Backhand Blue with Violenta live at Appleton Music Factory
Schedule
Sat, 25 Apr, 2026 at 08:00 pm
UTC-05:00Location
603 W College Ave, Appleton, WI, United States, Wisconsin 54911 | Appleton, WI
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7:30 - Doors8:00 - Violenta
9:00 - Backhand Blue
$15 - Advance / $20 - Day of
Backhand Blue
Backhand Blue
is having one of those years that reminds you why new bands still matter.
Fronted by vocalist Macy Addis (Portsmouth, Ohio) and guitarist vocalist Eli Dykstra (Boyden, Iowa), the band has been steadily building a world that blends muscle and melody with a sense of urgency that feels alive rather than manufactured. Since the first release from the Are We Okay EP, “Dead to Me,” arrived in February 2025, the project has quickly found real connection across radio, video, and streaming.
The release of “Digging My Grave” marked a turning point. The song gained national traction at rock radio, climbing the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, breaking into the Top 40 at Mediabase and SMR, and earning multiple Most Added honors along the way. More importantly, it stuck. Stations stayed with it. Listeners leaned in. Momentum carried through the year instead of spiking and disappearing. As 2025 closes, “Digging My Grave” remains in current rotation at 35 stations across the country.
That momentum is showing up everywhere. In 2025 alone, Backhand Blue generated over 600,000 YouTube views, with nearly 239,000 of those coming in the past 90 days as momentum around “Digging My Grave” continued to build. The surge has been driven by the official “Digging My Grave” video alongside continued engagement with earlier releases like “Decay,” “Dead to Me,” and “Potassium.” It is not a one-song story.
On streaming platforms, discovery has translated into steady audience growth throughout the active radio cycle, reinforcing what the data and the shows already suggest: people are not just hearing the band, they are coming back.
Over the summer and into the fall, Backhand Blue took the music on the road, playing select dates across the country. Shows in November and December extended that momentum beyond the studio and radio, helping turn new listeners into real fans.
Socially, the band’s audience is growing in a way that feels organic and earned. Instagram engagement climbed consistently through the campaign window, with TikTok contributing to discovery along the way.
Backhand Blue is currently rolling out their debut EP are we oKay? one track at a time, with each new release opening another door rather than closing a chapter.
Violenta
We are the sound of the concrete jungle, forged in the grit and soul of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Our sound is a relentless barrage of hard rock fury, a visceral assault of bone-crushing riffs, thunderous drums, and vocals that rip through the static. We're here to prove that rock and roll is far from dead- it's just been waiting to be unleashed.
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Where is it happening?
603 W College Ave, Appleton, WI, United States, Wisconsin 54911Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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