Swans
Michael Gira founded Swans in 1982. Initially known for their brutal, high-volume onslaughts of sound and the extreme, abject imagery of Gira’s lyrics and his thundering vocals, Swans underwent a series of startling transformations over the next 15 years. After early punishing albums like Filth and Cop, they explored proto-industrial rock with Greed, atmospheric and martial elements on Children of God (1987), acoustic meditations on The Burning World (1989), and grand, melody-dense sonic whirlwinds with White Light from the Mouth of Infinity (1991) and Love of Life (1993), before becoming more dissonant and sharp-edged with The Great Annihilator (1994). Finally, the ultimate statement of that epoch of Swans, Soundtracks for the Blind, combined all of these elements across well over two hours of music. Gira disbanded the group, shifting focus to Angels of Light and his Young God Records label, fostering artists like Devendra Banhart and Akron/Family. In 2010, he revived Swans with My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky to ecstatic critical response followed by The Seer (2012) and To Be Kind (2014), with both earning critical and commercial success, leading to sold-out tours and multiple Billboard chart placements. The Glowing Man (2017) marked the end of that Swans incarnation, with Leaving Meaning (2019) and The Beggar (2023) continuing Gira’s work with an evolving lineup.
Ne Obliviscaris
Nevermind (Nirvana Tribute)
NEVERMIND: Nirvana Tribute is the premier tribute band to Nirvana in the Midwest and has been blowing fans away for years! This show perfectly captures the essence and spirit of the 90’s iconic grunge masters with great presence and fury behind each crafted song. Focusing on accurate sound of Kurt Cobains voice, Nevermind skips cheesy fan fare and rocks the house with eerie accuracy of Nirvana’s legendary sound. Come relive the pinnacle of grunge and rock out in your best flannel with us while hearing songs from all 5 of Nirvana’s albums. ALICE UNCHAINED: The Ultimate Alice in Chains Tribute Act bring the vocal harmonies of Lane Staley and Jerry Cantrell to the live stage. Paying tribute to Alice in Chains by playing music from Facelift, Dirt, 3 Legged Dog, and Mtv Unplugged albums. Alice UnChained is an accurate recreation of Alice in its prime! Formed in 2014 AUC recreated the stage presence and feel of their iconic 90s performances. Featuring members Matt Nyberg – Vocals, Jesse Dean – Guitar/Vocals, Rich Cantrell – Bass, and Jay Corigliano – Drums AUC is the BEST way to hear the original Alice live again.
Emery
Emery is the realest, most relatable band of the era. The undisputed kings of Christian emo have spent two decades creating emotional experiences by blending post-hardcore chaos, melodies, and lyrics that hit way too close to home. They’re the band that makes you scream, cry, and laugh, sometimes all in the same breath. Known for their self-aware humor and ability to turn heartbreak into harmony, and innovative DIY approach, Emery has become a favorite for fans who love music that feels as real and messy as life. Emery keeps it loud, honest, and unapologetically fun.
American Aquarium
For nearly two decades, American Aquarium have pushed toward that rare form of rock-and-roll that’s revelatory in every sense. “For us the sweet spot is when you’ve got a rock band that makes you scream along to every word, and it’s not until you’re coming down at three a.m. that you realize those words are saying something real about your life,” says frontman BJ Barham. “That’s what made us fall in love with music in the first place, and that’s the goal in everything we do.” On their new album The Fear of Standing Still, the North Carolina-bred band embody that dynamic with more intensity than ever before, endlessly matching their gritty breed of country-rock with Barham’s bravest and most incisive songwriting to date. As he reflects on matters both personal and sociocultural—e.g., the complexity of Southern identity, the intersection of generational trauma and the dismantling of reproductive rights—American Aquarium instill every moment of The Fear of Standing Still with equal parts unbridled spirit and illuminating empathy. Recorded live at the legendary Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, The Fear of Standing Still marks American Aquarium’s second outing with producer Shooter Jennings—a three-time Grammy winner who also helmed production on 2020’s critically lauded Lamentations, as well as albums from the likes of Brandi Carlile and Tanya Tucker. In a departure from the stripped-down subtlety of 2022’s Chicamacomico (a largely acoustic rumination on grief), the band’s tenth studio LP piles on plenty of explosive riffs and hard-charging rhythms, bringing a visceral energy to the most nuanced and poetic of lyrics. While American Aquarium bring a lived-in intimacy to all of The Fear of Standing Still, songs like “Cherokee Purples” encompass a particularly tender emotionality. A wistful reminiscence of all the charmed and wild summers of Barham’s youth, the track unfolds in so many gorgeously detailed images (kudzu vines and fireflies, menthol cigarettes and Big League Chew), each rendered with a loving specificity that lingers in the listener’s heart. “‘Cherokee Purples’ came from me making a tomato sandwich in my kitchen, and immediately getting taken back to all the summer days when we’d get dropped off at my grandmother’s so my parents could go to work,” says Barham. “It’s crazy how something as simple as a tomato sandwich with Duke’s Mayonnaise can take me to a whole other world, but to me it’s almost like a talisman of where I’m from and how I was raised.” Meanwhile, on “The Curse of Growing Old,” American Aquarium look to the other end of the life spectrum, conjuring a life-affirming mood despite the song’s excruciating honesty. For Barham, the sharing of hard truths is indelibly tied to his sense of devotion to American Aquarium’s audience—and to his belief in rock-and-roll as a singularly unifying force. “All I really want to do is put words to the emotions that most people have a difficult time expressing on their own,” he reveals. “No matter what that emotion is, when you put it into a song and then get to those moments when a whole bunch of people are singing that song all together, it makes you see that you’re part of something bigger than you ever realized. That’s when you can really affect people’s lives, and to me this record is another stepping stone to making that a reality.”
Heart Attack Man
Most of us fear death, while a small number of us pay no mind to it. Nevertheless, none of us will outrun it. In this respect, it unites us. Exploring our existential fate, Heart Attack Man ponder not just death, but life in between the crunch of palm-muted pop-punk guitar chords and snappy hooks you just can’t shake. As such, the Cleveland, OH trio—Eric Egan [vocals, guitar], Adam Paduch [drums], and Ty Sickels [guitar]—stare down fate with an ear-to-ear smile on their fourth full-length LP, Joyride the Pale Horse [Many Hats Distribution]. “No matter what differences we have, everybody dies,” Eric affirms. “For the album, I wanted to approach the process differently and be more poetic in terms of the subject matter. I was riffing on our acute awareness of mortality. However, the sentiment isn’t, ‘I want to die’ or ‘Everyone I know is dead, and I’m so sad’. It’s more complicated. Getting older, you start grappling with the feelings associated with death and how to contemplate life itself. We’re painting a picture of how complex and nuanced our feelings about death can be.” Since emerging in 2014, Heart Attack Man have consistently sharpened their signature style to knife-point precision with clever lyrics as incisive as their airtight songcraft. This sound naturally progressed across Acid Rain EP [2014], The Manson Family [2017], Fake Blood [2019], Thoughts & Prayerz EP [2021], and Freak of Nature [2023]. Of the latter, Cleveland Magazine urged, “expect to find the high-energy, simmering pop-punk stylings that the band has established in the past few years — just, with more input and new flair.” Brooklyn Vegan christened them “a rare band who feel catchy enough for arenas and punk enough for basements all at once,” and OnesToWatch applauded their “enigmatic instrumentation and cutting lyrics.” Along the way, ceaseless touring shored up a devout audience behind them, and they amassed millions of streams. In 2024, the guys opted to reunite with producer Brett Romnes at “The Barbershop” studio in New Jersey. Musically, they nodded to inspirations as diverse as Hum and Failure as well as Type O Negative, Quicksand, and Unwritten Law. Pushing boundaries, they incorporated different time signatures and coated the soundscape with a thick dose of nineties fuzz. “We returned to the Barbershop with a renewed and rejuvenated appreciation for it,” says Eric. “Getting back in with Brett, it was the perfect meeting of the minds. We all stepped up our game. Musically, we tried things we’ve never done before. We understand what being in Heart Attack Man means and how all of this operates. We upped the energy overall too. We just keep figuring out how to make our band better each year.” “When it comes to this band, it feels like everything we’ve done prepared us for this moment,” he leaves off. “We know what we want to do and who we are. We don’t want to know what life looks like without playing music.”
Bad Nerves
The bastard child of a Ramones/Strokes one night stand, Bad Nerves play ferociously fast distorted pop songs and drew acclaim with their previous releases ‘Dreaming’, ‘Baby Drummer’, & ‘Can’t Be Mine’. It would appear to be in the DNA of rock music, particularly punk music, that the music itself happens by some kind of happy accident. Nothing truer could be said of the Essex five piece speed punk band. For frontman Bobby, the formation of the band itself was an unintentional happenstance that just wound up taking off in unexpected but very exciting directions. Did band life choose Bad Nerves or did Bad Nerves choose band life? It’s hard to say. The boys are still reeling from their surprise success. Their self-made, self-funded debut put them in the hearts and minds of the cream of the alternative crop in 2020; from tastemakers such as Dan P Carter to Alyx Holcombe, and from peers like Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong to Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard, Bad Nerves were instantaneously heralded with the poisoned chalice of saviours of a type of punk that promises to never die. They’ve toured with Royal Blood and The Darkness, and have drawn comparisons to Supergrass, the Ramones and Jay Reatard. And despite all that, their pop rock is a unique – and very fast – whack over the head that reminds us all of the future life left in hell-raising loud and fast music. Bad Nerves have been blazing at two hundred miles an hour across the live circuit for a few years now, and are showing no signs of slowing down. Despite the speed and chaotic nature of their music, they have taken great pride in challenging the traditional punk method, by playing tight and trying to replicate the sound of their record in the live setting. “We wanna deliver the songs well,” says bassist Jon. And that’s why people have taken notice. Bad Nerves set the bar much higher. One of the band’s most iconic gigs to date was a headliner at Sebright Arms in London in 2022, which was so electric they decided to release a live recording of it. “I’m surprised no one died that night,” says Jon. “That ceiling is so low! I’ve never seen so many people sweat. It was crazy. We were all sick afterwards.” The magic of rock music is in the chaos of the live performance. Bad Nerves understand that. They chase it. They crave it. They know how to create it. “My favourite Ramones record is the live one,” says Bobby. “The stakes are high. That’s what makes it.” The future is loud for Bad Nerves. They proactively seek to make the type of in-your-face, opposite-of-sterile, rock music that the genre was built on. They want to play as much as they can for as long as possible, in the hope of inspiring the next generation, before it’s too late. It feels as though they have arrived just in time.
Hybrid Theory: The Ultimate Linkin Park Tribute Act
James McMurtry
Surfer Rosa
Every few years the musicians of Surfer Rosa take a break from their other Omaha bands to rock out Pixies-style for a one-off show. It’s an excuse to hang out with friends and celebrate the music they love together. And they nail it.