Upcoming Events

GIMME GIMME DISCO: A DANCE PARTY INSPIRED BY ABBA

Doors 8:30pm / Show 9pm

MATISYAHU

with DENM and CYDEWAYS

Doors 6pm / Show 7pm

When Matisyahu first started touring to packed clubs more than eleven years ago, it was prior to the release of Live at Stubbs, the now Gold record, and prior to that record’s single “King without a Crown” reaching #1 on the alternative rock radio charts. His performances were a raw expression of his spirituality at that time and were supported by musicians who played a foundation of roots reggae augmented by the energy of a rock trio. Fans latched on quickly for a variety of reasons, but in August of 2005, just months after the release of Live at Stubbs, Matisyahu found himself on stage at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival with the de facto leader of improvisational rock-n-roll; Phish’s front man Trey Anastasio. Many early fans of Matisyahu remember that moment clearly not because of the songs he played in front of the 80,000 person crowd, but because of his seemingly unfettered confidence (or perhaps naiveté) in helping lead Trey and his band through an improvisational display of beat boxing and lyrical gymnastics during the two songs performed. It may have been unrefined, but Matisyahu’s passion for full band improvisation was laid bare.

Fans within the improvisational-jam scene began flocking to Matisyahu’s shows shortly thereafter. “King without a Crown” climbed the charts and Matisyahu’s follow up record Youth was nominated for a Grammy, but the blessings and curses of mainstream success each took root. While Matisyahu’s bands have always been comprised of serious multidimensional players who have artfully molded the foundations of roots reggae into many genres, that early; if only a brief display of complete surrender to the music, seemed in some way to take a back seat. Through his lyrics however, Matisyahu developed a more personal, artistic, and sophisticated way to express the yearning for deep spiritual meaning, and as his own beliefs opened up to find more variety and depth, the desire for his performances to match the unpredictable flow of life developed as well.

Now, more than a decade later, Matisyahu has formed a band that truly gives itself over to the music on par with his lyrical desire to connect to something beyond the self. The band features original Stubbs guitarist and longtime staple of the downtown New York improv scene Aaron Dugan, Jason Fraticelli on bass, Jason Lindner on keyboards, and Matt Scarano on drums. Combined, the music and lyrics transcend their parts. At its most basic moments the music now feels alive; an entity unto itself, being born in the moment and evolving each night. No two performances of a song are alike. At its most exultant moments the music becomes full-band improvisation. Lyrics are rearranged on the spot to serve the energy of the jam, no instrumentalist is playing simply to demonstrate individual skill, and Keiper’s percussive mastery finds the subtle cracks within Matisyahu’s beat boxing to propel the music beyond anything it’s ever achieved previously.

What makes this music so engaging and unmatched, is that Matisyahu; a vocalist with no other instrument at his disposal, is an integral creative part in the improvisation. Dugan and Yuki work well beyond the constraints of the “solo” constantly working to modulate the improvisation, while Brook’s pocket is so deep and harmonically smart, that regardless of how far the melodic elements of a jam may get pushed, it’s impossible not to feel rooted to the core of any tune performed. Matisyahu allows his band to breathe within each tune, finding his place with a wordless melody that serves to enhance the harmonic elements of an improvisation, developing the rhythmic ideas with his beat boxing, or crowning a jam with a full-on lyrical call-to-the-heavens and the great unknown. It’s that cathartic moment as a jam summits and the audience lets out its release that tells the performers we are all in it together. During the most recent Fall 2015 tour, video and audio posts of these moments inspired a steady stream of comments and inquiries asking, “What album is this song on?” It’s not on any album. It is the song of that moment, and that moment only.   

These moments have the ability to connect the many different kinds of Matisyahu fans. The fan going through a hard time, looking to connect to lyrics about faith and searching. The fan looking for that unmatched connection inherent in the risk-reward of improvisational music. The fan who finds pride or representation in some of the ancient sources of Matisyahu’s inspiration. All of these fans share the space together with Matisyahu who is now both a player and a playee, bound to his bandmates’ creation in song and in spirit. It’s been more than a decade for Matisyahu the singer; this is the time of Matisyahu the band.

GRATEFUL SHRED

Doors 7pm / Show 8pm

CREED FISHER

with JAYDEN SECOR

Doors 7:30pm/ Show 8:30pm

Country music’s beloved antihero Creed Fisher calls out the bullshit and puts the FU in Fun on his album Rebel in the South. “It definitely has a bit more rock country sprinkled in than Whiskey and the Dog, which consisted of honky tonk, twang,” Fisher says of the vibe. “That stuff is on Rebel in the South, but the balance is a little different.” Put another way, he explains, “Whiskey and the Dog was more Merle Haggard-ish, and more ballad driven. I feel like Rebel in the South is more Brantley Gilbert, more county rock.”

Along with celebrating blue collar sensibilities, patriotism and fun-loving simple pleasures that are staples of Fisher’s music, this record also features a dose of unapologetic poking at the hornet’s nest otherwise known as the mainstream country music hypocrisy. Timing is everything, and Fisher declares “This was the perfect album to say what I had to say. If I’d said it three or four albums ago - they wouldn’t have heard it.” He’s confident the music and messages on Rebel in the South will not fall on deaf ears, “They’re gonna hear this.”

Fisher credits the whole tone of Rebel in the South originating with the song “Cuz I’m Country,” which is the first single. “My buddy sent me this song he wanted me to help write, and I was like, ‘Man this is about us!’ Everything came together into a production that exceeded even his own high expectations.

DREAMERS & ROBERT DELONG

with CARR

Doors 7pm/ Show 8pm

Alt-electro alchemist and Glassnote recording artist, Robert DeLong, has racked up 151 Million+ Streams on Spotify, more than 28 million views on Youtube and 61 million streams on Pandora. His 2018 collaboration with K.Flay, “Favorite Color is Blue,” went Top 10 at Alternative radio and has been streamed over 21 million times worldwide. His single “Global Concepts” went platinum in Australia. He’s performed on the TV shows, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Night with David Letterman and Conan, as well as elite festivals across the globe including Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, Bottle Rock, Firefly, Groovin’ the Moo (Australia), Splendour in the Grass (Australia), Lowlands (Holland) and Reading and Leeds (UK). His latest album, Walk like Me (released in Nov. 2021), was the outcome of a period of extreme personal evolution for DeLong, where he took time to re-explore who he is musically, spiritually, interpersonally, and lyrically and the result was a stunning album detailing the journey of self-discovery. This album features collaborations with Canadian electro-pop phenom LIGHTS on “Did It to Myself,” and two songs with the super-talented artist, ASHE on “Better In College” and “Rest of My Life.” These singles were met with global praise including placement on Spotify’s New Music Friday in 12 countries as well as key placements on Apple, Amazon and YouTube.

POLYRHYTHMICS

with OBJECT HEAVY

Doors 7pm/ Show 8pm

1. Polyrhythmics sound originated in Seattle’s underground deep funk scene combining impossibly tight grooves with bold brass and hypnotic percussion that showcased elements of R&B, progressive jazz, and Afrobeat which defined the instrumental group’s early era sound.  

   Now on their thirteenth year as a recording project and touring ensemble, the band’s sound continues to evolve following six full length albums, several EPs and live releases. The virtuosic musicianship and musical conversation built on a relentless touring schedule of the previous decade has led them to a brand of psych-funk that fills a room with an impending mood where anything could happen - sometimes evoking their brighter and cinematic Fela-influences, but also a more sinister and darker turn toward a more progressive sonic palette. 

    Polyrhythmics are:

   Ben Bloom: Guitars, Grant Schroff: Drums, Nathan Spicer: Keyboards, Jason Gray: Bass, Scott Morning: Trumpet, Elijah Clark: Trombone, Art Brown: Sax and Flute

THE PURPLE ONES - INSATIABLE TRIBUTE TO PRINCE

Doors 8pm/ Show 9pm

TAKE ON ME: AN 80'S NEW WAVE PARTY

Doors 8:30pm / Show 9pm

EMO NIGHT BROOKLYN

Doors 8:30pm/ Show 9pm // 18+

DANIEL DONATO'S COSMIC COUNRTY

with Special Guest Cris Jacobs

Doors 7pm/ Show 8pm

THE BUTTERTONES

Doors 8pm/ Show 9pm

Ventura Music Hall Presents:

THE GREEN

with CAS HALEY and ETANA

Doors 6pm / Show 7pm

LARRY JUNE

with MONROE FLOW and DVME

Doors 7pm / Show 8pm

HEARTLESS BASTARDS

with MATTHEW LOGAN VASQUEZ

Doors 7pm/ Show 8pm

YUSSEF DAYES

Doors 7pm/ Show 8pm

1. One of the UK’s most exciting and innovative young drummers and producers, Yussef Dayes has been deeply involved in jazz as long as he can remember. Best known for workwith his brothers in United Vibrations, and also as one half of electrifying duo Yussef Kamaal, he’s been developing his sound since age four when his dad bought him his first drum kit.
2. Born and raised in South East London, as a kid Yussef was practicing non-stop: “My parentswere strict–if I was gonna do this, I had to take it seriously.”His father was a bass player inNew York in the 70s, and brought home an education’s worth of jazz vinyl that the Dayesbrothers all grew-up on–Yussef and his bassist brother Kareem would play along to theirdad’s records for hours at a time. This was the closest he got to formal jazz lessons until,when he was ten, he studied under Billy Cobham (Miles Davis’ drummer). Yussef considers this to have been the most impactful thing for his progression.
3. At school, many of Yussef’s peers were aspiring MCs, and he considers grime and hip-hopheavily influential to his output: “That same energy and those different flows, I put into mydrums.”Add to this his Jamaican father’s reggae collection, his late mother’s love of theBeatles and country, and his brother Ahmad producing jungle tracks, Yussef says: “there was good music in every room”–and this breadth of taste, blended with sounds found while travelling (notably time spent in Senegal) is audible in his exhilarating combination of sounds.
4. These varied influences would be put into a live setting from a young age–from ten years old he was playing shows with his brothers and their friend Wayne Francis II in anafro beat and rock-influenced spiritual jazz group.Then, cementing him as one of the need-to-knowartists in the UK scene, it was in 2015 that Yussef Kamaal was born. A duo with fellowLondoner Kamaal Williams, their 2016 albumBlack Focus, with its dancefloor sensibilities and funk-infused break beats, would become one of the most heralded jazz records of recent times, melding UK sounds with those of the US scene. Certified silver, the album won the duo the 2017 Jazz FM award for Best Breakthrough Act. With their rapturous shows, both groups have helped hone Yussef’s thrilling, rapid-fire live presence (he refers to it as analter-ego, “the beast” that takes over when he’s playing).
5. 2018 saw the release of ‘Love Is The Message’-Yussef’s transcendental first solo track,self-released on Cashmere Thoughts. Following this in 2019, Yussef’s solo journey continued to flourish releasing an AA single entitled DUALITY, consisting of ‘For My Ladies’and ‘Othello’.
6. A testament to the breadth and scope of his work in 2019, Yussef sound tracked and curated the Louis Vuitton dinner show for Paris Men’s Fashion Week in January 2019, collaborating with none other than Virgil Abloh and Benji B.
7. Currently, in 2020, Yussef and fellow South East London musician Tom Misch havereleased their joint album entitledWhat Kinda Music, distributed on legendary jazz label, Blue Note. The album curated by drummer and singer-songwriter expresses music’s ability to tick the boxes of all-genres and to appeal to an incredibly vast audience. The album has gained much global success including reaching #4 in the UK Official Charts, #1 Current Contemporary Jazz Album in the US Billboard Charts and #52 Album in the US BillboardCharts.
8. With a solo album in the pipeline, Yussef says working solo allows him to be free: uncompromising in choices of sounds and collaborators. He’s running with that freedom, working on multiple projects as a producer and player with some of the key names in the UK jazz scene and beyond.
9. It’s an exciting time ahead, with more of those soaring, epic, and intricate soundscapes that don’t sound quite like anything else to come. “Drumming is a way of communicating and expressing yourself”, he says–and in 2020, there’s no doubt Yussef Dayes is going to be the one leading the conversation.

GUSTER

Doors 6pm / Show 7pm

SAVE FERRIS

with THE AQUADOLLS and STONEFLYS

Doors 8pm/ Show 9pm

JOSH MELOY

Doors 7pm/ Show 8pm

Oklahoma native, Josh Meloy, is blazing his own trail in the music industry with an undeniably
authentic sound. Inspired by country greats, Meloy has cultivated his own brand of country
music. Holding strong to the old school natural sound, Meloy’s live performance is almost
indistinguishable from his studio recordings.
Meloy didn’t plan on playing music in the beginning. In a family with strong ties to music, he
chose sports. It wasn’t until attending Oklahoma State University at the age of 19 that he first
picked up a guitar. Meloy, now 28, has since matured as a musician and songwriter while
earning a strong fan base touring the Nation.

CORY HENRY

Doors 7pm/ Show 8pm

Simply put Cory Henry is a Grammy Award Winning Artist, Composer, Producer, Multi-instrumentalist, all around keyboard master, and is the future of music!

In 2021, Cory’s album Something to Say was nominated at the 2022 Grammy Awards for Best Progressive Album and as a co-writer and producer on Kanye West’s Donda and Eric Bellinger’s New Light. Other collaborations include: Imagine Dragons, Rosalia, Smino, Lucky Daye, and many more.Cory was previously a member of Snarky Puppy, and during his time in the band he garnered three Grammy Awards!

Most recently Cory’s latest masterpiece, Operation Funk, has garnered attention from fans all over the world as he delivered sold out shows in Israel, Spain, Amsterdam, Australia, and throughout the United States along with playing most of the major music festivals.

FORTUNATE YOUTH 

with ELI MAC

Doors 7pm/ Show 8pm

All tickets purchased for the original date of 5/17 remain valid

EEK-A-MOUSE

with RISING SON

Doors 7pm/ Show 8pm

Ripton Hylton was born in November 19, 1957 in Kingston, Jamaica. He began his music career when he was in college, releasing two roots reggae singles under his own name. He then went on to work for various sound systems over the next few years and also released a few more singles. He adopted the stage name "Eek-A-Mouse" in 1979, taking the name of a racehorse he always bet on; it was a nickname his friends had used for some time. He began recording for Joe Gibbs in 1979, having a hit straight away with "Once a Virgin" and this was soon followed with "Wa-Do-Dem" (produced by Douglas Boothe), and "Modelling Queen", which began an association with Linval Thompson, who produced his debut Bubble Up Yu Hip album.

By the end of 1980, he had linked up with producer Henry "Junjo" Lawes, with whom he had big hits in 1981 with the likes of "Virgin Girl" and a recut "Wa-Do-Dem". In 1981, he was the star of the Reggae Sunsplash Festival, cheering audiences still mourning over the death of reggae icon Bob Marley. His association with Lawes led to a string of successful singles and albums, and in 1982 his hits included "Wild Like a Tiger", "For Hire and Removal", "Do You Remember", and "Ganja Smuggling". The same year he released his second album, Wa Do Dem. The "Operation Eradication" single showed Hylton's serious side, the song inspired by the vigilante killing of close friend and fellow DJ Errol Shorter. Skidip was released before the year was out.

Further albums followed with 1983's Mouse and the Man, produced by Linval Thompson, and 1984's Mouseketeer, again produced by Lawes. He also featured on several of the live dancehall albums from the era, including the Aces International and Live at Skateland collections. In 1985 he targeted the United States with the Assassinator album in (his first US release), produced by Anthony and Ronald Welch. He also travelled to the United Kingdom to record The King and I the same year, the album targeted at the rock crossover audience to which he had begun to appeal.

His 1988 album Eek-A-Nomics saw him begin to establish himself with an international audience, spawning a club hit with "The Freak", and he was signed by Island Records in 1989. He returned to prominence with 1991's U-Neek album, which continued the rock-oriented style, including a cover version of Led Zeppelin's "D'yer Mak'er", and from which the hit single "You're The One I Need" was taken. He went through a period of relative quietness before returning in 1996 with the Black Cowboy album.

Eek-A-Mouse is a regular at Sunsplash and often teams up with reggae duo Michigan & Smiley. An album was issued of his performance in 1983.

He performed in Jamaica for the first time in eight years in August 2015 at the Marcus Garvey Festival in Ocho Rios.

YUNG PINCH

with RILEY

Doors 8pm/ Show 9pm

M. WARD

Doors 7pm/ Show 8pm

M. WARD’S “SUPERNATURAL THING” DEFIES THE PASSING OF TIME
by James Cushing
Several times, as I listened to M. Ward’s Supernatural Thing, I asked myself what year it
was. Was it 1952, and was I listening to a track from the Harry Smith Anthology? Was it
1972, and was I eavesdropping on the recording session for After the Gold Rush?
No, it’s 2023, and M. Ward is one of the special contemporary artists who invite such
questions. Ward has clearly mastered the whole vocabulary of American popular music
and made serious decisions about how to employ it for his own ends. What Ward
shares with Harry Smith’s artists and Neil Young is a context of musical and human
values: authenticity and intimacy. Supernatural Thing’s original songs sound freshly
pulled from the ground, with a little earth sticking to them. Ward’s lyric delivery has that
slight rawness the ear loves, and his voice has quiet dignity and great tenderness.
Supernatural Thing is an open-hearted, inviting album.
The album’s guest stars — First Aid Kit, Shovels & Rope, Scott McMicken, Neko Case,
Jim James, others — enliven the album with surprises. On “Too Young to Die,” the
women’s voices in First Aid Kit spread a light frosting over the melody, and their Beach
Boys-like chorus on “Engine 5” makes the song sound like an instant hit. The whole
program has a lovely open house feeling, reminiscent of pre-pandemic house parties. It
was at such parties in San Luis Obispo in the mid-1990s where I first heard M. Ward’s
music. He was still a college student, writing his first songs and learning the vocabulary
he uses today with such calm assurance.
I asked him about the title track, in which Elvis Presley appears with a message: You
can go anywhere you please. “Well, all my songs depend on dream-imagery to some
extent,” he replied, “and this was an actual dream I had about Elvis, when he came to
me and said that. I don’t know if it’s pandemic-related or not.” This is the song where
Ward sings “you feel the line is growing thin / between beautiful and strange,” which I
told him I thought sums up the emotional tone of the album. (He agreed.)
“The title Supernatural Thing comes from an early thought as a kid that radio traveled
the same airwaves as messages from supernatural things — and music, especially
remembered music, is somehow tied up in this exchange,” he continued.
“The sending and receiving of messages from memory and dreams seem to move
along this same often broken-up wavelength. In this way and many others, I see this
new record as an extension, 18 years later, of my Transistor Radio record, but this new
record is better because its more concise and has more voices and more moods — the
way my favorite radio was and still is.”
I also asked about the guest artists, especially First Aid Kit, a new name to me. "First
Aid Kit are twin sisters from Stockholm, and when they open their mouths, something
amazing happens,” Ward explained. “It was a great thrill to go to Stockholm and record
a few songs there.  The sound from blood-related harmony singers is impossible to get any other way – The Everly Brothers, The Delmores, The Louvins, The Carters, The Söderbergs - all have the same kind of feeling in their vocals."

Eight of the album’s ten songs are Ward originals. There’s an unusual Bowie choice, “I
Can’t Give Everything Away” from Blackstar, and a live rendition of Daniel Johnston’s
“Story of an Artist.” “Bowie and Johnston are constant sources of inspiration for me,
have been for I don’t know how many years,” Ward offered. Hearing the Bowie
instrumental, so different in feel from the original recording, I was reminded of an
evening long ago in San Luis Obispo when Ward, playing solo acoustic in a coffee
house, sang “Let’s Dance” as a very slow ballad, revealing the lonely yearning the
extraverted original only hinted at.
"When you can’t go out and see it for yourself, radio is still the best way for me to
connect with the outside world. Whether it be music or talk or news or politics - FM or
AM or satellite – I re-learned this while stranded indoors during the pandemic - It's
constantly changing at the hands of someone far away who you don't know and there's
a lot in that exchange to be inspired by when it comes to making records"

HATCHIE

with SEA LEMON

Doors 7pm/ Show 8pm

Hatchie - Giving the World Away, the sophomore album from Hatchie, is the truest introduction to the songwriter at the helm of the project, Harriette Pilbeam. Although her sound arrived fully-formed, a dazzling dream-pop and shoegaze tangle, it’s here that Hatchie fully distills the core of herself into a record. Giving the World Away is an album about self-confidence, about reclamation, about the strange time in young adulthood where you begin to finally be able to see yourself clearly. Incisive and probing, Giving the World Away is the clearest look at Hatchie yet, and a relic of the power and bravery that spring forth from embracing vulnerability and putting your heart on the line.

Sea Lemon - Based out of Seattle, Sea Lemon is the solo dreampop project of songwriter Natalie Lew. Natalie released her debut EP Close Up with Spirit Goth Records in May of 2022, which was described by The Seattle Times as “one of the strongest debuts of the year.” Sea Lemon has opened for acts like Wolf Parade, Suki Waterhouse, Ducks Ltd., Disq, and played festival Capitol Hill Block Party. Sonically inspired by lush, dreamy guitar tones and bright melodies, Natalie’s songwriting and sound is all about embracing nostalgia and wistfulness, and her experiences growing up as a 4th-generation-Asian American woman. Sea Lemon will be releasing new music in 2023.

FOY VANCE - REGARDING THE JOY OF NOTHING TOUR

with BONNIE BISHOP

Doors 6pm/ Show 7pm

Hailing from Northern Ireland and deeply rooted in the rich musical history of the Southern United States, Foy Vance has garnered acclaim from fans and fellow musicians alike since his independent debut album release in 2007. Foy released his second LP, Joy of Nothing, in 2013 on Glassnote Records which led to further critical praise and invites on tours from Ed Sheeran, Bonnie Raitt, Marcus Foster, Snow Patrol and Sir Elton John. Additionally, Foy has headlined tours globally to sell-out crowds.

Foy was the second artist signed to Gingerbread Man Records, Ed Sheeran’s label division within Atlantic Records. Foy’s debut recording with the label, The Wild Swan, was Executive Produced by Sir Elton John and released in 2016. In 2019, Foy released two companion albums, From Muscle Shoals and To Memphis, recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and Sam Phillips Recording Studio in Memphis. His songwriting credits include co-writing four cuts on Ed Sheeran’s 2017 album Divide, the title track on Sam Smith’s latest album Gloria and collaborations with Alicia Keys, Rag N Bone Man, Keith Urban, Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, Plan B and Rudimental.

Foy Vance's 2021 album, Signs Of Life, marked Foy’s second studio album ‘proper’ on Gingerbread Man Records and was a testament to his abilities as a songwriter. The thoughtful and poignant album was written and played more or less entirely by Vance, with assistance from young Northern Irish producer Gareth Dunlop, and received global recognition.

In 2022, Foy embarked on the Signs of Live + 15 Years of Hope tour, celebrating his latest album as well as the anniversary of his debut record. This year, he’ll be heading out on the road once again to play songs from one of his most impactful album’s, as well as tracks from the rest of his poignant discography for the Regarding the Joy of Nothing Tour.

STRUGGLE JENNINGS

Doors 7pm/ Show 8pm

The grandson of legendary Country Music icon Waylon Jennings, Struggle is part of a long legacy of Gangsters, Outlaws and Rock Stars.. Growing up as a black-sheep in his family, he fought his way out of the streets of West Nashville and into the studio where he would create the foundation for what has become his personal contribution to the Jennings family legacy..

Struggle's message of strength, determination and courage in the face of adversity continues to connect and resonate with people around the world. By sharing his story with honesty and passion he has developed a large and loyal fanbase who relate not only to his music but also to his personal journey.

Since being released from prison in 2016 Struggle has performed for sold out crowds across the country and released multiple projects. He is finally poised to take his place as a true modern day Outlaw and secure his position as the Godfather of the burgeoning Outlaw Hip Hop Rock & Roll movement.

THE LATIN DEAD

feat. John Kadlecik & Oscar Hernandez 

Doors 8pm/ Show 9pm

MATT MAESON A Solo Experience: That’s My Cue Tour

Doors 8pm / Show 9pm

One of his generation’s most fearless singer/songwriters, Matt Maeson has endlessly proven the powerful impact of fully revealing his demons and damage. With the arrival of 2019’s Bank On A Funeral, the 29-year-old Virginia native made history as the first male solo artist to earn two #1 Alternative Radio hits from a debut album, thanks to the smash success of the unforgettably confessional singles “Hallucinogenics” and “Cringe” (both of which went platinum). Now boasting over a billion streams, including his collaboration with Lana Del Rey on a remix of “Hallucinogenics,” the Nashville-based musician returns with his sophomore album Never Had To Leave—a revelatory body of work that embodies a newfound hopefulness, yet reinforces the raw intensity and unapologetic truth-telling that have defined Maeson’s music from the very start.

“The reason I make music is I want my songs to help people feel justified in whatever they’re feeling, especially if they’re going through hard times,” says Maeson. “When I was 17 I started performing in prisons as part of my parents’ prison ministry, and I realized what music could do as far as helping people feel dignified and less alone. It was a way of bringing light into one of the darkest possible places, and right away I knew I wanted to do that for everyone. Keeping that in mind has always motivated me to write as honestly as possible, without filtering anything out.”

Mainly produced by his longtime collaborator James Flannigan (MARINA, Broods), Never Had To Leave came to life in a series of free-flowing, highly experimental sessions in Nashville, Los Angeles, and Maeson’s former homebase of Austin. For help in shaping the album’s chameleonic and combustible sound, Maeson enlisted musician-friends like drummer Rob Humphreys (Karen O, Jacob Banks) and guitarist Brennan Smiley of The Technicolors, ultimately arriving at a frenetic collision of rock-and-roll and folk and irresistibly gritty pop. “This is definitely the most eclectic project I’ve ever done, which I’m sure is a byproduct of how the last few years have been so touch-and-go and strange,” Maeson points out. (In keeping with the spirit of tight-knit collaboration, Maeson also commissioned the album’s gorgeously surreal cover art from Jay Young, a fast-rising abstract painter he first met in church as a teenager.) 

In many ways a meditation on beginning anew after a long period of struggle and self-destruction, Never Had To Leave speaks to the triumph of hard-won clarity and resilience. “To me ‘Never Had To Leave’ felt like a salute to the end of the era that had started with Who Killed Matt Maeson,” he says, referring to the 2017 debut EP. “It’s about coming back to yourself, and it felt right to name the album something that has a real sense of hope and redemption to it.”

On the slow-building and soul-stirring “A Memory Away,” Never Had To Leave takes on a stunning tenderness as Maeson opens up about the infinite complexities and nuances of love (“Here’s to the failures/Tears that we’ve kept/Here’s to the chaos/Here’s to every fearful step”). “It’s about marriage and the ups and downs of it—the never-ending fight to stay connected and to keep growing together,” explains Maeson, who co-wrote “A Memory Away” with esteemed songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Ethan Gruska (Phoebe Bridgers, Manchester Orchestra).

Although much of Never Had To Leave finds Maeson boldly embracing the present, some songs reflect on certain formative moments in his past. Meanwhile, the album’s galvanizing lead single “Blood Runs Red” brings Maeson’s ultra vivid storytelling to a dizzying recollection of the darker side of life on the road (“A the sun comes up shining down on the 10/I did too much living and I’m dying again/I guess I lost my head at the Holiday Inn”). “I wrote ‘Blood Runs Red’ after I’d finished about three years of off-and-on touring,” he says. “When you’re playing shows for thousands of people every night and getting that massive amount of validation, it’s easy to lose yourself and suppress whatever issues you’re dealing with. One of the ways I reacted to that was drinking every night until I could fall asleep, and then when I got home all the problems I’d been avoiding just came rushing back.”

For Maeson, the making of ‘Never Had To Leave’ fulfills the restless creativity that’s relentlessly fueled his musical output. To that end, his past work includes such left-of-center projects as USERx—the 2021 self-titled EP from his genre-blurring collaboration with hometown friend/producer Rozwell, which featured such diverse guests as Pusha T, Masego, West Banks, and Manchester Orchestra. As he reveals, the process of creating Never Had To Leave reaffirmed the need to work at his own pace and follow his instincts without compromise. “This record taught me to take as long as I need to make the album I want, instead of pushing out something because of outside pressure,” he says. “I’ve never been someone to try and force the inspiration; I think you’ve got to go out and experience life to find something to write about. So for the most part, I just wait for the song to start writing itself, and hold onto the hope that it’ll keep happening that way for the rest of my life.”

Thanks to that utter lack of calculation, Maeson’s songwriting has continually provided an essential outlet for artist and audience alike. “Music has always been a way for me to express the things I can’t say out loud to people or don’t even know how to put into words yet,” he says. “But the main reason why I’m trying to do this as authentically as possible goes back to wanting to help other people feel understood. It’s still so crazy to me that just by playing an A minor chord then a D and F, without any lyrics behind it, you can immediately make someone feel something—it’s like some kind of superpower, and I don’t think I’ll ever take that lightly.”

PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS

Doors 7pm / Show 8pm

THE HAPPY FITS: UNDER THE SHADE OF GREEN

with SMALL CRIUSH and HOT FREAKS

Doors 6pm / Show 7pm

THE ORIGINAL WAILERS

Doors 7pm/ Show 8pm

DEAN LEWIS

with SARA KAYS

Doors 7pm/ Show 8pm

POWERMAN 5000

with JULIEN K

Doors 8pm/ Show 9pm

RAWAYANA

Doors 7pm / Show 8pm