Bingo Loco
Koo Koo
The VIP ticket includes a GA ticket, a photo opportunity with Bryan & Neil before the show, a limited edition button, poster, laminate and early entry to the venue. Every person entering the VIP must have a VIP ticket. VIP is from 11am-Noon day of the show. Koo Koo was created by Bryan and Neil in 2008. They met four years prior as freshman at St. Mary’s University in Winona, MN. After being in a campus rock band for the first few years of college, the guys created Koo Koo as an experimental project for SMU’s annual battle of the bands. The idea centered around crowd participation, comedy and dance music, stretching the concept of a what a “band” could be. The next few years saw Bryan and Neil touring throughout the midwest playing bars, basements and barbecues. Meanwhile they released their first few albums and music videos. In 2010 the band was chosen to support Orange County superhero rock band The Aquabats on their east coast tour. This turned into more support slots with Reel Big Fish and Yo Gabba Gabba Live. Meanwhile Koo Koo began creating “dance-a-long” videos (initially as something of a joke) for their songs in order to help demonstrate the moves that audiences would need to know at their shows. These videos were unexpectedly a hit with elementary school teachers, which led Koo Koo into the world of children’s music and becoming a “real” kids band. More domestic and international touring followed as the guys hit the road with The Vans Warped Tour, Frank Turner & Sleeping Souls, and MC Lars. Concept albums about cats, potty humor, self-help, holidays and Panera Bread added to the band’s discography. Simultaneously, the popularity of their “brain break” dance-a-long videos continued to skyrocket in classrooms around the world. In 2021 Bryan and Neil released their first non-concept album since 2013, partnering with Twin Cities producer extraordinaire Lazerbeak. “Slow Clap” presents a more hip-hop-centric sound with plenty of grooving bass lines and monstrous drums, while retaining the catchy, weirdo-energy fans expect from the band.
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buffchick
Teenage Bottlerocket
They’ve toured the world countless times. They kept the leather jacket-and-Converse look alive through an increasingly neon landscape. They’ve written songs about KISS, Top Gun and Minecraft. Hell, they’ve even been on CNN a few times! Please welcome back to the spotlight Wyoming’s own…Teenage Bottlerocket! With more than 100 original songs already in their catalog, how does the band stay motivated when they’re eight records deep? “We’re always in competition with ourselves,” Carlisle explains. “The real competition is between me and Kody. It’s like, ‘You wrote a song that destroys everything else on this record. Let me try to do that to you real quick. How’s that feel?” And then he comes back and one ups me.“It’s all about the songs,” he continues. “The songs carry this record all the way. That’s not to say there are bad songs on our other records—we have a hard time releasing a shitty song. But these songs are especially great. You know ALL’s best-of record where Allroy is dissecting a musical note? I felt we kind of tapped into that record in a great way, not in a ‘Oh no, they’re experimental now!’ way. This is a Teenage Bottlerocket record through and through, but there’s a lot of hidden elements.” Carlisle’s pride about their latest album, Sick Sesh!, is obvious, but he’s not the only one who loves the album. “Fat Mike called me and said, ‘Hey, this is your best record,” Carlisle recalls. “I said, ‘Cool,thanks for noticing.’” Given that the band is already two decades old, however, is there any chance of the band slowing down? Carlisle shoots that idea down right away.“I want to have the best next 10 years,” the singer says. “We’ve grinded the grind. Now we get to actually enjoy being a band, and not think too much about different ways to try and ‘make it.’ We’re riding this wave we built ourselves. I wanna surf it for another 10 years.”Well there you have it: The three things in life you can always count on are death, taxes and Teenage Bottlerocket.
The Farewell Season
The Farewell Season plays music made for a long drive down a back highway. The band slides effortlessly from Americana, to folk, to indie and back again. What started as friends passing time across the internet during the pandemic turned into a band that splits time between Omaha and the Twin Cities these days. Formed by frontman Nate Gasaway (The Big Deep) and drummer Taylor Stein (Ten O’Clock Scholars), the lineup is rounded out by Paul Gedbaw on guitar and Justin Crow on bass; both veterans of the Nebraska music scene.
Bennie & The Gents: Bennie Does Bowie IX
Testing, testing, ground control to Major Tom. It is that time again ladies and gentlemen when Bennie & The Gents spend an entire evening paying tribute the only and only David Bowie. This show has grown to be legendary and is an epic evening of music and showmanship. Do not miss out on this special one night only event.
Fountains of Dane
George Clanton
George Clanton doesn’t just produce gleaming electronic pop, he produces nostalgia too. The Los Angeles artist’s process involves tweaking synthesizer presets, but beyond searching for the right melodies and textures, he’s hoping to come upon a sound that strikes a spiritual chord. “I’m looking for something that triggers a memory or an emotion,” he says. His lyrics are direct transmissions from his soul: raw, often off-the-cuff, evocative. When you pair those words with the gauzy textures Clanton’s become known for, his music feels like a dreamy filter you can put over your own memories. Every moment feels a little more colorful, a little more comforting. You can hear the impact of this approach in his upcoming third album—take fuzz-pop anthem “Fucking Up My Life.” The track is both raucous and soothing, and as Clanton’s distorted croons echo across swelling synths and crushing breakbeats, he offers a mantra: “It feels alright.” It’s a fitting return for an artist who’s spent the last decade cutting through the noise. In addition to making music, he runs the 100% Electronica record label with his fellow pop mutator and wife Negative Gemini. He also spearheads events, including weekly livestreams on Twitch. Being extremely online has allowed Clanton’s fans access to the depths of his personality, to connect with his work more deeply. “I think of myself as the ultimate DIY person,” he says. “Working the George Clanton way has made for a really unique career that hasn’t yet been fully recognized.” Growing up, Clanton knew he wanted to be an entertainer, but he didn’t know how. His hometown of Ridgeway, Virginia, had a NASCAR track but no concert venues or record stores. So MTV was his primary education: videos by artists like 311, The Prodigy, and the Bad Boy Records crew taught the art of showmanship. He downloaded a lot of music from Limewire. During one session, a mislabeled download of what he thought was Oasis turned out to be shoegaze band Brian Jonestown Massacre, opening him up to the vast world of underground music on the internet, which led him to help form the scene that would dream up vaporwave. Clanton’s new album finds him both musically and personally matured. It’s an elegant merging of all his past musical selves—of stirring rock, sweeping shoegaze, and niche electronics—augmented with more complex layers and physical instruments. It’s also a journey inwards as Clanton emphasizes personal reflection and self-improvement—themes he’s held close his whole career. “It’s definitely something that I need to get out,” he says of the music. “I want people to know that George Clanton is better than ever and something amazing is coming just around the corner.”