New Translations | Sails Original Music Series
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The City of Hickory’s Sails Original Music Series, presented by Protection Products, Inc., starts back in September with returning favorite New Translations on Friday, Sept. 4. The free concert begins at 7 p.m. on Union Square in downtown Hickory.
NEW TRANSLATIONS
www.newtranslations.co
www.facebook.com/newtranslationsband
Instagram: @newtranslationsband
--ABOUT THE ARTIST--
A desperate, all-consuming yearning has long powered New Translations. That feeling has always pulsed through their music—a swooning blend of aqueous synth-pop and gauzy alt-rock that feels both intimate and infinite—but the band has been evolving ever since releasing the escapist fantasia of their 2025 debut album, “Vacation.” At home in Nashville, Rolling Stone, American Songwriter, FLOOD, and The Tennessean have spotlighted the quintet as leaders of an insurgent non-country Music City scene.
On the road, they’ve stepped onto bigger stages than ever before, including Bonnaroo and a national tour with Rainbow Kitten Surprise. They even came full circle during CMA Fest, earning headlines with a counterprogrammed rock takeover at JBJ’s. As the stakes rise, so does the longing—and New Translations have doubled down in the studio with genre-blurring producer Yves Rothman (Blondshell, FKA Twigs, Girlpool), expanding their sonic palette.
Their signature elements—glassine synths, post-punk basslines, sternum-rattling tom rolls—now mingle with bold new textures, from dazed dream-rock and towering sophistipop to the stormy dynamics of shoegaze.
Through it all, vocalist Oliver Pierce sings with the irrepressible urgency that comes when what you want most is almost within reach, yet not quite tangible—that “eternal reach,” as he describes it. “I hope to one day reach a point where I'm settled,” Pierce adds. “But right now, I’m chewing the bark off the trees and howling at the moon.”
“New Translations is like Musical Red Bull—energetic, non-stop fun from the first note to the last,” says Sails Music Coordinator Bob Sinclair. “We are so fortunate to have our New Translations friends back for the Sails Original Music Series. IYKYK...”
--ABOUT THE SAILS ORIGINAL MUSIC SERIES--
Started in 2012, the City of Hickory’s Sails Original Music Series showcases well-crafted, live music by bringing original music artists to The Sails on the Square. Original music is defined as music that is written or composed by the artist who performs it. For more information about the Sails Original Music Series, please visit www.HickoryNC.gov/SailsMusic and follow the Sails Original Music Series Facebook page, www.facebook.com/SailsMusic.
--SPONSORS--
The Sails Original Music Series, a Bob Sinclair Music production, presents excellent musical entertainment from national and international touring acts with the support of numerous sponsors. Thanks to presenting sponsor Protection Products, Inc., and supporting sponsors Larry’s Music & Sound, Pfahlert Creative Labs, Olde Hickory Brewery, and Crowne Plaza for supporting the series.
--ABOUT THE VENUE--
The Sails on the Square are located in the heart of downtown Hickory on Union Square. In addition to the seating available at Union Square, audience members are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets. A variety of bars and restaurants are close by and offer food and beverage choices. Parking is free. An interactive downtown parking map is available at www.hickorync.gov/downtown-parking-map.
ABC permitted businesses within the Hickory Downtown Social District sell beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages in specially marked cups that may be consumed on Union Square, sidewalks, and other public areas within the designated boundaries of the social district. No outside alcohol may be brought into the social district. To review additional restrictions and a detailed map of the social district’s coverage area, visit www.hickorync.gov/downtown-social-district.
--PASSIONS ALIVE--
In addition to outstanding music, art and performance will come together in a fresh way this September. Passions Alive—a project produced by Bob Sinclair Music and supported by a grant from Arts Culture Catawba—will feature local visual artists creating live paintings during each concert. As artists capture the energy of the music in real time, audiences will experience a dynamic fusion of sound and art that adds a new dimension to this year’s series.
The featured artist for the Sept. 4 Sails concert is Dan Smith, a multidisciplinary creator whose lifelong fascination with the human face has shaped a diverse body of work spanning painting, drawing, photography, landscapes, and large-scale abstract oil dreamscapes inspired by his return to North Carolina. Smith’s work crosses political, aesthetic, ethical, and ideological boundaries, embracing coincidence, poetic language, and the often-unresolved nature of personal experience. His practice includes reading, writing, performing, and teaching, all part of a broad aesthetic lifestyle that informs his art.
Smith’s live artwork from the performance will be auctioned at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2, at NoCo Arts in Newton, with proceeds supporting future Bob Sinclair Music art-and-music experiences.
NEW TRANSLATIONS
www.newtranslations.co
www.facebook.com/newtranslationsband
Instagram: @newtranslationsband
--ABOUT THE ARTIST--
A desperate, all-consuming yearning has long powered New Translations. That feeling has always pulsed through their music—a swooning blend of aqueous synth-pop and gauzy alt-rock that feels both intimate and infinite—but the band has been evolving ever since releasing the escapist fantasia of their 2025 debut album, “Vacation.” At home in Nashville, Rolling Stone, American Songwriter, FLOOD, and The Tennessean have spotlighted the quintet as leaders of an insurgent non-country Music City scene.
On the road, they’ve stepped onto bigger stages than ever before, including Bonnaroo and a national tour with Rainbow Kitten Surprise. They even came full circle during CMA Fest, earning headlines with a counterprogrammed rock takeover at JBJ’s. As the stakes rise, so does the longing—and New Translations have doubled down in the studio with genre-blurring producer Yves Rothman (Blondshell, FKA Twigs, Girlpool), expanding their sonic palette.
Their signature elements—glassine synths, post-punk basslines, sternum-rattling tom rolls—now mingle with bold new textures, from dazed dream-rock and towering sophistipop to the stormy dynamics of shoegaze.
Through it all, vocalist Oliver Pierce sings with the irrepressible urgency that comes when what you want most is almost within reach, yet not quite tangible—that “eternal reach,” as he describes it. “I hope to one day reach a point where I'm settled,” Pierce adds. “But right now, I’m chewing the bark off the trees and howling at the moon.”
“New Translations is like Musical Red Bull—energetic, non-stop fun from the first note to the last,” says Sails Music Coordinator Bob Sinclair. “We are so fortunate to have our New Translations friends back for the Sails Original Music Series. IYKYK...”
--ABOUT THE SAILS ORIGINAL MUSIC SERIES--
Started in 2012, the City of Hickory’s Sails Original Music Series showcases well-crafted, live music by bringing original music artists to The Sails on the Square. Original music is defined as music that is written or composed by the artist who performs it. For more information about the Sails Original Music Series, please visit www.HickoryNC.gov/SailsMusic and follow the Sails Original Music Series Facebook page, www.facebook.com/SailsMusic.
--SPONSORS--
The Sails Original Music Series, a Bob Sinclair Music production, presents excellent musical entertainment from national and international touring acts with the support of numerous sponsors. Thanks to presenting sponsor Protection Products, Inc., and supporting sponsors Larry’s Music & Sound, Pfahlert Creative Labs, Olde Hickory Brewery, and Crowne Plaza for supporting the series.
--ABOUT THE VENUE--
The Sails on the Square are located in the heart of downtown Hickory on Union Square. In addition to the seating available at Union Square, audience members are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets. A variety of bars and restaurants are close by and offer food and beverage choices. Parking is free. An interactive downtown parking map is available at www.hickorync.gov/downtown-parking-map.
ABC permitted businesses within the Hickory Downtown Social District sell beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages in specially marked cups that may be consumed on Union Square, sidewalks, and other public areas within the designated boundaries of the social district. No outside alcohol may be brought into the social district. To review additional restrictions and a detailed map of the social district’s coverage area, visit www.hickorync.gov/downtown-social-district.
--PASSIONS ALIVE--
In addition to outstanding music, art and performance will come together in a fresh way this September. Passions Alive—a project produced by Bob Sinclair Music and supported by a grant from Arts Culture Catawba—will feature local visual artists creating live paintings during each concert. As artists capture the energy of the music in real time, audiences will experience a dynamic fusion of sound and art that adds a new dimension to this year’s series.
The featured artist for the Sept. 4 Sails concert is Dan Smith, a multidisciplinary creator whose lifelong fascination with the human face has shaped a diverse body of work spanning painting, drawing, photography, landscapes, and large-scale abstract oil dreamscapes inspired by his return to North Carolina. Smith’s work crosses political, aesthetic, ethical, and ideological boundaries, embracing coincidence, poetic language, and the often-unresolved nature of personal experience. His practice includes reading, writing, performing, and teaching, all part of a broad aesthetic lifestyle that informs his art.
Smith’s live artwork from the performance will be auctioned at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2, at NoCo Arts in Newton, with proceeds supporting future Bob Sinclair Music art-and-music experiences.
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Where is it happening?
Downtown Hickory, 280 Union Sq, Hickory, NC 28601-6110, United States
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