Honey Hills Fest back with 4-day showcase of women-led bands
Thank you, Jack White, for that little shoutout at Channel 24 last week, in a crowd-amping shakeup of the lyrics to the White Stripes' seminal 'Ball and Biscuit.' We're flattered!
Local artists, message Aaron Davis on Instagram if you have upcoming shows, @adavis_threetosee.
The female-powered Honey Hills Fest is back for its sophomore installment, hopscotching to four different Nevada County venues (three in Nevada City plus one in Grass Valley) over four days. The multi-genre lineup is showcasing regional women and fem-presenting musical acts, and the festival is dedicated to promoting gender equality in the music industry. Razored-edge indie pop colorstorm Spacemoth (the enigmatic project of prolific sonic puppeteer Maryam Qudus, also a member of tingling 2024 Honey Hills headliner La Luz) joins Sacramento's post-punk rockers Clevers, haunted meadow traversing rock duo Witch Dick and Chaos Fiction for night one at St. Joseph's Hall in Grass Valley, while sultry electro-Americana-psych flamethrower (and former Gram Rabbit singer) Jesika Von Rabbit leads night two at the Fern with Everyone is Dirty and scandalously raucous MC5-influenced rock act Theya.
Day three at Stardust Station has wistful cloud-surfing San Francisco rock outfit For Your Pleasure linking up with fellow Bay Area outfits Bad Tiger, Fieldress and Indianna Hale (you'll stop dead in your tracks and crank the volume for her spaghetti-psych diamond 'Hollow the Words'). Whimsical and endlessly captivating foothills folk duo Two Runner and high-desert honky tonk hellcats Noelle & the Deserters lead an outdoor lineup including Anna Hillburg, reverbing Oakland rockers the Stratospheres, Iona Swift and Artemis Arthur to close it out Sunday at Pioneer Park. Check out the fest's delightfully frenetic 'Honey Hills Fest '25 Official Playlist' on Spotify for a sampler platter of what's on deck (June 5-8. instagram.com/thehoneyhillsfest).
Also celebrating its second year is the one-day Pink Bandit Music Fest, an ultra-DIY fest with a loaded local lineup topped by whip-lashing guitar-driven alt-rock/dream pop act Rainbow City Park, which earlier this year offered up feisty five-song EP 'Fruitless.' Manicially sweat-pouring local rock staple the Snares — who scored the opening slot for the first of Jack White's two May Channel 24 shows — join Reno indie rockers Charity Kiss, ethereal hip-hop/pop artist Coco Simone, garage rockers Carport, jazz fusion ensemble Smally Big, Denim Nuns, Slow Pull, Riley Echo, chillwave standout Inner Nature and more to pack this lineup. There's also a side acoustic stage with a half-dozen artists including the likes of Aiko Shimada, Ludic Gal and others. It's free, with donations being accepted to help fund the artist-curated and -executed event (11 a.m. Saturday, June 7 at Auburn School Park Preserve. instagram.com/pinkbanditmusicfest).
While we're looking east, we'll peek further up the hill to South Lake Tahoe — but you barely have to trek past 'the Y' for what we're eyeing. Tree-laden craft beer oasis The Hangar has dabbled in a couple of one-off al fresco shows from the likes of Rayland Baxter and the White Buffalo over the last few summers, so we figured they'd probably sprinkle in one or two more this year. Instead, they've gone absolutely bonkers with it, lining up roughly 20 gigs from big league indie touring talent, to the point where we can comfortably say that this is no longer 'a cool beer joint with occasional good music'... this is a venue now. On tap for June is a sold-out gig from funk-tickled dub reggae troupe Hip Abduction on June 7 and ethereally sprawling folk duo Rising Appalachia on June 8, followed by singer-songwriter and former Pentatonix member Avi Kaplan on June 13. July brings Ecuadorian-born indie artist Helado Negro (July 11), psych-surf darlings Allah-Las (July 19), indie rock heavy-hitters Whitney (July 20) and the dual-ego double bill of vintage soul scorchers The Altons and Thee Sinseers (July 31). Throbbing indie pop stalwarts STRFKR (Aug. 14), hot jazz/juke joint folk collective Dustbowl Revival (Aug. 15), atmospheric harmony-drenched folk duo Hollow Coves (Sept. 5), Arc de Soleil (Sept. 19, pay attention here, Khruangbin fans), Southern blues/roots royalty North Mississippi Allstars (Sept. 21) and more flesh out the balance of an eye-popping summer slate (thehangarlaketahoe.com/events).
Back down the hill, it's lucky 13 for the Davis Music Fest, the mini-South by Southwest-styled weekend festival going strong since 2011 and spreading throughout a smattering of downtown Davis venues — your wristband gets you access to all of the sets. Friday music is concentrated on two stages at Sudwerk Brewing with Gold Souls, Boot Juice, Broken Compass Bluegrass and others, with Sunday set up at Delta of Venus with the likes of Tracorum, Object Heavy and more. Saturday has six different venues open for business with gilded San Francisco funkified brass battalion Mission Delirium and psych-pop miscreants Milk for the Angry, Davis indie folk rock standout Nat Lefkoff, L.A. Americana stalwarts Rose's Pawn Shop and a cavalcade of local favorites including Sacramento pop-punk royalty Dog Party (Jack White's Night 2 guest), Jakhari Smith, LabRats, Boca do Rio, Katie Knipp, Ten Foot Tiger, and tons more rounding out a weekend slate of more than 40 acts — check out their 'DMF 2025' playlist on Spotify (June 20-22. davismusicfest.com).
There has to be a spike in searches similar to 'who are the musicians in 'Sinners'' since Sac State alum Ryan Coogler's roots music-powered 'vampire' flick was released in April. For anyone who was trying to zero in on the bloodsucking yet soul-stirring siren 'Joan' from the film's ominously leeching folk trio, in real life she goes by Lola Kirke — initially an actress by trade, but of late a buried treasure of zesty throwback country and Americana. One could find traces from the film's centrifuge of Mississippi Delta blues (not acquired via fang) in her upstart catalog, but you would need to send feelers out in many directions across the U.S. of A. to unravel it all for the 'Country Curious' singer. Go north to Nashville, up east towards the plush and twanging Appalachians, probably swing over the dust-blowing Southwest, and likely other directions yet to be uncovered by the prodigious maven. Chloe Kimes joins the bill as Kirke tours behind her newest offering 'Trailblazer' (8 p.m. Tuesday, June 17 at Starlet Room. $26.40. harlows.com).
'Swamp preacher' sounds like a C-grade horror movie, but we're sticking with it as an apt descriptor for veteran blues and soul peddler JJ Grey & Mofro, rolling into Sacramento for the first time in four years in support of his most robust work to date, 'Olustee.' His band now bursting at the seams with backing vocalists and brass, Grey over the years has morphed from a keyboard-perched wailer to enigmatic pulpit-leaning leading man, fanning the flames of his ever-maturing breed of humid rock 'n' roll, grimy swamp blues and levitating soul. His take on John Anderson's 'Seminole Wind' will tell you what you need to know (8 p.m. Tuesday, June 10 at Ace of Spades. $64. aceofspadessac.com).
A cheeky tradition always accompanying the delectable deluge of pork belly that is Sacramento Bacon Fest is the Kevin Bacon Fest, where a troupe of bands gathers at Torch Club to perform their renditions of songs featured in, or having connection to, a Kevin Bacon movie (six degrees, or some such). Getting footloose (zing) and fancy free will be locals World Champ, the Legion of Decency, Chase'n the Beat, California Stars and John Neko (9 p.m. Friday, June 6. $15. torchclub.net).
Assuredly, there are myriad possibilities for songs that could overlap both Kevin Bacon Fest and the following weekend's '90's Nite — which is exactly what it sounds like. Hosts Band of Coyotes cobbled a gnarly lineup of locals to offer their takes on '90's hits (if anyone refers to this as 'classic rock,' we're having words!), including Accidents at Sundown, Bad Barnacles, Swan Ronson, Tiger Shade, Moxie Barker, Lewd Jaw, E-Regulars, 33Black, Ruining Everything and Sundazey (8 p.m. Saturday, June 14. $15. torchclub.net).
A mishmash of punk and alternative rock veterans descends on the Starlet Room this month, lead by Dead Bob - the slashing, synth-tinged solo project of John Wright (former drummer of legendary Canadian act NoMeansNo), which offered up its debut 'Life Like' in 2023. They're joined by thundering supergroup UltraBomb, composed of Greg Norton, founding bassist for the generational Husker Du, former Social Distortion and Agent Orange drummer Derek O'Brien, and Soul Asylum guitarist Ryan Smith (8 p.m. Wednesday, June 11. $26.40. harlows.com).
Speaking of Social Distortion and punk rock godfather Mike Ness ... the legendary act is at the doorstep of an almost unfathomable 50 years of virtually nonstop touring, and lands June 14 at Channel 24. The venue also welcomes meteorically rising country/Americana star Charley Crockett (June 8) and veteran country singer/actor Ryan Bingham with the wily Texas Gentlemen serving as his band (June 18, channel24sac.com).
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Los Angeles Times
11 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
In the sharp ‘Lurker,' Instagram stalking leads to the inner circle, but how do you keep others out?
'Lurker' is a teeth-grittingly great dramedy that insists there's more tension in the entourage of a mellow hipster than a king. At least imperial courtiers trust in strict codes about curtsies and proper titles. The rules of hanging out with British-born, L.A.-based emo-pop musician Oliver (Archie Madekwe) are vague and fraught. An impulsive, baby-faced charmer on the ascent from Instagram popularity to mainstream icon, Oliver isn't that rich or that famous (yet), but he's already surrounded by friends-slash-employees who ferociously guard his fiefdom and their access to it. Oliver thrives on vibes, bro, and these ones are cutthroat. First-time feature filmmaker Alex Russell brings us into this demi-star's orbit through a Melrose streetwear sales clerk named Matthew (Théodore Pellerin). The gawky kid is an Oliver obsessive. But he's clever enough to hide it, negging his hero into giving him a backstage pass. (Here, it's an insult to be called a fan.) Upon entering the green room, Matthew is hazed by Oliver's buddies Swett and Bowen (Zack Fox and Wale Onayemi, both inscrutable, funny and terrifying), who order the nervous outsider to pull down his pants as a tribute to their dead homie. He passes that test. There will be more to come. Russell sharpened his knives as a writer and producer on 'The Bear' and 'Beef.' He makes bleak comedies about strivers with shiv-like gags that make you wheeze in pain. Advised to make himself useful, Matthew quickly gets promoted from Oliver's unofficial dishwasher to his unofficial documentary director. Just as quickly, he makes enemies with Oliver's somewhat more official music video director, Noah (Daniel Zolghadri), who attempts to give Matthew the royal brush-off, as in 'We appreciate your help, but ...' and then patronizingly calls him his 'sous-chef.' As Matthew learns when his pal, Jamie (Sunny Suljic), finagles his own party invite, anyone who gets their claws in Oliver attacks their rivals. 'Lurker' is too passive a title for this story of competition. 'Clinger' or 'Leecher' would be more apropos. Oliver presents as all sunny, breezy love, sporting a trucker cap over a babushka over bleached pink hair. The costumer Megan Gray outfits the 6'5' Madekwe in floppy sweaters that exaggerate his eagerness to pull people in for a long-limbed hug. Flighty and magnetic, Oliver trills that his clique is 'one big happy family,' using his faux-obliviousness to shield himself from being the bad guy. That responsibility lands on everyone else, especially the observant and exhausted Shai (Havana Rose Liu), who might be called Oliver's manager if anyone had a formal job description. Madekwe played a more obviously cruel gatekeeper in 'Saltburn' as Jacob Elordi's snotty American cousin, but he still holds all the keys. In scenes where Madekwe shuts off his character's warmth, the movie gets 30 degrees colder (and his artificial pep more chilling). Meanwhile, Pellerin's flinchy smiles and forced guffaws prove how much effort it takes to act effortless. At his most nonchalant, he's doing an Oliver impression. 'Lurker' has a casual malevolence, Russell sidling up to his targets before he attacks. He stress-tests our icky, grubby pity for Matthew and, beyond that, the flimsiness of modern fame culture and its fake-it-till-you-make-it inspirational platitudes. In a hilarious bit, one of Matthew's own fans stops him on the street to gush, 'I wanna be like you — but what do you do?' What Russell really seems to be wondering is what separates a real artist from a fake? If 'Lurker' had been made a generation ago, it would have drawn a line along the boundary of authenticity: Is Oliver sincere about his vulnerable anthems? Today, that question is passé. We now recognize the pressure to forge a brand, even if said brand is a pretense of not caring about one's image. At this point in his career, Oliver likes framing himself as giddy, low-fi and spontaneous. He loves videos of himself crashing his bike into a trash can, frolicking on a beach, prancing around a field with a retro camcorder strapped to a sheep. 'Am I tripping or is this sick?' Oliver asks about the farm footage. Since his posse won't admit the truth, I will: It sucks. Oliver's charisma is its own trap. A crib of yes-men limits how big he can grow. The film's image-first focus doesn't give it much runway to explore what motivates Oliver as an artist. There are several performance scenes that showcase Madekwe's ability to croon in a convincing limber lilt but little engagement with his actual music. You sense that Russell is more confident dissecting the qualities of a good steak sandwich than a good song. My impression of the tunes is that Kenny Beats (who had a hand in all of them and also the brilliantly anxious electronic score) has written the bulk to be decent but not dynamite. How a singer vaults up in quality is as mysterious as trying to define cool itself. Only toward the end of the film does Russell tease the question that we, too, have forgotten to ask: Does anyone care whether Oliver is a genuine talent? Despite its thorny psychology, 'Lurker' strips its characters of everything but a scrap of backstory. We're aware that Matthew lives with his grandmother, but we don't know why and we don't even know her name. That starkness gives the movie the in-the-moment immediacy of a nature doc about a shark and a swarm of remoras. Russell insists we make our own diagnosis about what drives Matthew and Oliver's hunger for applause — and if their symbiotic dynamic has echoes throughout the entire music industry. Twice, Russell cues up the R&B classic 'I'm Your Puppet,' which is once too many for my taste. We're already concentrating on who's pulling the strings. Elsewhere, there are moments when I wish Russell himself didn't play things quite so casually. He's so smart about noting the details — tiny glances, awkward smiles — that it's head-scrambling when he obscures a major plot point under hasty editing and cryptic dialogue. It's a key sequence in the script, yet we can't get a grip on whether it's horrific luck or a game of six-dimensional chess. The distinction matters. Still, Russell has captured us with this tale of a pawn trying to capture a king. We feel for them both. And we understand why castles have moats.
The Hill
11 minutes ago
- The Hill
Tuberville rips NFL over male cheerleaders: ‘What the hell are you doing?'
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) on Tuesday criticized the NFL and the Minnesota Vikings over their inclusion of male cheerleaders. The organization earlier this month introduced its cheerleading roster for the upcoming 2025 NFL season, including Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn, the team's two male cheerleaders, in an Instagram video. 'The next generation of cheer has arrived!' the Vikings wrote on Aug. 9. The post drew backlash online, and Shiek and Conn for weeks have faced derogatory slurs and hateful comments as the center of debates over male cheerleaders and masculinity. 'I would like to ask the ownership of the NFL and the commissioner, what the hell are you doing?' Tuberville said on an episode of the podcast 'Hot Mic,' aired by the conservative sports news site OutKick. 'If you're going to be woke and you're going to try to, you know, take the men out of men's sports is what they're doing … then you're going to have a huge problem.' 'At the end of the day, I hope to God it doesn't come south to Atlanta, or to Texas, or to Dallas or to some of our NFL teams, because you'll lose it. I mean, people will actually quit buying tickets and going,' added Tuberville, a former college football coach who announced in May that he would leave the Senate after four years to run for governor of Alabama. 'This is the narrative they're trying to push out — this is not just a couple of people being men cheerleaders. It is about pushing a narrative that you want to put gender into sports and let everybody know that we're trying to show that, 'Hey, we're going to take the masculinity out of it a little bit,' and that's not going to happen in the South,' he said. Male dancers have been a part of NFL organizations since 2018, when Quinton Peron and Napoleon Jinnies joined the Los Angeles Rams' 40-person squad. They made NFL history in 2019 as the first men to perform on the sidelines of a Super Bowl game, when the Rams played the New England Patriots in Atlanta. In an op-ed published Tuesday by The Guardian, former Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end RK Russell wrote that complaints about male cheerleaders 'are even more baseless than the Monday Morning Quarterbacks.' 'This isn't about performance at all. It's about presence. It's about the mere existence and visibility of men on NFL cheer squads who don't conform to the rigid, outdated ideas of masculinity that so many use sport, and football in particular, to defend,' wrote Russell, who came out publicly as bisexual to ESPN in 2019. 'The outrage over male cheerleaders isn't about sports. It's about control: over masculinity, over image, and over who gets to be seen and celebrated in public spaces or on the global stage of the NFL.' A Minnesota Vikings spokesperson did not immediately return The Hill's request for comment on Tuberville's comments or the broader backlash. The organization told NBC News last week that, 'While many fans may be seeing male cheerleaders for the first time at Vikings games, male cheerleaders have been part of previous Vikings teams and have long been associated with collegiate and professional cheerleading.' 'In 2025, approximately one third of NFL teams have male cheerleaders,' the team said. 'Every member of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders program has an impressive dance background and went through the same rigorous audition process. Individuals were selected because of their talent, passion for dance and dedication to elevating the game day experience. We support all our cheerleaders and are proud of the role they play as ambassadors of the organization.' Responding to claims that some fans have canceled their season tickets over the team's inclusion of male cheerleaders, the Vikings told NBC News that no fans have done so. In a joint Instagram post on Saturday, Shiek and Conn appeared to respond to the controversy: 'wait…did someone say our name?' they captioned a photo in their Vikings cheer uniforms. A number of prominent Republican political leaders have also been cheerleaders: Former President George W. Bush cheered at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., serving as head cheerleader his senior year, and at Yale University. Former President Reagan was a cheerleader at Eureka College in the 1930s.
Buzz Feed
11 minutes ago
- Buzz Feed
Perrie Edwards Opens Up About Pregnancy Loss At 24 Weeks
From 2011 to 2022, Little Mix was one of the biggest girl groups in the world, namely in the UK. After forming on The X Factor and becoming the first group (and only girl group) to win the UK singing competition, Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jesy Nelson created countless iconic songs, music videos, and more. In the years since they went on hiatus, following Jesy leaving the group in 2020, Perrie, Leigh-Anne, and Jade have all started to carve out solo careers for themselves, with all three gearing up to drop new albums and music in the coming months. Namely, leading up to her upcoming single "If He Wanted to He Would," Perrie swung by the We Need to Talk podcast, hosted by Paul C. Brunson, to talk about her career so far, especially growing up and going through big milestones in the public eye. While she talked about her very public relationship with Zayn during his One Direction days, one of the biggest moments from the very open and honest conversation was her talking about pregnancy loss, as well as dealing with public speculation that she was pregnant. Kicking off the conversation, Paul asked about how Perrie has had to deal with pregnancy speculation by fans and the media, with both him and Perrie praising a recent Glamour UK article — which was liked by Perrie, Jadie, and Leigh-Anne on Instagram — that was originally titled, "The Perrie Edwards Pregnancy Speculation Needs to Stop." "You can look at it two ways, I guess, with the whole pregnancy thing," Perrie began. "It's a blessing. It's beautiful. People love pregnant women, and they kind of just want to be like, 'You're pregnant. You're glowing.' But at the same time, it's a very vulnerable thing for women. It's a very private thing for women." Alluding to the Glamour UK article, she continued, saying, "If you speculated one of your friends was pregnant, you wouldn't shout it on their Facebook or their Instagram and be like, 'Oh my god, you're pregnant!' You just wouldn't do it for everyone to see, I don't think. I think we kind of have to navigate it a bit better with that situation because yes, it's beautiful and it's exciting and it's speculation and 'Is she pregnant?' 'I don't know. I want to know.' But at the same time, you don't know what's going on behind closed doors with women. And pregnancy's scary. It's worrying." This led to Perrie breaking down crying while speaking about how she and her partner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, have been "through a lot with pregnancies" that the public doesn't know about, saying it's a "sensitive topic" for her, adding, "It's such a personal thing to go through, and it's really hard." She shared that their almost 4-year-old son, Axel, is a rainbow baby, a term given to children who are born after the loss of a baby due to a miscarriage, stillbirth, etc. Perrie said she had a miscarriage "very early on" before Axel. She explained that the miscarriage happened so early, she thought maybe she had a false positive, until her gynecologist explained she had a miscarriage. Perrie added that the early miscarriage impacted her pregnancy with Axel, which she described as "one of the happiest times in my life," saying, "I was a bit on edge thinking, Oh, I want to get past the 12 weeks. I want to get past this. I want to get past every scan." She added that her pregnancy with Axel was "perfect." Less than a year after Axel's birth, Perrie revealed for the first time that she was pregnant again while rehearsing for the final Little Mix tour. However, while on the tour, which is when pregnancy rumors about her were very prevalent because she was gaining weight, Perrie said she "kept bleeding" due to a blood clot, but her baby was still healthy at 12 weeks. "[The bleeding] kept happening every night on tour, and I was thinking, Oh my gosh, I can't cancel the show. I have to go out. I have to put a brave face on. I have to keep my shit together. Hopefully, it's just the blood clot. So, every night it was so uncertain," Perrie explained. Then, Perrie revealed that her 20-week scan was "the worst day of [her] life," which is when she found out she had lost the baby at almost 24 weeks. "I remember [the doctor] just saying these things, but I don't remember what he said," Perrie said, explaining that it was like the world was moving in slow motion. She added, "I was just traumatized." A "stillbirth" is classified as losing a baby after 20 weeks of pregnancy, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Tearfully, Perrie continued, saying, "I think when you're fully carrying and you're 24 weeks, and you've planned out their room and all these things, it's really hard. I've never spoken about it before, and nobody knows other than immediate friends and family. I remember, shortly after, friends would message and be like, 'How's bump?' And I'd be like, 'There isn't one.'" After Perrie's episode of We Need to Talk, many took to the comments to express how important and honest it is for Perrie to share her story, as well as for the host to create such a safe space for her to do so. A top comment on YouTube reads, "Thank you, Paul, for giving Perrie a safe space. What a woman she is." "What an incredible woman so brave to speak about her experiences and share her challenges so an inspiration! I loved this podcast with was such a great listen! As always Paul is so genuine, kind and sensitive to his guests... a fabulous pod!," someone else wrote. Another echoed the sentiment, saying, "What an amazing interview. How brave Perrie was to share her experience on miscarriage it's such a taboo subject and a lonely place." And another wrote, "This is such a considerate interview. Perrie is such a well-spoken woman. I am so glad she found the secure love she so much needed." And more chimed in, with one popular comment talking about how hard it must've been to go through the pregnancy losses in the public eye, writing, "In any other job, you wouldn't go to work if you thought you were miscarrying your baby. To have to get glammed up, go on stage, dance,perform and smile is absolutely insane. This really has to stop." The clips of Perrie's conversation about miscarriages have also amassed over 7 million views across several videos on TikTok, with people taking to the comments there, too. With a top comment with over 30k likes, reading, "And this [is] one of the many reasons why no one should ever speculate on whether a woman is pregnant 😢." Another comment read, "Thank you perrie for opening up about this. I had a stillbirth at 24 weeks, nothing prepares you for it. So so brave to talk about this x." You can watch Perrie's full appearance on We Need to Talk below: And you can read the full Glamour UK op-ed here.
