Alain Johannes - @alainjohannes
The list of musicians that Alain Johannes has worked with reads like an encyclopedia of California rock history. In high school he was in bands with Flea, Hillel Slovak, Jack Irons and Anthony Kiedis, all of whom would form the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Later Alain formed Eleven with Natasha Shneider and Jack Irons. They toured with Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, and for several years recorded and toured with Queens of the Stone Age.
As a writer, producer and engineer, Alain has worked with Chris Cornell, No Doubt, Mark Lanegan, Jimmy Eat World, Queens of the Stone Age, Brody Dalle and Arctic Monkeys.
Alain has been a touring member of PJ Harvey’s band, as well as Them Crooked Vultures which featured Dave Grohl from Foo Fighters, Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age, and John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin.
As a composer, Alain has written music for films such as “Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis” and for video games such as Tom Clancy’s “Ghost Recon Wildlands.”
Alain was part of the Sound City Players which performed in connection with the documentary, "Sound City." Alain co-wrote and performed "A Trick With No Sleeve" with Dave Grohl and Josh Homme for the movie and the soundtrack.
Alain recently finished his third solo album, ‘Hum,’ while also teaming up for the Alain Johannes Trio with brothers Felo and Cote Foncea, accomplished musicians in their home country of Chile. The first release is “Luna A Sol” featuring guest vocalist Mike Patton.
Sammy Boller - @sammyboller
Son Of Mars - @sonofmarsfog
Since arriving on the music scene in the first wave of 1960s psychedelia, the name Soft Machine has become synonymous with musical experimentation, instrumental virtuosity, and inspired creativity all animated by a truly adventurous, progressive spirit. Although the band's personnel has changed over the years, their commitment has remained consistent. Some of the very brightest stars in the British jazz firmament have served in the ranks of this revered musical institution. Robert Wyatt, Mike Ratledge, Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper, Karl Jenkins, John Marshall, Roy Babbington, Allan Holdsworth, John Etheridge, Theo Travis, Kevin Ayers, Daevid Allen, Andy Summers, Jack Bruce, Gary Husband, and many others, have all focused their own unique musicality to help shape the band’s sound and personality.
The current lineup (John Etheridge, Theo Travis, Fred Baker and Asaf Sirkis) continues to defy categorization. Their latest album, Other Doors, sees them move seamlessly between hardcore improvisation, pop-tinged ebullience, muscular rock, and visceral jazz along with shimmering electronica and ambient overtones. Its release in 2023 is the end of an era as the last studio session with legend John Marshall, who joined the group in 1972 and at the age of 81 has decided to retire. Marshall’s departure now leaves John Etheridge, who joined the group in 1975, as the last surviving member of the group with roots in Soft Machine’s 1970s heyday.
Club d'Elf has been helping audiences lose track of time for twenty five years with its mesmerizing synthesis of Moroccan traditional music and electronic, dubbed-out funk. Circling about bassist/composer Mike Rivard and drummer Dean Johnston, each Club d'Elf performance features a different line-up, drawn from a constellation of some of the most creative improvisers from the jazz, DJ, rock & world music scenes of Boston, NYC and beyond. The band's music draws from a startlingly wide spectrum of styles, including jazz, hip hop, electronica, avant garde, prog-rock and dub. Under the tutelage of member Brahim Fribgane (who hails from Casablanca) the band has absorbed Moroccan trance music, which is now an essential part of the mix. Diverse audiences are drawn to Fribgane’s mesmerizing oud stylings, and Rivard’s commanding playing of the Moroccan sintir. Trance forms the central core of the Club d’Elf aesthetic, weaving together the band’s various influences.
In April 2022 the band released its latest album, 'You Never Know', which rose to #2 on the Relix chart. The record unfurls upon kaleidoscopic clouds of spiced smoke, shifting from chopped dub-jazz through trance epics that reimagine Boston as a city of bazaars. Club
d’Elf pay tribute to the music and musicians who have been primary influences, with half the album being covers of gnawa, Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, Moroccan band Nass el-Ghiwane, and Frank Zappa. The other half consists of original music inspired by Rivard's personal journey into darkness following a near death experience in the remote jungle of the Peruvian Amazon.
"You Never Know is a wide ranging romp, full of serenity, chaos, longing, improvisation and peerless musicianship inspired by music from India and Morocco as well as the maverick jazz of Miles Davis and Frank Zappa." - Banning Eyre, Afropop Worldwide
A$AP Twelvyy isn’t who you’d typically describe as the strong, silent type. But, when you stand next to personalities like A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ferg, it’s easy to be relegated to 6th man status. But, every time Twelvyy’s number has been called, he has delivered. Since 2006, the Harlem MC has been making a name for himself as one of the illest voices of his generation with his lyrical dexterity and live showmanship. His debut solo album was released on RCA in 2017. And, his subsequent indie releases received much critical acclaim. Now, with a strong social media presence due to his state to state pop up experiences and his knowledge of consumers based on his own Harlem clothing retail stores, he’s ready to put his stamp on the game!
Yoga With Chucks presents -
Yoga Rocks: Yacht Rock 2: Island Breeze
@yoga_with_chuck
WELCOME TO CLUB XCX
CALLING ALL LOWELL ANGELS FOR A BRATTY CHARLI NIGHT!
EXPERIENCE A PARTY,
Blasting the best of Charli XCX, ARCA, Slayyyter, Shygirl, SOPHIE, 100 gecs, and more!
DJ set by @djcaitlin
Mexican Slum Rats w/ special guests TBA
Taffeta Music Hall Presents -
Dwight & Nicole - @dwightandnicole
American indie soul band DWIGHT + NICOLE is the creative love child of award winning singers/songwriters & multi-instrumentalists Nicole Nelson & Dwight Ritcher. The BAND is rounded out by powerhouse drummer Ezra Oklan and keyboard wizard Leon Campos.
DWIGHT + NICOLE have been Nominated for 10 Boston Music Awards, 10 New England Music Awards, and 11 Daisie awards, winning multiple "Band of the Year", "Vocalist of the Year", "Best Blues/R&B Band", "Female Vocalist of the Year", "Blues Act of the Year" and "Video of the Year".
They have opened up for their idols including MAVIS STAPLES, who exclaimed, "Dwight & Nicole are my favorite new band!" as well as Melissa Etheridge who said "Dwight & Nicole are absolutely the real deal.They are carrying the torch".
"There are good voices, and then there are GREAT voices; Nicole Nelson is definitely the latter," raves CHRISTINA AGUILERA.
"Dwight & Nicole are a tour-de-force... Poignant, hard driving, and heavenly." - BOSTON GLOBE
"The band layers on funky elements... culminating in a mix of vocal harmonies and rich instrumentals that leave you feeling enchanted."
- GLIDE MAGAZINE
"A retro soul band, contemporary blues act, roots rock...R&B dynamo all at once...hypnotic." - BOSTON HERALD
@thecoldstares
For almost ten years, The Cold Stares had toured the world relentlessly as a duo, blowing away
audiences across the US and Europe with a fierce, blistering live show that belied their
bare bones, guitar-and-drums setup. In 2023 the band began embracing a whole new kind of
chemistry and launched into their next chapter, adding a third member and channeling the classic
power trio sound they grew up on with their explosive acclaimed album, “Voices.”
Working off the international success of “Voices” which was voted one of the best albums of
2023 by Classic Rock Magazine, The Cold Stares went into Memphis Magnetic Studio in Memphis
Tennessee and recorded the band’s next chapter and progression, the sprawling album “The Southern,”
which is set for release spring of 2024.
The Cold Stares have created a buzz in the music world that has landed them on the road with the likes
of Joe Bonamassa, Larkin Poe, Rival Sons, Reignwolf, Spoon, Grand Funk Railroad, and Thievery Corp,
among many others. American Songwriter praised the group’s “hard-won commitment, honesty,
and intensity,” while No Depression hailed their sound as a “roots rocking firestorm,” and tunes from
their albums turned up everywhere from ESPN, Dodge, Chevy and TNT to the hit video game Cyberpunk 2077.
Headsick
Requiem
Jammwich
Muzzle
Taffeta Music Hall and Bug World Presents -
Pile w/ Oceanator
Leylines - @leylinesbandus
Blood Throne - @bloodthroneofficial
Cytokine - @cytokineband_nh
LNTRNS - @lntrns207
Jared Benjamin is an independent artist from Long Island, making caffeine-induced music with a focus on mental health and story-telling. Jared's viral success with his first single, Superhero, which was released in April of 2022, has led to his decision to pursue music full time. Jared's fan base on social media and streaming platforms has grown exponentially with over 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify and Apple Music, and over 1 million social media followers in total. Jared continues to release hits such as Flatline, Doomsday, I'm the Sinner and Let it Burn.
@jaredbenjaminofficial
BURP. Fest III
BURP. - @burp.music
Dear Maryanne - @dearmaryanne
Gross Girls - @grossgirlsmusic
Skosar - DJ Set
Independent artist and musician Madison McFerrin has come into her own. Madison holds a fruitful and robust solo career with three self produced EPs and numerous performances and curatorships across the country and internationally. Madison’s distinct vocal and meticulously layered stylings of a capella and self-harmonizing culminate in work that blends the genres of R&B, pop, soul and jazz, all with a sense of softness. Her genre-bending work has led to Questlove dubbing her early sound “soul-appella,” AdHoc to describe her work as “an oasis of serenity,” and The FADER noting how Madison’s “warm harmonies feel effortless.”
The throughline of Madison’s work is independence and she is often looking towards a kind of inner liberation. Whether she is writing about understanding one’s intuition and inner beauty or the cyclical violence of anti-Blackness and sexism, Madison explores how to get free and how to care for oneself along the way.
In this, Madison works at the intersection of artistry and community building. She often looks back and honors a Black music canon while creating her own unique style, utilizing her voice as a central instrument and drawing upon lifelong inspirations like Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Erykah Badu, Pharell, Missy Elliot, and the Spice Girls. She is in community with other artists, cultural workers, and activists, and has been able to prioritize the work of women and POC in her curatorial tenures at venues like C'mon Everybody, the WNYC Greene Space and the BRIC Jazz festival. The result of Madison's work is an enduring commitment to finding ways to think better, express ourselves honestly, and nurture a sense of possibility.
Born in San Francisco as the youngest sibling and only girl of three, Madison grew up and lived across the US throughout her adolescence and into early adulthood. As a young child, her earliest and fondest memories were singing and performing at impromptu home concerts and climbing trees, finding a sense of home and safety as she moved physical homes. Madison’s lineage is also strongly rooted in music and performance. Her earliest influences in her home were her father, Bobby McFerrin, a ten-time Grammy winning world renowned vocalist and classical conductor. Madison’s older brother, producer, Taylor McFerrin, was also a musical influence drawing her attention to the nuances of Timbaland’s production and exposing her to a wide range of sounds from Brazil to Brooklyn. All of these influences grow from her grandparents’ rich musical legacy, which includes her grandfather’s historic contract with the Metropolitan Opera and grandmother’s sought after guidance as an award winning vocal coach. From this, music and performance became a home of its own for Madison.
The liberty of expression became a grounding mechanism and a means to understand herself and the changing landscapes around her. Music is also an entrypoint for Madison to have global conversations and to reach listeners and artists with the language of music and tradition. The language of soul, jazz, dance, and more are all ways of connecting intergenerationally, internationally, and across the diaspora. Madison's process is concerned with this act of translation; translating her own experiences and her own emotions outward. Madison brings herself into the story and invites the listener to do the same.
Madison completed her BA in professional music from Berklee College of Music in Boston and began her independent career shortly thereafter in Brooklyn. Her first solo show sold out to a warm crowd of peers, fans, and friends and she continued to perform in and around New York with sustained support. She has performed at venues such as Lincoln Center, Central Park SummerStage and BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn, as well as at festivals including SXSW and the Pitchfork Midwinter Fest at the Art Institute of Chicago. It was at her 2018 SXSW debut show that legendary KCRW DJ Anne Litt remarked about Madison’s show, “there’s some sort of joy and beauty in the way that she performs that really drew me in all that much more.” While performing, she has shared the stage with other established artists such as Nai Palm from Haitus Kaiyote, Alice Smith, Aretha Frnklin, De La Soul, Gallant and The Roots. Madison’s work has gained her recognition across several music platforms as she was named one of Pitchfork’s Rising Artists as well as a finalist in the NPR tiny desk concert series in 2017. Her work has traveled far and wide online as well, where her performance of her inspiring single “TRY” for the youtube performance series, COLORS has garnered nearly two million views. Off the stage, Madison’s music has been featured in episodes of Comedy Central’s Broad City and HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness.
In addition to her own performance practice, Madison’s community building and curatorial practice has taken shape in various ways. Notably, in 2019, she initiated the Sissieretta Series at C'mon Everybody in Brooklyn, New York. This series is named after Madame Sissieretta Jones who was an extremely successful opera singer who created her own shows that allowed Black performers to exercise their craft outside of the humiliation of minstrelsy. Drawing inspiration from this legacy, Madison created a showcase of all women of color performers of varying genres, from comedy to poetry to music. As co-curator of the BRIC jazz festival in 2021, Madison presented artists ranging from modern avant garde experimentalist L’Rain to the legendary Sun Ra Arkestra to showcase the expansive notion of Black performance rooted in jazz. Lastly, in the summer of 2022, Madison took her communal work to new heights with the Summer Friday series presented in collaboration with the Brooklyn Bridge Conservancy and her MAD LOVE initiative. Jump started by her viral response to the landmark verdict in the George Floyd case, proceeds from her improvised house track “GUILTY” go to the MAD LOVE fund that aims to bring joy and justice to communities impacted by police brutality. The three installments of the Summer Fridays series focused on the themes of RELEASE, RESTORE & REJOICE with DJs, comedians and musicians providing some much needed space for healing from the collective trauma and grief of the pandemic.
Madison’s forthcoming debut album I Hope You Can Forgive Me represents an evolution in her career as she finds ways to improvise and self-produce in the midst of an ever changing global pandemic landscape. Following the a cappella projects that corralled early fans (Finding Foundations Vol. I and II), she collaborated with her older brother, Taylor McFerrin, for her subsequent EP, You + I, her first project with instrumentation. I Hope You Can Forgive Me builds upon that next step sonically while exploring themes of love, self preservation, fear, and conjuring. A majority of the tracks on are produced by Madison, a newly refined skill she honed during the pandemic. In addition to being a producer and arranger, she is also an instrumentalist, playing bass, synth, and creating background vocals for several of the tracks. The intimate album’s sole feature is her father, Bobby McFerrin.
Late last year, Madison released a groovy, soulful single, "Stay Away (From Me)" alongside a vibrant visual, artfully juxtaposing hypnotic, danceable instrumentals with lyrics that tackle the uncertainty of our times and her inner struggle with anxiety. In February, she released the single “(Please Don’t) Leave Me Now”, continuing to deliver compelling vocals, euphonious melodies, and a delightful blend of electronic, pop, jazz, and soul with undeniable technique and expressive depth. In March during Women’s History Month, Madison followed up with the self-produced “God Herself”, a song swirling with divine feminine energy and sultry, powerful vocals. Most recently, she released “Utah”, the album’s most pop-leaning track, which explores life’s curious synchronicities. Madison eagerly anticipates sharing this music with her growing global community of fans on her upcoming I Hope You Can Forgive Me Tour.
The ever metamorphosing entity that is Gong launches, as ever, into unknown – and unknowing – territory with a new album and tour, destined to be talked about, discussed, and argued over, up and down the land.
From its beginnings in a French commune in 1967, through the Virgin Records years, mismanagement, court cases, break-ups and rejoinings, deaths and rebirths – there has always been a continuous thread of beautiful, dangerous and extraordinary music.
The current holders of the flame have come together over the last seven years; sinuous bass player Dave Sturt joined just as the album 2032 was shown to the world; Ian ‘Eastwinds’ East was the next to blow in through the portal; Fabio Golfetti brought his guitars from Brazil (after working with Daevid for many years); Kavus Torabi appeared to Daevid in a vision; Cheb Nettles just sort of turned up.
Gong’s musically diverse world includes shades of psychedelia, space rock, jazz, avant-garde, krautrock and surreal soundscapes.
Signed-up members of the precariat, Gong have never played it safe.
Australian beatnik poet Daevid Allen (ex-Soft Machine) began making music with his partner Gilli Smyth in the late 1960s, along with a constantly evolving community of creative musicians. Albums from this period include Magick Brother, Mystic Sister (1969) and the influential Bananamoon (1971) – one of David Bowie’s favourite 20 albums.
A stable line-up of the band, now named Gong, eventually materialised featuring Didier Malherbe (sax and reeds), Christian Tritsch (bass), and Pip Pyle (drums), along with Allen (glissando guitar, vocals) and Smyth (space whisper, vocals). This band released the album Camembert Electrique in late 1971, as well as providing the soundtrack to the iconic biker film Continental Circus and music for the album Obsolete by French poet Dashiel Hedayat.
Gong’s next three albums, released on Virgin Records, became known as the known as the Radio Gnome Trilogy, consisting of Flying Teapot (1973), Angel’s Egg (1974), and You (1975). Over the course of the Trilogy, Tritsch and Pyle left and were replaced by Mike Howlett (bass) and Pierre Moerlen (drums). New members Steve Hillage (guitar) and Tim Blake (synthesizers) also joined.
After You, Allen, Hillage, Blake and Smyth left the group, guitarist Allan Holdsworth joined, and the band moved into a virtuosic jazz fusion style. Nevertheless the trilogy lineup reunited for a few one-off concerts including a 1977 French concert, documented on the Gong Est Mort, Vive Gong album. Allen also reunited with Malherbe and Pyle for 1992’s Shapeshifter album and the Gong 25th Birthday Party in 1994.
A great gathering of the Gong family took place in Amsterdam at the Unconvention in 2006 featuring many previous members and related bands. This event reinvigorated the band, leading to the release of the album 2032 in 2009 and the subsequent tour saw the arrival of Dave Sturt (bass) and Ian East (saxophone).
In 2012, Daevid Allen also enlisted Fabio Golfetti (guitar) and Orlando Allen (drums) for a tour of Europe, UK, Japan and Brazil. By 2013 Kavus Torabi (guitar) had also joined the group and the line-up of Allen, Sturt, East, Golfetti, Allen and Torabi then recorded the album I See You (2014). That year, Daevid Allen was diagnosed with cancer and was unable to perform whilst undergoing treatment. Fulfilling his wishes, the band continued the Gong tradition without him and toured to promote the album, bringing in Cheb Nettles (drums).
In 2015, Daevid Allen passed away. His influence and legacy were honoured on the band’s subsequent album, Rejoice! I’m Dead! (2016).
The band have continued to tour all around the UK and Europe since that time including visits to China, Japan, Brazil and The Cruise To The Edge in the Caribbean. They released the album The Universe Also Collapses, on Kscope music in May 2019.
Unending Ascending is the new studio album released on Kscope music in November 2023. The band is touring extensively in 2024.
VAiN - @vain_est_1986
Vain is an American glam metal band from San Francisco Bay Area, California, formed in 1986. As of 2018, the lineup consists of Davy Vain (lead vocals), Dylana Nova Scott (guitar),Joel Proto (guitar), Ashley Mitchell (bass) and Tommy Rickard (drums).
All Sinners - all_sinners_band
Officer X - @officerxmusic
TEN local performers
Seating is first come first served
18+ to enter 21+ to drink
SWARMIEFEST is an annual local music event hosted each year by local heavy metal band Sepsiss. The purpose of SwarmieFest is to Re-energize the live Local music scene in NH, focusing on original music, organic discovery and local businesses. Combining, art, music and community to share the spotlight with local business, original music and bands. SwarmieFest is a concert for the neighborhood and people that love live bands , original music and community! Our goal is to connect our neighbors to the wealth of talent living right next door to them. We are introducing fans to the musicians and to the local the businesses that care about them, combining forces to promote discovery and growth for everyone!
You’ve seen him on America’s Got Talent, Jimmy Fallon, Masters of Illusion, and Penn & Teller: Fool Us! Illusionist Leon Etienne’s jaw-dropping, critically acclaimed hit show is not to be missed. Witness this family friendly spectacular featuring the world’s best illusions, award-winning sleight of hand, and hilarious comedy. This show is an immersive experience that brings joy, laughter, and wonder when the world needs it most!
@magicrocksshow