set times for kickoff jam 2024

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Once again ready to push the boundaries of their genre, Nashville based indie alt-rock band Moon Taxi is back with their sixth full length album, Set Yourself Free. With tracks ranging from rock to synth to pop to bluegrass, the new lineup showcases what 15 years as a band gets you: a polished, classic sound without fear of exploration. The five-member group- vocalist/guitarist Trevor Terndrup, lead guitarist Spencer Thomson, bassist Tommy Putnam, keyboardist Wes Bailey, and drummer Tyler Ritter- stepped back into their roots to create an album primarily written and recorded by themselves and set for release on their own label, 12th South Records.

“It was really rewarding for each of us. The last record had quite a few co-writes- this record did not. We challenged ourselves to write most of the material on our own and that’s really something to hang your hat on these days when you typically hire an outside writer or producer,” said Bailey on the band’s creative process. “We really tried to look inward and do a lot of that on our own.”  Remote

collaboration on Set Yourself Freestarted for the group during the pandemic, but 15 years of working together made that transition a smooth one.

“During the pandemic, we got used to FaceTime songwriting. For better or worse, it’s been a great way for everyone to collaborate remotely.  The lyics for the title track, Set Yourself Free, were even written on a 5 way call. And the song shows that collaborative color throughout. The idea of falling back on someone you trust is so important nowadays. But truly it’s how we’ve tried to operate as a band for all these years.” said Terndrup.

“You know, we’ve been a band for a while and we know each other really well. We spend a whole lot of time together, so it’s not that foreign to be able to get on a call and get your point across to anybody

else in the band. We know each other well enough to be able to accomplish that,” added Putnam.

The album was finished through work in a few Nashville studios with the help of producer and collaborator, Brennan Aerts.

Despite a more fragmented process, the band regards Set Yourself Free as more reminiscent of their early work, citing it as fresh and exciting. Ritter believes they have a fan favorite on their hands- something that will re-energize the old fan-base as well as draw in new listeners. Without a set sound in mind, the

group was free to mold the record into what feels like an authentic Moon Taxi album.

“We didn’t exactly sit down and have an agenda for what the album was going to sound like. We just worked on songs for a long period of time and then the last couple of months have been more of a

discovery process - discovering what we’ve actually been doing and trying to make sense of the whole thing,” says Thomson. “So instead of going for some goal that we set out for, it was more just exploring things and seeing how they all work together. We just leave all our opinions in and that makes it more

like a Moon Taxi record- it’s all our inside input rather than outside input.”

The 13-song record covers a number of genres in a sequence that remains interesting listen after listen. The opening song, “Walk Out,” is a fully instrumental piece that features each member of the group. “It starts out with a really simple melody and just morphs into this thing we can all play on top of,” Bailey observes. “I think it’s what our fans want to hear - that aspect, the performance of it. You can hear our hands and fingers in a lot of these tracks that maybe got lost on

some of the previous efforts. For me, that’s really exciting.

With five previous albums under their belt, Moon Taxi had, and took, the opportunity to think outside the box and make some reaches, both musically and lyrically. “I think a lot of that freedom comes with

having done it for a long time and on album number six, you’re no longer trying to find your sound like you are in earlier albums. You can kind of do what you want and then objectively look at it towards the

end,” said Putnam. “You just trust yourself and your ear.”

Set Yourself Free showcases the skill of a fully developed and practiced group of musicians. Free from the barriers of genre and self-definition, Moon Taxi presents a fresh and bold take on their sound.  ​

For The Nude Party, nearly a decade has flown by in the blink of an eye. In that time, the New York-based band has released a pair of well-received albums, an EP, and played countless shows. Prior to the pandemic, the band was really starting to hit its stride. They had a system in place and were spreading their brand of melodic rock to the masses. In fact, they could count Jack White, Arctic Monkeys, and Orville Peck as vocal supporters, which led to support slots for each. Soon, incredible live appearances at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Newport Folk Festival, and Shaky Knees became the norm.

In late 2020, The Nude Party released its sophomore album, Midnight Manor, which debuted at #1 on the Alternative New Artists Album Chart. The sextet was unable to tour behind it and compared its release to skipping a stone over a raging river. A byproduct was that it showed the band that on their third album, they couldn't lean on their tried-and-true method of testing out new material live and then hunker down to record.

Instead of sitting around, the band got busy. Setting up shop in their Upstate New York headquarters, the group used the funds they'd saved and spent a year building a studio space out of a barn. Tired of paying for studio time and being rushed, The Nude Party methodically worked at their own pace. Out were the sessions lasting a strict handful of days. In were impromptu writing moments and picking every sound as they went along.

When the band met the Tampa based engineer Matthew Horner, they discovered that they had the opposite problems: Matthew had a collection of incredible gear with no studio and The Nude Party had a great new studio with no gear. So they invited him to move his equipment up to the Catskills to record an album together. Such was the origin of the band's third album, Rides On.

Unlike their first two albums, The Nude Party decided to produce Rides On themselves. With their new space and the help of Horner, The Nude Party had as much fun creating as they ever had at any other point in their career. The lack of pressure allowed them to record over 20 songs, including some that dabbled in electro-pop and stripped-down country before settling on the final 14 songs.

Rides On, the band confidently says, is their best record. It's also the most homegrown and the most organic record The Nude Party has created to date. Working on the album themselves allowed for a democratic process where each band member could take a fuller role in producing the songs they wrote. There was some initial trepidation about there being too many cooks in the kitchen. But as is the benefit of owning your own studio space, time was not a factor. In turn, it allowed for the band's ideas to blossom, everyone's voice be taken into account and create an exciting, collaborative vibe.

The relaxed atmosphere of the sessions, and arriving with only loosely structured material, allowed the band to thrive in the studio. It also unleashed a diverse sonic texture compared to their previous releases, as best demonstrated by the title track, "Ride On." Sonically, the song is reminiscent of Sticky Fingers-era Stones, but its lyrics are mini-vignettes where Magee sings about persevering through adversity. The twangy, blues-drenched licks of the title track, the breezy desert dust encapsulated by the '70s infused "Hard Times," the Shaun Couture-led "Sold Out of Love," the swinging '60s garage vibes of "Cherry Red Boots," which captures the spirit of what The Nude Party are going for — and showcases their growth as a band. As does expanding the band's sonic palate with a cover of Dr. John's "Somebody Tryin' To Hoodoo Me." It would have been easy to stick to the New Orleans musician's format, but the band showed off their prowess with their own darker, electric version of the deep cut.

The Nude Party coalesced and embraced the spirit of collaboration. They're excited to begin the next chapter of their career.

At a time when it would have been easy to pack it in, the band continues to persevere.

When the laid back vibe of Myrtle Beach, SC meets acoustic rock of Lake Michigan, Simplified, the island rock band arrives with a loud and welcoming splash.  In 2002, Clee Laster of SC and Chris Sheridan a MI native, started out as an acoustic duo.  Early on, both musicians displayed innate musical capabilities, which were passed down from family members, and inspired by a diverse collection of original influences. They both grew up on the water, in different parts of the country, but the beach life-blood continues to surge within their suntanned souls, flowing forth in passionate, fun, and energetic jams.

They began playing acoustic shows, revving up and charming the Charlotte, NC crowds, while writing original songs.  In 2003, the full band took shape as Simplified. Acclaimed as a dedicated touring machine, they gained new fans, one by one.  Simplified’s sound caught on, with a devoted fan base in the Southeastern US.  With their incessant touring, an enthusiastic buzz was growing, and in turn they began booking shows nationwide, playing for increasingly larger audiences.

With a never-ending tour schedule, including over 3,000 powerhouse, popular performances, Simplified members, with both electric and acoustic acts, are enthusiastic as ever.  From Key West, FL to New York City and throughout the Midwest, their hard work, perseverance and commitment have always been key to their hard earned success. Sequentially, in 2011, their song “Shall We Begin” was featured on ESPN’s ‘Kick off to College GameDay.’  Currently their hit “Gettin Home,” is featured in the video game, NASCAR The Game 2013 and they have been praised as one of Pandora Radio’s top played indie rock bands.

Still writing and riding the sometimes choppy, always exciting musical shores, Clee and Sheridan reinvented the band in 2013 with their newest material, while getting back to their island rock roots. This year, they are releasing tracks from their crowd-pleasing, May 10th, 2013 show at Hideaway Cafe in St. Petersburg, FL. Sheridan states, “Our fans have been requesting a live album so we are focusing on getting as much live content out as possible.”

Sheridan and Clee have effectively reformulated the band by adding key ingredients: new players with positive energy, multi-instrumentalists, and a camaraderie that stimulates their passion for writing new material.  Now abandoning what others suggested, returning to their roots of a feel good vibe, Clee explains, “We are writing new songs for ourselves and our fans, not for a producer or critic.  We are getting right back to where we started, with what we know and love…music that makes you smile.”

Their signature sound is a contagious fusion of rock and reggae, attracting a diverse audience and embracing every kind of fan.  Sheridan emphasizes, “We’re a rock band with elements of reggae, funk, and acoustic roots.  We don’t limit ourselves musically and it shows in the songs we write.” Conjuring up the island rock roots, Clee expresses, “Our live shows are all about having fun. Each performance will bring you to the beach and right back home.”

A decade later, Simplified continues to evolve and attract new audiences through their crowd-pleasing, relatable songs and ongoing support from their loyal fans.  Starting out as two musicians with a dream, to one of the industry’s top emerging rock bands, makes Simplified a true tour de force. There’s nothing simple about that.