BROOKS NIELSEN (of The Growlers)
Brooks Nielsen, celebrated frontman of The Growlers and now a critically acclaimed solo artist, has firmly established himself as one of the most distinctive voices in independent music. As the frontman and creative force behind The Growlers, Nielsen helped define and popularize the Beach Goth movement—a genre-blurring, countercultural wave that left an indelible mark on modern rock. Over more than a decade, The Growlers built a fiercely dedicated international following, performed at major festivals, and sold out venues around the world. Their celebrated discography and electrifying live shows cemented them as one of the most influential underground bands of the 21st century. In addition to their music, The Growlers also founded and curated the Beach Goth Festival, a groundbreaking event that brought together a wildly eclectic mix of artists—from Patti Smith and Bon Iver to Doja Cat and Mac DeMarco—making it a defining moment in the cultural landscape of the 2010s. Now, as a solo artist, Nielsen continues to push boundaries with the same fearless spirit. Since launching his solo career in 2022, he’s released four records—three of them in 2024 alone. His latest, A Ride I’m Waiting For, features the haunting duet “Without Eyes” with Sierra Ferrell and has been praised for its cinematic scope and emotional depth. On stage, Nielsen delivers an experience unlike anything else. Backed by a powerhouse band—Growlers drummer Richard Gowen, keyboardist Cole Riddle, and guitarists J.D. Carrera and Elyadeen Anbar—Brooks crafts a set each night that’s entirely its own. Drawing from his extensive solo catalog, deep cuts, Growlers classics, and unreleased material, his shows are long, loose, and alive. With no opening acts and performances stretching two and sometimes three hours, fans are invited into a world that feels as spontaneous as it does deeply curated. This Fall 2025 run is Brooks’s most ambitious solo tour to date, featuring first-ever solo plays in small towns, Aspen and Fort Collins, CO; Carrboro and Asheville, NC; Madison, WI; Ferndale, MI; New Haven, CT; St. Louis, MO; Boise, ID; Tulsa, OK; and Nashville, TN. There’s also a rare and intimate upstate New York show at the newly revived Bearsville Theatre in Woodstock—a venue rich with music history. In New York City, Nielsen will headline the legendary Webster Hall for the first time, marking his biggest solo show in the city yet—and in Chicago, he’ll play the iconic Metro, a rite of passage for generations of boundary-pushing artists. The 28-date tour wraps with the now-iconic Helloween shows at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on October 30 and 31—two surreal, sweat-soaked nights that have instantly become a rite of passage for Nielsen’s most devoted fans. Every year, Beach Rats from across the country—and around the world—make the journey for this once-a-year celebration of the strange and the sacred. It’s more than just a show: it’s a Mecca for the hardcore fanbase, a chance to mix with fellow travelers, share stories from the past, and revel in a night of music, mystery, and magic. If you know, you go.
Zepparella – The Led Zeppelin Powerhouse
How to honor the legacy of a band deemed sacred? To tread on holy ground is perilous, and must be done with the intent and spirit of a disciple—Pay attention to the intricacies of the magic, explore the far ends of the innovation, strive for ever-growing ability, and let the purity of the love for the music drive it all. Drummer Clementine is the founding member of ZEPPARELLA. From the beginning of her musical career, her goal has been to be onstage every night. The pursuit of that goal has led Clementine to constantly tour the US and Europe in projects as diverse as Bottom, AC/DShe, The House Of More, The Solid, Francis Bakin, Stars Turn Me On and Beaux Cheveux. She tackles the best rock drumming ever written with her own emotionally powerful style, bringing the Motown influence of the Bonham groove to the forefront. The profound musical connection established with Gretchen Menn (guitar), Holly West (bass), and Anna Kristina (vocals) creates the bond required to do this great music justice. It was under the tutelage of classical guitarist Phillip DeFremery, a student of Andrés Segovia, that guitarist Gretchen Menn began her path on the instrument. Playing with tireless passion and constantly seeking out new challenges, her projects are often unconventional, genre-bending expressions combining elements of classical, rock, progressive, jazz, and metal. On influences, Gretchen has never tired of her initial inspirations—Eric Johnson, Steve Morse, Frank Zappa, and Jeff Beck. But she has loved Jimmy Page’s guitar playing longer than she has played the guitar. It was through the music of Led Zeppelin that she found a gateway into music that resonated deeply with her, creating a love for guitar-oriented music, and, ultimately, the guitar. Bassist Holly West began her musical journey full-steam ahead, and more recently than her stellar playing belies. Her unstoppable will and drive have truly propelled her to this moment and her place in the powerhouse Zepparella. A self-taught bass player, she is also a blossoming vocalist with rich rock pipes. Her time on stage has been well spent, developing an impressive attack, impeccable feel, and a technique which seems to have come completely naturally to her, not to mention her dazzling stage presence and joyful performance style. Her influences span the rock gauntlet, from Clutch and the Rival Sons to Slash, ZZ Top, and of course, the mighty Zeppelin. Singer Anna Kristina is a soulful, fiery, and rocking vocal powerhouse who has stepped into Zepparella’s Plant spot for a second time. Anna was with the band for 5 years, became known for her performance in the band’s 15 million-view “When The Levee Breaks” video, took a 6-year hiatus, and now returns in 2018 to front the band. Her career has spanned acoustic, jazz, soul, rock, and her charisma and power delivers captivating performances every night. About her brilliant harp playing she says: “getting a chance to blow on the harmonica is an added bonus! Plant isn’t just a singer he’s a musician. He brings his blues background and natural percussive feel to his harmonica playing as well and I love getting lost in that. Playing the harp allows me to express on a whole different level and it’s so freeing.” Now more than ever, Zepparella explores their own improvised magic within the framework of Zeppelin’s mighty songs!
Elephant Rifle
Elephant Rifle is a band from Reno, Nevada. They have been toiling in relative obscurity since 2010. Their music draws from ’90s noise rock, ’80s hardcore punk, and ’70s classic rock, with some metal, jazz, and psychedelia, among other things, thrown in as well. Gaytheist – gay / hardcore / noise rock / punk from Portland, OR
Bad Year
Bad Year – pop punk / alternative rock from Milwaukee, WI Soda Spill – pop punk from Omaha Wood Haven – Omaha emo
Cinema Stereo
Hailing from Orlando, Florida, Cinema Stereo is a high energy melodic rock band with an affinity for writing infectious music with an original sound. Cinema Stereo consists of 3 unique individuals: Ian Rayha (Lead Vocals/Keyboard/Bass), Sebastian Borysek (Lead/Rhythm Guitar) and Luke Pate (Drummer). As confident visionaries, Cinema Stereo is greatly influenced by setting themselves apart from those before them, while drawing inspiration from their desire to invoke a passion in others through music. Public Figure – Pop-Alternative Rock from Omaha Las Cruxes -indie / lo-fi rock / shoegaze from Omaha
Creek + Ghostlike
CREEK – Drenched in reverb and melancholy, Creek is an emo band from Denver Colorado drawing on influences including Balance and Composure, Title Fight, and Seahaven. GHOSTLIKE – blends ethereal shoegaze textures with the raw intensity of post-hardcore to create a sound that is both haunting and invigorating. Fans of Holy Fawn, Fleshwater and Turnover will latch onto what the band brings in its composition and live performance. NOWHERE – Post Hardcore songs with Power Violence energy. Punishingly loud, meticulously precise. FACE – Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind, in this darkness which you know you cannot fight, the darkness of the music of the night.
Card Catalog
Card Catalog’s raw, eclectic, and energetic performances mix the impassioned grit of 90s rock with deft, playful musicality. True to its name, the band holds a little of everything, weaving across genres—sometimes with a rageful cry, sometimes with a grin, but always with power. Founded in 2013, Colorado-based Card Catalog pulls listeners to their feet with story-driven music, tangible on-stage chemistry, and the allure of authentic expression.
Gallivant
THROUGH FIRE
VIP MEET & EAT Includes: General Admission Ticket Early Entry at 5 Pizza with the Band (bar available for drink purchase) Signed Show Poster Photo Opportunity with Through Fire After a decade long journey full of adventures and priceless memories, it’s time to close the chapter. We’ve collectively decided to take a break from THROUGH FIRE to focus on new projects and life goals. We still plan on releasing new music at some point but for now, no more tours. We’re beyond grateful for everyone’s support over the years and very proud of what we’ve all accomplished together!! We want to thank every radio station, promoter, venue, our team/label/management/ crew, friends & family and of course, YOU – OUR FIGHTERS!! With that said, we have many things to celebrate, so we’re having a party!! Join us for 1 more show – THE LAST DANCE- Sat May 17 @ Waiting Room Lounge in our hometown Omaha, Ne!! MUCH LOVE – TF
Swans
Michael Gira founded Swans in 1982. Initially known for their brutal, high-volume onslaughts of sound and the extreme, abject imagery of Gira’s lyrics and his thundering vocals, Swans underwent a series of startling transformations over the next 15 years. After early punishing albums like Filth and Cop, they explored proto-industrial rock with Greed, atmospheric and martial elements on Children of God (1987), acoustic meditations on The Burning World (1989), and grand, melody-dense sonic whirlwinds with White Light from the Mouth of Infinity (1991) and Love of Life (1993), before becoming more dissonant and sharp-edged with The Great Annihilator (1994). Finally, the ultimate statement of that epoch of Swans, Soundtracks for the Blind, combined all of these elements across well over two hours of music. Gira disbanded the group, shifting focus to Angels of Light and his Young God Records label, fostering artists like Devendra Banhart and Akron/Family. In 2010, he revived Swans with My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky to ecstatic critical response followed by The Seer (2012) and To Be Kind (2014), with both earning critical and commercial success, leading to sold-out tours and multiple Billboard chart placements. The Glowing Man (2017) marked the end of that Swans incarnation, with Leaving Meaning (2019) and The Beggar (2023) continuing Gira’s work with an evolving lineup.