Theory

Join us for a night of rock in honor of 89.7 The River’s 30th Anniversary!

Cosmic Charlie

“Cosmic Charlie really is a great band – these guys do this music the way it should be done: having the conversation in their own voices.”             -David Gans, Grateful Dead Hour Cosmic Charlie was born in the musical Mecca of Athens, Georgia. From its summer 1999 inception, the band swiftly cemented its reputation as a band that puts a unique and personal twist on the Grateful Dead catalogue. Cosmic Charlie is a Dead cover band for folks that are ambivalent about Dead cover bands. Rather than mimicking the Dead exactly, Cosmic Charlie chooses to tap into the Dead’s energy and style as a foundation on which to build. The result is healthy balance of creativity and tradition, where both the band and its audience are taken to that familiar edge with the sense that, music is actually being MADE here tonight. Moving and shaking even the most skeptical of Deadheads, Cosmic Charlie storms into a town and plays with an energy that eludes other bands, an energy that sometimes eluded the Dead themselves. Those precious moments during Dead jams when the synchronicity is there and all is right with the world –  these are the moments that Cosmic Charlie relishes and feverishly welcomes with open arms. Clearly, Cosmic Charlie’s audiences are also eager to partake in these moments, and together with the band, they have indulged in many memorable evenings. Most nights, Cosmic Charlie walks onstage without a setlist, not even knowing what the first song will be. Any Dead tune can rear its head at any moment, and fan requests are always welcome. “INSPIRATION, MOVE ME BRIGHTLY” is Cosmic Charlie’s mantra, allowing the music to truly play the band. Youtube Facebook Instagram Cosmic Charlie

Jordy Searcy

In 2020, after Jordy Searcy made a name as a homegrown touring act and a landmark songwriter for his generation, he left Nashville behind and hopped into his touring-van-turned-camper and drove to the west coast. The 2022 album Daylight is the sound of that uncertain adventurous time, surfing up and down the west coast, writing songs in remote outdoor locations in solitude for weeks at a time and touring the country with friends. All of that changed in February 2022 when he met his now-wife, Michel Janse. A previous album titled “UFO” had been written, recorded and scrapped, because jordy found a new direction-The End Of Us. The End Of Us is an album about endings and beginnings-the end of the adventure a single musician in his 20’s discovering the world and taking risks, and the beginning of building a life with the person you want to spend it with. The end of relentlessly chasing a career in a music city, and the beginning of a quiet creative life in the small beach town of Oceanside, CA where jordy now lives. For his wife Michel, this record also has special meaning-this is her 2nd marriage, and the record explores her story and her healing process. Enlisting the help of longtime friend and hometown buddy Phillip Vo to write and produce, this record is energetic, California summery, Beatlesy, and fresh organic pop all in one. Relying on craft, inspiration, and fun, “The End Of Us” is a no-skips good time. “Everyone’s life has little endings, its one of the only things you can rely on. For me, it doesn’t matter what you leave behind when something ends, its what you build going forward. That’s what this album is about-allowing yourself to become a new person, with a new person. I can’t wait for people to hear these songs!”

Allen Stone and Ripe

Allen Stone VIP Pre-Show Experience Includes:  One (1) Premium Balcony OR General Admission Ticket Intimate Acoustic Performance Q&A Session with Allen Stone Group Photograph with Allen Stone One (1) Collectible Tour Poster; Autographed by Allen Stone One (1) Specially Designed Allen Stone Merchandise Bundle One (1) Commemorative VIP Laminate Venue First Entry Allen Stone VIP Side-Stage Experience Includes: One (1) General Admission Ticket Exclusive VIP Viewing from Side Stage During Allen’s Performance Intimate Acoustic Performance Q&A Session with Allen Stone Group Photograph with Allen Stone One (1) Collectible Poster; Autographed by Allen Stone One (1) Specially Designed Allen Stone Merchandise Bundle One (1) Commemorative VIP Laminate Venue First Entry Ripe Goon Squad Side-Stage Experience Includes: One (1) General Admission Ticket Exclusive VIP Viewing from Side Stage during Ripe’s Performance Intimate Soundcheck Performance Q&A Session with Ripe Group Photo with Ripe One (1) Signed Tour Poster Venue First Entry Ripe Goon Squad VIP Experience Includes: One (1) Premium Balcony or General Admission Ticket  Intimate Soundcheck Performance Q&A Session with Ripe Group Photo with Ripe One (1) Signed Tour Poster Venue First Entry   Allen Stone, a soul/R&B luminary, has enraptured global audiences with his electrifying performances and soulful melodies, embodying the essence of classic soul legends. Stone’s journey to musical stardom commenced in Chewelah, Washington, where his upbringing immersed him in gospel music as a pastor’s son. Relocating to Seattle, he tirelessly toured the West Coast in his ’87 Buick, often playing up to 200 dates annually alongside luminaries such as Stevie Wonder and Gary Clark Jr. Back in the studio, you can expect more music in 2025 along with festival dates and supporting Chris Stapleton. Ripe remembers sweating to hell in a basement underneath a Subway sandwich shop, building their very first songs in a concrete cube that smelled like fresh bread. They remember selling their first tickets by hand outside the coffee shop that their friends worked at, holding court like twenty-something impresarios trying to move like 50 tickets to a bar that was willing to let you keep the ticket sales if they kept the bar. In a world where we constantly feel the loving pressure to “tell our story”, where so many of our friends that have found success as artists have done it alone, Ripe is using their bio to tell you that at the center of everything is collaboration and community, a friendship that has become a bond as strong as family, a constantly spinning object that cannot be properly captured by any single still photograph. Joy in the wild unknown let us tell you who we were. Bright blues had us ripped apart so we could start again. What comes next is the band swinging for the fences, all in at the table, risking everything for a shot at feeling connected to you. Thank you for being here.

Paul Cauthen – Live & Acoustic

Paul Cauthen is a true force of nature. His ability to captivate audiences with his soulful sound and larger-than-life personality has become lore amongst those that have witnessed it. Also doesn’t hurt to have a generational set of pipes to top it all off. Hailing from East Texas, Cauthen embodies the spirit of the Lone Star State, earning a reputation for doing things his own way. Born into a family of preachers, Cauthen’s upbringing heavily influences his deep-rooted connection to music. With a voice that resonates with raw emotion, he aims to transport listeners, inviting them on a journey through love, heartbreak, and the pursuit of personal freedom. Cauthen has continued to explore new sonic territory fearlessly, while unapologetically defying expectations and creating music that resists categorization. 

King Parrot

King Parrot –  Australian grindcore band formed in Melbourne in 2010.  They are known for their unique blend of grindcore, death metal, thrash metal, and hardcore punk, creating a sound that is both intense and chaotic. https://kingparrothc.bandcamp.com/   Bonginator – death metal / hardcore / slam / grindcore from Mass. https://bonginator.bandcamp.com/   Squid Pisser – hardcore / grindcore / metal / punk from Los Angeles (feat member of Gwar & Cancer Christ!) https://squidpisser.bandcamp.com/   Disrepair – D-beat raw punk from Lincoln https://disrepairpunk.bandcamp.com

Socks In The Frying Pan – CANCELLED

Socks in the Frying Pan are a multi-award winning trio from County Clare on the West coast of Ireland, the universal hub of Irish traditional music. Their dynamic vocal harmonies, virtuosic musical ability and their onstage wit has captured and captivated audiences the world around. One of the most sought after groups in Irish music today, the worldwide ‘Sock Invasion’ continues! This youthful trio blend Irish traditional melodies with their own personal flair which has gained them critical acclaim and accolades including ‘New Band of the Year’ by the Irish Music Association. The group have been embraced in the United States, having been booked by every major Irish festival and praised for their modern traditional style and energetic approach to music. They have a clear love for live performance which only compliments the traditional essence in their shows and makes for a truly unique form of entertainment.

Sound Dojo Vol III

Enter the Sound Dojo formless & be ready to free your mind to some expiermental sound waves!

Rosali

North Carolina-based artist Rosali makes songs that take their time in revealing their full power. What might first appear to be restrained, introspective compositions will stretch slowly outward, snagging your attention with a subtly sideways guitar lead or an exceptionally raw lyric you didn’t catch the first time around. A child of two musicians, Rosali grew up as part of a large family that sang together and taught themselves various instruments, finding the earliest forms of her musical voice harmonizing and making up songs with her sisters. As an adult, Rosali merged this musical upbringing with an active involvement in Philly’s experimental and D.I.Y. community. Her 2016 solo debut Out of Love was released on Siltbreeze, a long-running label that champions abstract noise and challenging listening. While Rosali’s earliest work was far nearer to folk-informed rock than harsh sonics, it held an intensity of its own in its strange angles and unexpected vulnerability. Second album Trouble Anyway expanded on the debut with clearer production and more involved arrangements. A host of friends from Philly’s freak scene contributed to the album, including appearances from ambient harpist/pianist Mary Lattimore, Purling Hiss/Birds of Maya shredder Mike Polizze, glistening lap-steel from Mike Sobel, understated percussion from War On Drugs drummer Charlie Hall, and several others. Trouble Anyway brought Rosali a new level of exposure, with a flood of positive critical press and tours supporting acts like The Weather Station and J Mascis. Along with her solo work, Rosali’s output has materialized as a broad spectrum of disparate collaborations, including the hypnotic garage trio Long Hots, slow-burning psych scrawl in duo Monocot with Cloud Nothings drummer Jayson Gerycz, and Wandering Shade, a three guitar improv act with Headroom’s Kryssi Battalene and Thrill Jockey artist Sarah Louise. Aspects of the more free-floating side of Rosali’s oeuvre inform her songwriting process, with songs often emerging from the ether of lengthy improvisation sessions, new ideas congealing through a boundless exploration of possibilities. Brought to life with help from Omaha’s David Nance Group as the backing band, 2021’s song-centered No Medium was a sharply realized example of Rosali’s distinctive synthesis of metered songwriting and unfettered searching. Around the same time, she offered a completely separate side of her craft with cassette release Chokeweed, a collection of auburn-hued solo guitar improvisations. She followed that in 2023 with the acclaimed improvisational guitar album Variable Happiness released under the moniker Edsel Axle. In whatever form it takes, Rosali’s softly glowing music is malleable and deceptively fluid, able to appear patient and refined or at the edge of unraveling depending on how closely you chose to look. Bite Down, Rosali’s new album made in collaboration with Omaha’s finest David Nance, James Schroeder, and Kevin Donahue, and Destroyer collaborator, Ted Bois released March 22, 2024 on Merge Records.

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