Cheekface

Cheekface is a rock combo from Los Angeles made up of guitarist and singing person Greg Katz, bassist and other singing person Amanda Tannen (formerly of stellastarr*), and drummer Mark Echo Edwards. The group's songs, characterized by Katz's talk-singing, are typically short and lyrics-driven with a dry sense of humor and tend to share a thematic interest in anxiety and sociopolitical unease. Inspired by the great American talk-singers like Jonathan Richman, Stephen Malkmus and Lou Reed, and British indie rock bands like Wire and The Fall, Cheekface released their first single "Glendale" in 2018. Indie Shuffle lauded the song as "an art-pop gem." Katz and Tannen then wrote what would become the group's breakout single, "Dry Heat/Nice Town", based on their experience attending the 2017 Women's March. After releasing several more singles on Bandcamp over the course of 2018, including "Sexy National Anthem" and "I Only Say I'm Sorry When I'm Wrong Now", the band released their first album, Therapy Island, in March 2019. In January 2021, the band released its second album, Emphatically No., followed by an EP of B-sides from that record, titled Emphatically Mo'. Emphatically No. was listed as one of Paste's 40 best rock albums of 2021. In August 2022, after teasing the album to fans via postcards, the band released their third album Too Much to Ask. Following it up three months later with another EP of B-sides entitled Don't Ask. The band continued to release singles in 2023, beginning in January with "The Fringe". In December of that year, Cheekface announced a 2024 tour of the US and Canada, and followed this up with the surprise release of their fourth album, It's Sorted, in January 2024. A B-Sides EP for It's Sorted, titled Sort Of, was released later that year. After releasing three more singles in the latter half of 2024 and beginning of 2025, their fifth album, Middle Spoon, was released on February 25th, 2025. Cheekface fashions itself as "America's Local Band" in reference to obscure music projects that are locally beloved but do not reach listeners outside of their music scenes. The band's music is released on Katz's New Professor Music label, with album artwork by Tannen. Cheekface's fans call themselves Cheek Freaks, analogous to Deadheads, fans of the Grateful Dead.

Apes of the State is an independent Lancaster, PA based folk/pop/punk band consisting of: April Hartman (guitar, banjo, vocals, song writing), Dan Ebersole (mandolin, guitar), Mollie Swartz (violin, keys), and Max Scott (vocals, bells, guitar). April’s first release, “All I Did This Summer Was Go to Rehab (2014),” can be self-described as equal parts cringey and genius. It documents her first ever experiments in song writing and sobriety after uprooting her life in New Jersey to start over post-rehab in Lancaster, PA. A short EP of songs, “Things I Never Meant to Tell You” followed in 2015 featuring songs that would later be worked into the full band known as “Apes of the State.” 2016 brought the band’s first recording, “This City Isn’t Big Enough” which was a far leap both instrumentally and quality wise from the lofi solo bedroom recordings. Their second full length album, “Pipe Dream” was released in November of 2019. “Pipe Dream” features a more dynamic sound, with the band introducing the use of percussion and electric guitar on some of the tracks. Their sound is very lyrical, influenced by storyteller singer/songwriters such as Paul Baribeau and Everyone Except Me. Apes of the State takes the simplicity and straightforward, emotional writing style of these influences and combines it with the drive and power of a full acoustic band. Their sound is under constant evolution but is deeply rooted in punk rock, folk, and bluegrass. As a band, they are driven by DIY ethics with a goal of helping as many people as possible with their music. They sing songs about whatever makes them feel things, like love, heartbreak, student loan debt, regret, and overcoming addiction. They have performed across the US anywhere and everywhere, from basements, backyards, and living rooms to the Warped Tour and TEDx stages. The members are also heavily involved in activism for people recovering from substance use disorder and promoting harm reduction at their shows. In 2016, April and Dan founded an organization called Second Chance to Play which aims to help individuals in rehabs and in recovery communities participate in the music scene of their hometown Lancaster.