We capped our ‘26 winter-spring tour off with a special concert at Studio5 Evanston featuring two themed sets.

Set #1 - All new music
Not new like ‘our new album’, we’re talking new-new brand-spakin-new tunes from the road. Connor brought in a Punch Brothers cover, Neil wrote something that sounds like Steely Dan on amphetamines, plus the extended bass solo you were waiting for.

Set #2 - New Nostalgia by request
You picked the tunes. You named the song you’ve been waiting for us to play live——a old classic, a deep cut, a Kowalski trombone solo you’d been holding your breath to hear.

Dave Willems, the buyer for Gibson Community Music Hall who first booked us a few years ago, is a thoughtful, soft-spoken live music champion. He quietly but firmly advocates the very best for performers––providing lodging, paying extra bread to touring bands like ours, and staying in touch long after the show to maintain ongoing relationships with artists. But it's not just Dave––it's the entire city of Appleton. This place is a haven for musicians. We first played Gibson in 2024 and it was a no-brainer to return this year, this time with support from Madison funk / rock / jammers WURK. Without question the most memorable moment was a spontaneous dance sesh with Neil, Kevin, and sub-trombonist-extraordinaire Jeff Parker, which you can watch on our recap post (3rd slide).

The Upper Peninsula college town of Marquette, Michigan sits on the southern tip of Lake Superior. We've been visiting our lovely rowdy friends in Marquette since 2024, and while theirs is the largest city in the UP (pop. 20,000), Marquette feels quite isolated and distinct––a sleepy hamlet by day, a raucous beer-fueled party by night. Especially at Ore Dock Brewing Co., a popular spot we've been playing since our friends Bumpus introduced us a few years back. Extended sets, loud patrons (in the best way), late-night karaoke, late-morning brunch––every visit to Ore Dock is a joy, and we can't wait to return next season.

The Bop Stop is a multi-tiered upscale performance space operated by The Music Settlement, a Cleveland-based arts nonprofit organization. "Multi-tiered" meaning it literally has multiple physical levels of seating, so there is not a bad seat in the house. This venue has some of the best sound (and sound engineering staff) that we've ever worked with––none of us ever "overplays" in this room, because the volume is so well controlled. Also, they have a 7' Yamaha grand piano 😍 Also also, they also livestream their shows, so you can check out our performance on YouTube! 

After a break from tour to work on various projects––and refuel with italian beef and giardinera––we hit the road once again for a return to the Blue Llama, Ann Arbor's premier jazz listening room. As a band we've always enjoyed performing in both jazz and rock rooms, as each provides a different atmosphere, and requires a different approach. In jazz clubs––and the Llama is no exception––we put away our more rock-oriented material and lean into our softer, more "heady" repertoire like Turn of Phrase, Fast Car, and Only You. Also in a huge victory for the band, no one left anything behind this time (including Neil's iPad, which on our last Blue Llama run had to be shipped back to Chicago 🤣).

We were researching venues in Rockford––a city west of Chicago––and came across this small club with an approximate capacity of 110. "Perfect," Neil said, "if we get 50 bodies in there, it'll feel like a packed room." We ended up selling the place out which was great, but none of us were prepared for the tiny stage––on which we had to squeeze 9 musicians, plus instruments and music stands. Luckily the close quarters made for an intimate night of shred, with an audience that couldn't have been more appreciative. We will never forget this show Rockford ❤️

Our tour took us to Minneapolis for the first time as a band, where we donned blazers and partially hid our tattoos for an evening at Crooner's Supper Club just north of the city. Our tenorist Kevin King once again skipped dinner to spend the pre-show time shedding, while Neil struggled with a dead power cable but was saved by Zach, our fantastic sound engineer. Zach, if you read this––the cable is still working 🤘

Night 2 of our album release tour took us to X-Ray Arcade, a rock venue in Cudahy, WI, just outside Milwaukee. Our DIY show poster hung in the bathroom with some equally-DIY accolades ("The Sound of Green Day Having Consensual Sex with Miles Davis" // "Sponsored by No One"), and the evening featured a warm-up set from Madison's Becca Murray and the Wildflowers. Only our second-ever time performing in Milwaukee, the 30 people in attendance danced, shouted, and rocked like they amassed 100 bodies or more. Neil's favorite show of the tour.

The first stop on our album release tour was Gamma Ray Bar, in the heart of Madison, Wisconsin. A shotgun divey-dive bar featuring pinball in the front and a 70-cap live music room in the back, Gamma Ray reminded us of Chicago haunts like Cole's, Livewire Lounge, or Cafe Mustache. We had the joy of partnering with two local bands––alt-singer-songwriter outfit Sapsucker and fusion keyboard trio Lowboy––who welcomed us with open Midwestern arms. Notably this was our first live performance of Tim's arrangement of Sailing originally by Christopher Cross, an early-80's yacht-rock tune which Tim lovingly (and quite disrespectfully) fucked up to high heaven 🤘

Come party with us at Schuba’s as we celebrate the release of “Role Models”, the second single from our new album!