“Native Sun grows with increasing urgency in the face of the inexorable climate crisis, growing civil division, and overlapping public health emergencies. Colombian-American songwriter Danny Gomez (vox/guitar) battles the impotence of our time when it seems, to use the words of Voltaire, common sense is not so common. Nico Espinosa (drums) and Justin Barry (bass) round out the resonant rhythms & Jack Hiltabidle (lead guitar) create a space of controlled chaos at high-energy live shows as well as detailed and layered recordings. Raw and honest, the New York band delivers solace and catharsis to all audiences—singing about grief, disillusionment with our time, and lovingly documenting the lives of the outcasts and misfits. Native Sun channels the grit of punk with the tenor of the times when rock ‘n’ roll could change something.Their latest EP Off With Our Heads, produced by Walter Schreifels (Quicksand, Gorilla Biscuits, Rival Schools) is out now via Grand Jury Music (Twin Peaks, TOLEDO, Carl Barât) and Rough Trade Publishing.”
Chapped Lips is a four-piece alternative rock band based in Milwaukee (originally from Sheboygan). Power pop, funk, blues, and punk all get thrown into a high-voltage blender. FFO The Strokes, Foxygen, Stephen Malkmus.
Aergo, from Madison, Wisconsin, is a four piece collective that sees itself as less of a band, and moreso as a vision. Even though their music operates tightly, this vision can be difficult to categorize. With a combination of aggressive garage-punk and noisy alternative, along with subtle tints of Slint-esque post-rock and psychedelia, they create a swallowing wall of sound with catchy melodies, along with other layers that can be peeled back if listened to closely. Since their discography is relatively limited, Aergo is also known locally for their live shows, and their presence on stage has described by a fan as “sweat drenched and mind melting.”