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BADFISH
The phenomenon known as Sublime, arguably the most energetic, original and uniquely eclectic band to emerge from any scene, anywhere, ended with the untimely death of lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Brad Nowell in May of 1996. But encompassing the sense of place and purpose long associated with Sublime’s music, Badfish, a Tribute to Sublime continues to channel the spirit of Sublime with a fury not felt for some time.
What separates Badfish from other tribute bands is that they have replicated Sublime’s essence, developing a scene and dedicated following most commonly reserved for label-driven, mainstream acts. Badfish make their mark on the audience by playing with the spirit of Sublime. They perform not as Sublime would have, or did, but as Badfish does.
BALLYHOO!
A rock band with punk energy and pop reggae grooves, Baltimore’s BALLYHOO! are a fun, fan-loving powerhouse. These road dogs have tirelessly toured coast-to-coast taking their music to the people. Between the road and the studio, BALLYHOO! have crafted a sound distinctly their own; fresh, fun, and embodied by the soul of the party lifestyle. Lead singer and guitarist, Howi Spangler, has a reputation for mixing slick lyrics with his smooth but powerful voice. Drummer Donald Spangler lays out the hard-hitting beats. Scott Vandrey layers in the finishing touches to the band’s signature sound on keys. The guys recently welcomed Nick Lucera as their new bass player.
BALLYHOO! released their 5th studio album Pineapple Grenade on June 25th 2013. It broke through the Billboard Top 200 at #189 as well as reaching #4 Billboard Heatseekers and #5 at iTunes Alternative charts.
BUMPIN UGLIES
Driven by DIY merit, Annapolis band, Bumpin Uglies is no stranger to the pull of the bootstrap.
Seven successful studio albums have paved the way for the awe-inspiring eighth. Underdog: The Acoustic Sessions, recorded live in studio by the band’s founder, Brandon Hardesty, showcases the songwriting prowess that has been a constant pillar of the band’s music since its inception. Consisting of 16-tracks, the LP introduces seven new songs never before heard and nine fan favorites that have been stripped down to raw, poignant, gut-punching versions that differ from the fast-paced guitar riffs, pulsing drums, and dynamic horn sections of the originals.
TROPIDELIC
A musical lighthouse, shining a resilient light for everyone that has had to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, Tropidelic has arrived on the national stage. Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, a city rich in character and music history, this six-piece performance powerhouse carves their own path with an independent mentality. Front man Roads, explores feelings more than sounds, seeing where the emotional travel can take him, while valuing being comfortable and honest.
There is a sense of seeing where the music can go on their 2024 new album. As an everyman-band making music to overcome life’s obstacles, the “goals” that Tropidelic made when starting the band have all been surpassed. Roads says of the band’s future, “I’m nose to the grindstone. It’s going great and I am going to keep going.”
JOE SAMBA
Guitar slung low, microphone turned up, and emotion overflowing, Joe Samba taps into rock ‘n’ roll spirit and reggae soul all at once. The Massachusetts-born singer, songwriter, and guitarist sonically teeters on an axis of island-inflected grooves and gritty guitar-craft balanced by his dynamic vocals. He finds the sweet spot between smoked-out Caribbean bliss and sweat-soaked punkified energy. It’s why he’s quietly emerged as a phenomenon, toppling charts at #1 and performing alongside everyone from The Dirty Heads to Pepper.
THE RIES BROTHERS
The Ries Brothers (pronounced ”Rees”), a duo from St Petersburg, FL, blend rock, blues, jam, funk, and reggae into a soulful-sophisticated sound. Older brother Charlie (27) sings lead vocals while simultaneously playing drums and keyboard bass giving the band its unique and full sound. Younger brother Kevin Jordan (23) completes the band’s “sonic creativity” on guitar, ukulele, melodica, theremin and provides background vocals. The band started playing the Florida bar circuit as young teenagers where they were discovered by the band CHICAGO and taken out on two regional tours prompting them to leave school and focus on music full time.
SUNDUB
SunDub is a testament to the power of inclusion, diversity and unity; their music and community rallies around the concept that we are strongest when people of different backgrounds can work together to create positive change. These core values were first showcased on SunDub’s debut album, Burden of Love (2019), which has amassed millions of streams since coming out. Anchored by a core quintet—Finn Singer (guitar), Josh T Carter (bass), Eric “The General” Toussaint (vocals-keys) and the brother-sister team of Joanna Teters (lead vocals) and Ben Teters (vocals-drums)—the band is ready to breakthrough to even more fans worldwide with their sophomore album, showcasing the evolution of their sound over the past few years. Joanna Teters’ commanding and soulfully smoky lead vocals blend seamlessly with the air-tight arrangements of the SunDub rhythm section. The result is a stand out expression of reggae’s classic undulating pulse and lush subterranean grooves, reinvented for listeners of all times and genres.
CROOKED COAST
About 70 miles south of Boston, Cape Cod stretches out into the ocean with water on three sides. In the summertime, it welcomes tourists from around the world to its beaches and classic sights. Once winter rolls in, the party stops, and the year-round residents brace for the same cold reality endured by the rest of the state. It makes sense Crooked Coast call this place home. On one hand, the quartet - Luke Vose (vocals, guitar), John McNamara (guitar, vocals), Ben Elder (bass, vocals), and Shaqed Druyan (drums) - revel in sun-soaked reggae rhythms and hip-hop grooves. At the same time, they infuse punk energy into sky-high rock hooks laced with pop appeal. After piling up millions of streams independently and earning acclaim from Dig Boston, Cape Cod Times, Vanyaland, and many others, they perfect this balance on their 2022 album “Picture This”.
OVER THE BRIDGE
Over The Bridge is a Reggae-Rock infused good time jam band with strong hip-hop influences raised by that dirty water on the North Shore of Massachusetts.
OTB is all about bringing you the best in “FEEL GOOD MUSIC” with a bit of Rock N Roll, Hip Hop and Reggae.
The year was 1998. Dave and Mike were somewhere around 7 years old. As co captains of the Ash colored U-8 soccer team they never imagined they would later cross paths in life to captain a different team. That team, was Over the Bridge.
It began one summer in 2014 when The Madfish Grille on Gloucester’s Rocky Neck needed a band for a Saturday night. Then bar manager Jonny Macdonald called Mike Forgette and asked if he could throw together a band to fill the slot.