Melina Duterte is a master of voice: Hers are dream pop songs that hint at a universe of her own creation. Recording as Jay Som since 2015, Duterte’s world of shy, swirling intimacies always contains a disarming ease, a sky-bent sparkle and a grounding indie-rock humility. In an era of burnout, the title track of her 2017 breakout, Everybody Works, remains a balm and an anthem.
Duterte’s life became a whirlwind in the wake of Everybody Works. In November of 2017, seeking a new environment, Duterte left her home of the Bay Area for Los Angeles. Reckoning with the relative instability of musicianhood, Duterte turned inward, tuning ever deeper into her own emotions and desires as a way of staying centered through huge changes.
Pity Party is an emo/pop-punk band formed in the SF/Bay Area now based between Portland and Los Angeles. Renowned for their frenzied, unforgettable live shows and deep commitment to community care through food distributions, sexual violence prevention, and mental health advocacy, Pity Party's been spreading their wild, barely-holding-it-together energy across the US and internationally since 2014, sharing stages with bands like Jawbreaker, The Ergs!, Otoboke Beaver, and Bad Cop/Bad Cop. They coined the term “care punk” to name what they’ve always practiced: looking out for each other, protecting their community, and making shows safer, onstage and off. The band is made up of Rikki DeLuna, Rachel Moon, Sarah Levy, JD Tonnesen, Ty Dykema, and Sasha Guleff, pulling members from multiple projects into a loud, emotional supergroup. After a two-year hiatus, they’re back with a new record and more urgency, care, and connection than ever.
On February 20, 2026, Tammy Ealom, the snarling creative force behind Denver’s legendary Dressy Bessy, presents her debut solo album The Tammy Shine, Ok Shine Ok, via Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records (HHBTM). This release marks a pivotal moment: for the first time in her three-decade career, Ealom has taken complete command—writing, performing, producing, and engineering the record entirely on her own.
Nate Salman has been making music since childhood, using anything they can get their hands on to express the magic they find beneath the surface of daily life. Channeling stories from somewhere beyond, they have worked obsessively to refine their unique sound, seeking always for deeper meaning and authenticity. With influences ranging from Björk, Kate Bush, FKA Twigs, Arca and Radiohead to old British folk songs, their music is a tapestry of experimentation.
Buzzed Lightbeer, the Dionysian fuzzy slop rock trio from San Francisco, is taking the music scene by storm with their raw energy and unapologetic queerness. Described as “the groovy, queer antithesis to Charlie’s Angels,” this unholy trinity delivers a blistering, over-the-top rock show that defies convention. (Psyched! Records)
Pink Breath of Heaven is a reverie of shimmering guitars, haunting melodies, and introspective lyricism. The project of Liv Field and Rex John Shelverton blends expansive textures and emotional depth to create music that feels immersive and deeply personal. Following the breakout success of “Blue Is the Morning,” the band released their debut album Colors Make a Sound in 2025. With performances alongside The Dandy Warhols, Alison’s Halo, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Pink Breath of Heaven continues to carve out a distinct presence through music that moves from hypnotic intimacy to expansive intensity.
Ethansroom is the tangible form of Ethan Fortenberry's inner world. A versatile creator, Ethan is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and visual artist. For fans of oversharing, reading, and indie music from the mid-2000’s, Ethansroom is an invitation listeners to step into a space that feels lived-in and honest.
His most recent release, ULTRA LIGHT, finds Fortenberry coming to terms with the years that have shaped him. Blending bedroom pop, indie folk, and post blog-era-indie, ULTRA LIGHT is Fortenberry following the light—even when it feels out of reach.
Over the past year, Fortenberry has remained active both in his own work and as a collaborator. Alongside writing, recording, and visually shaping his own projects, he has recorded with Zach Bryan at Electric Lady Studios, played Red Rocks, and worked with artists including Flipturn, Jack Van Cleaf, and Hayden Everett as a producer, instrumentalist, or both.
10 years ago, while poring over a favorite deck of Tarot cards, Zoe Jakes was inspired to create a work of art as powerful as the cards themselves. Finally, after years of creative process, House of Tarot has been created, placing the captivating energy of the Tarot deck onto members of the belly dance community. House of Tarot is true performance art, a mutable dance theater performance imbued with ritual and the mysteries of Fate.
Sun Ra founded the Sun Ra Arkestra in Chicago in the mid-1950s. Sun Ra was among the earliest pioneers of the synthesizer and the free jazz revolution of 1960s. Sun Ra sent a strong spiritual and musical message to his Arkestra wanting them to help make the universe better through positive vibrations and music.
The Sun Ra Arkestra are known worldwide for their live shows that combine big-band swing, space-age free jazz, be-bop, singing, dancing, chanting and Afro-pageantry. The Arkestra has been at the forefront of Afro-futurism since their inception.
When asked about The Painted Blue, Sacramento singer and multi-instrumentalist Madi Sipes explains, "The way artists paint pictures, I wanted to do that with music." On a journey to paint the silence with sound, Madi Sipes & The Painted Blue is a project defined by its mature lyrics and sultry vocals.
with Jawdropped, Taifa Nia, Sarah Coolidge
Sab Star is the new indie solo project of Sab Mai, multidisciplinary artist based in San Jose, CA. Their debut album “Sun Faded” offers a glimpse into their melancholic world that draws influence from shoegaze, ambient, and 90s rock. Each song is a portal to chasing a feeling, an earnest poem sung with vocals like soft velvet accompanied by lush strings and nostalgic guitar riffs. Mai’s piercingly poignant lyrics and knack for creating the unexpected have become their signature, as felt throughout their first project No Vacation.
Veotis Latchison is an innovative songwriter, producer, and vocalist from Oakland, California. His artistic expression is deeply influenced by a mix of hip hop, R&B, soul, and jazz, drawing inspiration from artists like James Brown, D’Angelo, Donny Hathaway, Big Yuki, and Robert Glasper. widely known as a strong spirited Vocalist Veotis plays extensively throughout the bay and beyond. His original music is best described as “Epic story tellings of a young man trying for better”. Incorporating colorful and expansive melodies with poetry comparable to Nat king Cole, Cy Colman and Biggie Smalls.
Veotis released his debut album titled “Minutiae” in 2023. Keeping the momentum, he followed with his latest 2025 release, “Feelings to Run From”, featuring some of the Bay Area's finest young talent.
Two shows! 6:00 PM / 7:30 PM
Esther Rose was on a long solo drive when she started writing the opening title track of Want, her stunning fifth album. At first, the words seemed almost like a joke, something to keep herself amused as the miles passed. “I want a puppy, but I don't want a mess. I want to know where I’m going without GPS,” she sang from behind the wheel. Soon, the idea snowballed into a list of desires that spanned existential, spiritual, and mundane; romantic to platonic to familial; at once wildly ambitious yet piercingly relatable; all set to a catchy melody that blends her pop instincts with country storytelling and the raw immediacy of a basement punk show. In other words, she was on her way to another classic Esther Rose song.
Five-piece emo-fusion band hailing from the California Valley, known for their high-octane performances, creating an atmosphere that is overwhelming with emotion.
Drive All Night is a new extended play from Thomas Dollbaum, six songs serving as a brief reintroduction to a singular and stirring voice on the southern landscape. Dollbaum’s debut Wellswood was released in 2022, drawing comparisons of Justin Vernon and Damien Jurardo (Popmatters) to Richard Buckner and Arthur Russell (AllMusic) for his “compelling lyricism drawing as much from the dark caricatures of Harry Crews and Denis Johnson as Springsteen’s realism” (Beats Per Minute). Shortly after its release, Dollbaum drove along the gulf from his adopted hometown of New Orleans back to his family in Tampa. There, he learned an old friend had passed unexpectedly. “We hadn’t been close in years, and finding out about his death sent me on a sort of journey through memories we had together,” reflects Dollbaum, “places we grew up in and how sometimes you don’t understand how or why relationships change over time.”
Clarion is a three-piece that places their own spin on shoegaze, rock, and post punk. Mixing powerful dance beats with loud amplifiers to make live shows energetic, this trio will leave you wanting more after every performance.
Killgurls is a Sacramento-based band formed in 2024. The group explores a multitude of sounds consisting of moody noise paired with pretty melodies. Their debut single “Cradle” showcases their aggressive energy and unapologetic punk roots. The band draws inspiration from a wide range of influences, allowing their creativity to evolve authentically while remaining unconfined by boxes, gender norms, or societal expectations. The lineup includes Aidan Jacques (Guitar/Vocals), Vanna Rose (Bass/Vocals), and Sal Stinson (Drums).
In songwriting, inspiration can come from just about anywhere. People, places, and events are all too common examples. But for an artist like Meric Long, one half of famed Bay Area duo The Dodos, and in-house recording engineer for Tiny Telephone Studios (American Football, Moses Sumney) – it’s sound, perhaps unsurprisingly, that serves as his most elusive and rewarding muse.
When Long first stepped out on his own in 2017, under the FAN moniker, it was the cyclical hum of a broken bathroom fan that sent him down an obsessive synth hole in an attempt to recreate its oscillating siren. As time has a way of repeating itself, his latest wave of inspiration came crashing in, sweetly and literally, from his young daughter's toy drum kit.
Caleb Nichols is a genre-blurring artist whose work bridges the worlds of music and poetry, crafting songs and verses that pulse with emotion, queer identity, and a deep connection to the natural world. Hailing from California, Nichols has carved out a space in the indie music scene with his shimmering, poetic lyricism and evocative storytelling, earning comparisons to icons like Elliott Smith and Sufjan Stevens.
Nichols first gained recognition as a musician in the early 2000s, playing bass in indie rock band Grand Lake and lending his talents to projects like Port O’Brien and Release the Sunbird. His solo work, however, has cemented his reputation as a singular voice in indie folk and power pop. His 2022 album Ramon, released via Kill Rock Stars, is a lush, Beatlesque concept record that explores queerness, longing, and self-discovery, drawing critical acclaim for its intricate melodies and literary depth. His 2023 Follow-up, the Rogue Wave-produced Let's Look Back, found Nichols exploring new sonic territory, pushing past earlier influences and demonstrating Nichols' versatility as a songwriter and singer.
Beyond music, Nichols is a published poet and writer, weaving themes of memory, desire, and identity into his literary work. His poetry has appeared in various literary journals, and his chapbook One For Sorrow, Two For Joy (Broken Sleep, 2024), showcases his gift for vivid imagery and lyrical precision. His ability to translate the emotional resonance of songcraft into poetry—and vice versa—sets him apart as a multidisciplinary artist who refuses to be confined by medium.
Returning to the stage for the first time in eight years, Rogue Wave will perform two records — Out of the Shadow and Descended Like Vultures to celebrate the re-release by Sub Pop in March.
Early Performance of Out of the Shadow
with support by Meric Long (Dodos)
Late Performance Descended Like Vultures
with support by Caleb Nichols
Rogue Wave
Over the decade and a half that Rogue Wave has made music, Zach Rogue has continued to expand his band’s emotional spectrum. Drawing inspiration from the inevitable delusions of everyday American life, Rogue, his longtime bandmate Pat Spurgeon, and their fellow members have returned reinvigorated, and with a fresh sound founded on the art of patience, the fearlessness of experimenting, and the unbridled joy of creating something meaningful to help us navigate through these vacant times. Trusting in its own abilities and leaning on each other, Rogue Wave has seized creative control of its identity and sound and is set to smash any preconceptions of its music, revealing the most truthful, powerful, and urgent sonic blueprint of the band to date.
Meric Long
In songwriting, inspiration can come from just about anywhere. People, places, and events are all too common examples. But for an artist like Meric Long, one half of famed Bay Area duo The Dodos, and in-house recording engineer for Tiny Telephone Studios (American Football, Moses Sumney) – it’s sound, perhaps unsurprisingly, that serves as his most elusive and rewarding muse.
Caleb Nichols first gained recognition as a musician in the early 2000s, playing bass in indie rock band Grand Lake and lending his talents to projects like Port O’Brien and Release the Sunbird. His solo work, however, has cemented his reputation as a singular voice in indie folk and power pop. His 2022 album Ramon, released via Kill Rock Stars, is a lush, Beatlesque concept record that explores queerness, longing, and self-discovery, drawing critical acclaim for its intricate melodies and literary depth. His 2023 Follow-up, the Rogue Wave-produced Let's Look Back, found Nichols exploring new sonic territory, pushing past earlier influences and demonstrating Nichols' versatility as a songwriter and singer.
To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of their debut album, P.E.E. returns to the stage for the first time since 2010 with a special appearance at Noise Pop 2026.
P.E.E. (sometimes stylized as Pee and short for Potentially Egregious Error) is a San Francisco–born indie rock band formed in 1993. Known for their hook-laden, hyperactive blend of ’90s grind-pop and math-rock, the group features guitarists/vocalists Kelly Green Morrison and Jim Stanley, drummer Andee Connors (A Minor Forest, My Heart an Inverted Flame), and bassist Tiber Scheer (Lowercase). In the mid-’90s they became Noise Pop regulars, releasing a string of singles along with two albums: Now, More Charm and More Tender (1996) and The Roaring Mechanism (1999). To celebrate the 30th anniversary of their debut album, P.E.E. returns to the stage for the first time since 2010 with a special appearance at Noise Pop 2026.
Nuzzle began as a trio; Nate Dalton (guitar), Simon Fabela (bass) and Ricardo Reano (drums) in Rosemead, CA in 1991 before ultimately settling in Santa Cruz, CA. In 1993 Nate’s older brother Andrew joined on guitar and switched to vocals early in 1994, solidifying their lineup. Before they broke up in early 2001 Nuzzle had released several 45s, their Follow, For Now LP on Youth Strike Chord, several compilation tracks, and their 1999 record, San Lorenzo's Blues, on Troubleman Unlimited. They had completed several US tours including a very successful one with Fisticuffs Bluff, and had become staples in a loosely knit but deeply felt west coast scene anchored by Kill Rock Stars Records in Olympia and Gravity Records in San Diego. The buzz they generated helped them find their way onto bills with bands like Unwound, Evergreen, Lync, Bikini Kill, Modest Mouse, The VSS, Orchid, Clikatat Ikatowi, Versus, Bonnie Prince Billy and many more. As of late 2025 Nuzzle has reunited and rekindled the fire that fueled them.
Julie Doiron is back with I Thought Of You, her first solo record since 2012’s So Many Days. Every bit an instant classic as only she can masterfully create, Julie Doiron emanates a radiative force with nothing more than her guitar and her unmistakably indomitable voice. Julie Doiron is a maker of songs and a teller of stories, wielding her instruments like a craftsperson would their tools.
Crows is a brand new project comprised of members from Pennywhistle Park, Poundsign, and Track Star. Whatcha gonna sound like Bitter-sweet male/female vocals set against a backdrop of fuzzy dynamic chaos with some pulling of the 'ol heartstrings along the way, respectively.
Band buds Poundsign and Track Star's friendship goes back to the mid 90's (along with P.E.E. & Nuzzle) with Rebecca on drum duty and Matthew on guitar/vox. Lindsay on keys/vox initially met Rebecca during their stints in Dressy Bessy and eventually collaborated together in Pennywhistle Park.
Noise Pop Festival 2026, Richshaw Stop and KALW present:
Rogér Fakh
Rogér Fakhr is a Lebanese singer-songwriter and guitarist whose deeply introspective compositions have left a lasting impact on Lebanese music. Inspired by artists like Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Jim Croce, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and others, he developed a distinctive sound that blended Western music traditions with his own poetic sensibilities.
Black Marble (Chris Stewart) emerged from NYCs cold wave revival scene in the early twenty teens, and released his first full length A Different Arrangement in October of 2012. Signed by Sub Pop imprint Hardly Art after releasing just one song online, Black Marble quickly hit his stride alongside other NYC synth acts like Martial Cantrell Led Er East and Frank (Just) Frank - playing small club shows in the bowels of Manhattan's Lower East side to small but dedicated throngs of in-the-know city kids. Released to wide acclaim, it took Stewart four years to follow it up with 2016s It’s Immaterial. Well received in it’s own right as a worthy successor to the strict, slightly dour and yet catchy formula that seemed to galvanize so quickly with ADA, It’s Immaterial saw Stewart exploring slightly more melodic territory without losing the charm that gave the project its initial momentum.
Yea-Ming, the Oakland-based singer-songwriter is known for her heart-tugging lyrics, catchy melodies and dreamy notions. Her low, dusky tones recall ‘60s German singer Nico, although she was most inspired as a young adult by pop punk and indie bands like Mr. T. Experience, The Queers and Dressy Bessy. “Bands like that,” she says, “made me realize the power of a simple song.”
Taraneh is the rock-centered multi-genre project of Iranian New York-based singer/songwriter, instrumentalist and producer Taraneh Azar.
“Taraneh,” meaning “melody” or “song” in Farsi is known for an intimate and haunting vocal style layered over a range of tracks from grunge, goth rock and lo-fi dream pop to industrial and experimental electronic compositions.
ZOLA is a singer songwriter hailing from San Francisco, CA. Combining indie pop and acoustic folk sounds with a soulful and breathy vocal delivery, ZOLA stands out as a unique genre-bending gem. Her lyrics combine vivid descriptions with a social commentary that reflect both her mixed heritage and her social conscience.
