Not Your Basic NorthWest Punk Fest

The Black Tones welcome audiences into their musical family every time they take the stage. Once you see them live, you’ve then become a part of their extended sonic kin. Founded by twins Eva and Cedric Walker, the Seattle-based rock ‘n’ roll band has grown from humble beginnings in their grandmother’s basement to receiving recognition from Guitar World, AfroPunk, KEXP, American Songwriter, Under the Radar and NPR, which said, ”The Black Tones are redefining Seattle music.”

Over the past handful of years, the rock group has shared stages with Weezer, Mavis Staples, Death Cab for Cutie, Tank and the Bangas, Fishbone and many more. The group has also worked closely with Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready on several projects, including a cover of U2's "Pride (In the Name of Love)." And in 2019, The Black Tones released their debut LP, Cobain & Cornbread, which was engineered by the legendary Godfather of Grunge, Jack Endino.

That album garnered the group many accolades, including the rank of #17 on KEXP’s Best Albums of 2019 list. Not to be outdone, The Seattle Times dubbed the group one of the 15 Most Influential Artists of the 2010’s. In 2020 The Black Tones released a limited edition 7” (“Where Do We Go Now” b/w “The Devil & Grandma'') on McCready’s record label, HockyTalkter Records. And in 2022, the rock band caught the attention of Sub Pop Records, which released their single, “The End of Everything” b/w “Mr. Mines.”

While these accomplishments are lofty, Eva and Cedric keep their feet firmly on the ground, maintaining warmth and humility, joy and a sense of familial freedom. To wit, The Black Tones boast their own hate group-fighting 8-bit video game, “They Want Us Dead,” inspired by their hit single, “The Key of Black.” In the game, players can fight hate groups like the alt-right, slave owners and more as either Eva or Cedric, traveling back through time.

Truly, for the band, music is as much entertainment and expression as it is a chance at activism. To change the world—or even a single person’s perception of it—through songs is an honor for Eva and Cedric one it does not take lightly. Whether singing songs about the danger black bodies incur daily, spiders in their childhood bedrooms or fantastical “ghetto spaceships,” The Black Tones' charisma and infectious blues-punk approach is exemplary, essential and the stuff of deep roots.

It’s a stork! It’s a plane! No, it’s Black Ends! Hailing from the yuppie infested “seen brighter days” city of Seattle,WA we have a hit making trio trying to slither their way into SPOTIFY STARDOM! There’s Nikolle Swims on guitar/vocals. There’s Bent Swanson on bass. There’s Billie J Paine on drums. When they come together, Gunk Pop is born and born and born again! Gunk Pop is like mud you enjoy the taste of or a gentle kiss from a person with a rotting tooth or like bubblegum candy on the bottom of your decades used up adidas. Since everyone’s a musician these days, a lot of important music is looked over rapidly and repeatedly. You don’t want to miss this band though, it’s as if Nirvana were tamer and inspired by Jeff Buckley or Elliott Smith or Shudder to Think. It’s a fistful of heavy guitar pop melodies with a type of desperation you can’t really look away from. In the last couple of years, Black Ends has opened for Bikini K*ll, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Lambrini Girls, and Otoboke Beaver. Their debut record "Psychotic Spew" was released in fall 2024 and since then, they’ve been making a pretty good name for themselves around the PNW. The record had some acclaimed write ups from Bandcamp Daily, KEXP, Seattle Times, Flood Magazine, Wash Magazine, and New Noise Mag. They were recently featured as an Artist to Watch in 2025 in Alt Press Magazine. BE also recently performed a KEXP session for the second time in their short time as a band. Their journey through this corporate music world hasn’t been the easiest come up, but with songs like this, one can only hope and see a very bright future for this trio. Dive into this Gunk Pop black hole of bliss. “All we want is to make Rock and Roll music not stale anymore. For a kid to find our music who feels alienated in this world and for it to resonate and change their mind on the things this cruel world bashed into their head. We want rock music to mean something again, to stop kids from becoming boring bankers or giving their lives to a 9 to 5 meaningless job. We want music to say something again, to be something again, doesn’t everyone miss feeling alive? Maybe just maybe our music can bring just a little of that to the world - we’re just a single band but we’ve got a lot to say and a lot of music to give”

Listen to Black Ends. Go see a show. Keep music sacred. Hug your vinyl. Rock n Roll is here to stay.

BLACK ENDS IS GUNK POP .

SPLINTERHEAD is a three piece experimental punk rock band roaring from the concrete labyrinth of Portland Oregon. Delivering a familiar yet new interpretation of punk rock , Bringing it back to the black roots of rock music infusing the emotional wails and lyricism of the blues with the unforgiving controlled chaos of hardcore and shoegaze. Fabricating a tapestry of experience to blanket any audience who witnesses the live emotion , love , hatred , energy and danger that makes a SPLINTERHEAD show a SPLINTERHEAD show.

Live Alone is a melodic post-hardcore band from Portland, pulling in shoegaze textures and grunge energy to make something heavy, raw, and honest. At the heart of the band is Teryl Neal, whose vocals and lyrics cut through the noise with real emotional weight. He brings a vulnerable intensity to every song, balancing aggression and melody in a way that gives the band its distinct voice. Whether it’s a basement show or a bigger stage, Teryl’s presence pulls the whole room in—Live Alone hits hard, but it’s the feeling underneath that sticks with you.

Host or Publisher Alberta Abbey