Shellshag, Downtown Boys, Vacation, Bad Canoes

There's only two people in Shellshag. Shell and Shag. Shell plays guitar and sings while Shag plays drums standing up and also sings. She has bells sewn on her belt and ankles, so there's lots of frantic wiggling to coax the noise out of them. They both sing into a mic stand they built themselves that's shaped like a Y, so they face each other while they play. They're known for putting on shows that bring the house down, sometimes literally. You can always expect some crowd surfing, things being thrown across the room, and the singing along that sometimes threatens to drown them out. The end of their show usually results in the two of them either building a sculpture out of their instruments, amps, and themselves, or completely smashing Shag's drums. -Johnny No Pants Maximum Rock and Roll


Bilingual political sax dance punk party from providence.


Cincinnati, Ohio’s Vacation formed in 2010 as a trio, quickly putting out a slew of tapes, singles, and LPs on various DIY labels, while spreading their infectious pop-inspired punk through shows around their native Midwest and tours throughout the rest of the country. As a pillar of the ever-fertile Cincinnati music scene they also share, or have shared, members with bands including Tweens, Black Planet, and Pretty Pretty.

Over the last two years the band had some lineup changes and expanded into a four-piece, with singer/co-songwriter Jerri Queen stepping out from behind the drum kit to play guitar. The band is rounded out by original member Evan Wolff on bass, Dylan McCartney on drums, and John Hoffman on second guitar. As a quartet, their live sound has gotten larger, their shows more intense, and their recordings more nuanced and eclectic.


Experimental pop punk from Philadelphia and New Jersey.