 made perfect sense as he embarked on creating a new body of work. The move was a way to pull himself out of the professional and personal turmoil of LA, and reconnect with the people and places that made him who he is today – the banks of the North Fork Shenandoah River and rolling hillsides, the home-cooked meals and close-knit community. Newly independent, he released his EP Cross Stitch in 2025. He has spent the last few months on the road with JOSEPH, Ax and the Hatchetmen, Infinity Song and more. And this year, new music is already on the horizon.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.johnrobert.us/">https://www.johnrobert.us/</a>&nbsp;Josef Kuhn, AKA nickname jos, spends his time writing, playing, and producing alongside artists like Samia, Annie Di’Russo, The Greeting Committee, Kristiane, and Hannah Cole. He has perfected the imprint he makes on each song he touches and has carved out a sound all his own. A lifelong pianist and drummer since his childhood in Richmond, VA, Kuhn found himself growing disillusioned with his performance studies at college in Nashville, instead leaning into a growing interest in songwriting and recording. At the encouragement of friends, Kuhn uploaded the first songs he’d written in 2019 to a remarkable response, seeing his initial promise quickly place his talent in growing demand. Kuhn recently found himself clearing room for his newfound energy to bloom, taking time off from touring to pour into relationships that nourished him and finding every excuse to clear time in his relentless schedule to write and record his debut album&nbsp;Buckshot&nbsp;(released fall ‘25). He set to building a niche using many of the same tactics he’d employed as a producer for other artists – visiting the territory of whatever piqued his curiosity, distilling the alchemy of its sound, and dispensing with the rest. What’s more, nickname jos has the ante on songs that achingly romanticizehalcyon days – at 24, Kuhn is still in them, and his songs make a habit of insisting upon preserving their purity. The scope – and joy – of Kuhn’s songs is no accident. “I've just been trying to find a way to write big picture songs,” he tells me. “Songs that I can hug, you know? That I can always have.”<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/nickname.jos/">https://www.instagram.com/nickname.jos/</a>&nbsp;

John-Robert / nickname jos / Savanna Leigh

Come pop it with us MAY 15th at Pinhook for BOOTY BREAK, a night featuring ghettotech music… don’t know what ghettotech is? If you like shaking ass and moving fast, you’ll love what we have in store 😈Ghettotech is a type of booty music out of Detroit and a style of DJing that centers raunchy lyrics, 140+ bpm tracks, and juicy basslines to get ur blood pumping 🔊🔥🧨

Booty Break 

Mexico City based band Mint Field is one of these bands that make it shine. Guided by Estrella del Sol and Sebastian Neyra. Mint Field creates a unique blend of avant dream pop and shoegaze with some touches of trip hop that explores the nostalgia and melancholy of daily life with strong guitars and voices that are like sighs. Intrumentation and atmospheres are accompanied by delicate, harmonious and ethereal voices that are fundamental part of the sound. With releases such as their debut album Pasar de las Luces (2018), Sentimiento Mundial (2020) and their most recent album Aprender a Ser (2023) and Aprender a Ser : Extended (2024). Their sound has evolved over the course of these years of touring all over the world. In 2020 the band started fleshing out their latest album Aprender a Ser the follow-up to 2020’s minimalist psych/shoegaze album, Sentimiento Mundial. They wrote, recorded, produced, and mixed the album in isolation. They had time to slow things down and think more obsessively about the sound, environment, and vibe they wanted to create. Aprender a Ser became a really intimate album, every single detail was meticulously worked on. Fast forward to January 2023. During this period, the band recorded approximately twenty-five more songs and trimmed it down to ten, cohesive tracks that fit conceptually while at the same time trying to evolve their sound. During the recording process, they naturally came back to the roots of the Mint Field sound by doing a lot of layering, utilizing different types of reverb, and exploring more ethereal, ambient, dream pop, trip-hop, and shoegaze sounds. In August 2024 the band released the extended version of their album Aprender a Ser. Mint Field has also their own curated festival in Mexico City named after their own song ‘Sueño Despierto’. The first edition being in 2023 and second one in 2024 they had the band accompanied by Mabe Fratti, Valgur, Diles que no me maten, among others.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://mintfield.bandcamp.com/music">https://mintfield.bandcamp.com/music</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;big mistake is a Raleigh based indie noise pop band. They were formed in 2025 by Elijah Hall and Michael Utt after working on the project My Sister Maura. Their debut single “party pickup” released independently in July of 2025.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bigmistakemusic.bandcamp.com/">https://bigmistakemusic.bandcamp.com/</a>

Mint Field / Big Mistake

All-seated feature film, 18+ only, and all profits from the screening go to benefit Triangle Mutual Aid! 72 minute runtime, with pre-recorded Q&amp;A with director Mae M to follow. Synopsis: Two maladapted young women, both part of the same internet gore enthusiast community, formulate a plan to meet in person with the intent that one will kill the other, film the killing, and then sell the cameras that “watched” to an unsuspecting customer online in the hopes of spurring on a “new era of death.” Inspired in equal parts by mumblecore, shot-on-video horror, and a deep unease formed by the internet’s mass syndication of violence, Divine Hammer is the debut feature by the M. Sisters, the multimedia duo of Hazel and Mae M. Selected Reviews: “An astounding debut film that’s aesthetically, narratively, and (perhaps most exciting of all) tonally unique.” - Kyle Logan, The Chicago Reader “I would love if queer/trans cinema headed in the direction that Divine Hammer proposes… I was enthralled with where it took me, and I'm excited for others to go on that journey.” - Willow Catelyn Maclay, author, Corpses, Fools, and Monsters: The History and Future of Transness in Cinema “Filmed on low-resolution miniDV cameras, the imagery on display is jaw-dropping in its simultaneously expansive and intimate scope, using outdated tools to capture Sheetz parking lots, old camp sites, and scummy apartments with clarity and purpose and heart. Divine Hammer, by logline alone, is not for the faint of heart, but the open-hearted, communal spirit lying under the rot of it all is a gift that keeps on giving.” - Ben Kaye, Cine-File Director Bios: The M. Sisters are a multimedia creative duo making art on, for, and about the internet. Hazel is best known for her music as smiling broadly and Twinkle Park and her dumb anime videos on the “hazel” YouTube channel. Mae is best known as Hazel's little sister. Divine Hammer is their first film. Showing will also include an award-winning animated short by local filmmaker Rosie Brewster, titled Sickie.

Divine Hammer (film) w/ Director Q&A

Latin Goth Nigth : A Symphony of Shadows On May 10th, 2026, the threshold of The Pinhook transforms. We invite the seekers of the nocturnal, the lover of the melancholic, and the architects of the underground to join us for Latin Goth Night-a curated immersion into the soul of a subculture that has long thrived in the shadows of the spanish-speaking world. Goth culture is more than aesthetic; it's a sanctuary for those who find beauty in the bittersweet. By infusing this with "Latinidad', we unlock a specific magic: a fusion of ancestral mysticism, the poetic drama of romanticismo,and the driving , industrial pulse of the modern city. This is a space where the diaspora and the local Durham community meet to celebrate a heritage that is as dark as it is vibrant. THE LINEUP: *NÄTIVA (DJ Set): A master of atmosphere, Nätiva weaves a narrative that travels from the foundational sounds of 80's spanish post-punk to contemporary darkwave and industrial techno. *BLAT: Bringing the raw, percussive energy that grounds the night. BLAT represents the sharp edge of the evening, utilizing driving rhythms and coldwave textures to ground the ethereal nature of the night in something physical and urgent. &nbsp;*THE GRAMPS: Cramps Tribute At the midnight of a dark romance, our heartbeats are rituals of ash, and melancholy becomes a song. &nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/nativa.dj">https://www.instagram.com/nativa.dj</a>&nbsp; <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/blat_post.punk/">https://www.instagram.com/blat_post.punk/</a>&nbsp;

SPANGLISH GOTH PARTY w/ THE GRAMPS / BLAT / DJ Nätiva

Trippers &amp; Askers is the songwriting and recording project of musician / researcher Jay Hammond. This rare full band show will be the album release party for the project's second full length LP "Tried To Do's." The album has been called "an exquisite meditation on mourning, family and finding home."

Trippers & Askers / Joseph Decosimo

With bold, witty lyricism that brings you to that liminal space between laughter and tears, Theo Kandel has been described as "a modern-day James Taylor, albeit slightly scruffier and a good deal shorter. But maybe also sexier." (Source pending.) Having amassed over 160k followers across social media and 8M+ worldwide streams, Theo continues to delight listeners young and old, leaving his own fingerpicking-saturated musical fingerprint as he goes. Originally from New York City, he spent six years honing his chops in Nashville before moving to Los Angeles, where he is currently based. His debut album, Eating &amp; Drinking &amp; Being in Love, is out now.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.theokandel.com/">https://www.theokandel.com/</a>

Theo Kandel / Kate Stephenson

This is a hiphop/hardcore showcase in solidarity with liberation works mutual aid looking to raise as much money as possible to help families in palestine buy food and supplies.

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