Cactus+ Launch Party: Tru West • Graham Hunt Band • Summer Birth • Bug Moment • Old Pup • B8R

Sat 10/01/22

4:00PM

All Ages

music

Free

Google Calendar | ICS

RSVP for the Event

Beta Feature: Screenshot Flyers

1:1 Square 9:16 Portrait

This is the soft launch of Cactus+. Cactus+ is the name of the new nonprofit arts and education organization we are launching. The organization will broaden the scope of our youth-centered industry assistantships, guest curation and multimedia arts community building. In addition to programming, we are working to improve accessibility on-site with the addition of a ramp to the front door and accessible bathrooms. Read more about our accessibility initiative here.

Event featuring DJs Auntie, DJ Gramma Matrix, XxUltraVioletxX throughout the day/night.

Poster design by Carolann Grzybowski

Show Lineup

Official Website

Tru West

(Milwaukee, WI)

Genre: Hip-Hop, Soul

Tru West is an emerging musician from the Midwest. From creating remixes—or “Trumixes”— of popular songs to releasing her “Gift of Gab” eps I and II, Milwaukee native Tru West continues to push the envelope for what it means to be “tru” to yourself. Tru’s music gives 90’s/Y2k nostalgia as her soulful voice serenades listeners through a mixture of trapsoul and contemporary r&b instrumentation.

Her undeniable talents and versatility has led her to artist activism and working with local organizations, where she executively produced her hip hop mixtape “From the Ashes, We Rise” that featured local artists. Tru’s evolution has been nothing short of divine, as she embraces her depth and vulnerability, she explores her sound with pop, spatial, and psychedelic r&b notes in upcoming projects.

Graham Hunt Band

(Milwaukee )

Genre: Garage Rock

Prolific Wisconsin songwriter and new Madison resident Graham Hunt (Midnight Reruns, Sundial Mottos, Midwives, soda road) has a knack for picking out life’s small moments and connecting them to the big stuff, doing so with sympathy and spirit. Catchy and clever these tunes are sunny, introspective and supported by the powerful backing band Claynkee (Sam Reitman and Tyler Chicorel).

Summer Birth

(Milwaukee, WI)

Genre: Indie Rock

Summer Birth is a new band out of the Riverwest neighborhood, playing songs inspired by the indie and alternative of the early aughts

Bug Moment

(Milwaukee, WI)

Genre: Emo, Pop

BUG MOMENT is an Emo-Adjacent Rock Melancholia group from Milwaukee, Wisconsin consisting of Jasmine Rosenblatt, Grayson Edward’s, Elias Dorsey and Aidan Hoppens. This band was formed in the end of 2020, and since has released their EP “BUGS”, followed by their debut album “The Flying Toad Circus”. BUG MOMENT has just released their second EP “The Lazer Collection” out now!

Old Pup

(Milwaukee)

Genre: Americana

Old Pup is a warmly haunted folk outfit led by Milwaukee-based pedal steel player/songwriter, Will Hansen, who writes lyrically vivid (at-times experimental) country-tinged songs. Sophomore album, Spider Towns releases independently on February 28 & features intimate, ethereal recordings captured in living rooms, warehouse hallways, & wide-open fields spanning Milwaukee, New Orleans, & New Mexico. A mighty cast of friends & collaborators, including core members Ben Boehm, Ellie Jackson, Drue DeVente & Nate Kinsman, & Johanna Rose seamlessly enter & exit the songs, adding touches of personality & texture throughout. Hansen’s lyrical dexterity is at the forefront of this latest collection, seamlessly weaving the everyday with the interstellar. In the words of songwriter Chris Acker, “Old Pup is Rosetta-stoned.”

B8R

(Milwaukee )

Genre: Americana

B8R (fka Ruth B8r Ginsburg) is a seven-piece neo soul-folk group from Milwaukee, Wisconsin with an aim to lift up women’s voices. In seven part vocal harmonies, they address a myriad of contemporary issues.