Stephen Clair's grandfather was always singing from behind the wheel while occasionally opening the car door to spit. It was Grandpap who played young Stephen a Johnny Cash record when he was five years old, and that's everything Stephen remembers from his youth. Best known for his wry humor and guitar stylings, the Beacon, NY musician has been a fixture on the Americana, alt-country, and dorky independent rock scene since his 1997 debut, Altoona Hotel, named for the town his grandfather called home.
 He's released many more albums over the years and toured and done all the things, experiencing
all the near misses of life in the biz. Critics and his family love him first. Everyone else has come
around in their own sweet time.
 Rawboned, his latest effort, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, features only Clair and a
guitar, except when it's Clair and a rickety piano. The songs are miniature stories, the essence of
emotion, and the arrangements and performances fit accordingly. "Every note, every part — including the air around it — is intentional," says Clair. "I recorded it alone, in a room, over months, guitar in my lap, mousing with one hand, groping through the microphones surrounding me. I recorded take after take of each song. What you hear are complete, intact performances of each song. No punching in, no edits, no cutting and pasting. Each track on the record is a complete performance."
 There's air in these songs, for sure. Every melody counts, as does each breath, word, and the
space in between. Repetition is another device Clair takes full advantage of. Repeating words or
lines can show longing, anticipation, and even obsession. The singer in "Watering the Flowers"
and "Pizza and Fairy Tales" uses this to full effect. The sanguine narrator provides the play-by-play as they incessantly water the flowers, waiting, wondering, attempting to keep their shit together.
 Clair first came to prominence when the late Rita Houston pronounced her love for "Jen in Her
 Underwear," adding it to regular rotation on WFUV, thereby putting Clair on the map and the road. His next effort was Under the Bed, followed by What Luck (2007.) In 2019, Clair teamed up with celebrated producer Malcolm Burn (U2 and Emmylou Harris), the result, an epic garage album, Strange Perfume. Paste Magazine declared "Clair's lyrics are everyman poetry with a dash of self-deprecation and gallows humor to go with his otherwise uncluttered views of the world around and within him.”


THE SPEED OF SOUND IS A BRAND - NEW MAINE -BASED BAND THAT BLENDS...sharp musicianship, melodic sensibilities, and a love for timeless songwriting. Fronted by Spencer Albee on lead vocals, vintage keyboards, and rhythm guitar, the group features Zachary Bence (lead guitar, background vocals), Owen Markowitz (drums, background vocals), and Caleb Sweet (bass, background vocals). Rolling Stone once wrote, “There’s no shame in being a Fab Four disciple — Electric Light Orchestra, Oasis, and Squeeze made careers of it — and Spencer Albee is a 21st century master in the lost art of Beatlesesque hooks.” That melodic mastery is at the heart of The Speed of Sound. Albee’s career has spanned international tours, multiple major recording and publishing contracts, and collaborations with icons like David Bowie, Amy Allen, De La Soul, John Stirratt (Wilco, The Autumn Defense), Louisa Stancioff, and The Ghost of Paul Revere. Guitarist Zachary Bence, a William Paterson University jazz alum, has recorded with a range of acclaimed artists including Griffin William Sherry and Louisa Stancioff. Drummer Owen Markowitz draws on a rich background in jazz and improvisation, influenced by legends such as Tony Williams, Max Roach, Philly Joe Jones, and Nate Smith. Bassist Caleb Sweet, a Berklee College of Music graduate, and seasoned road musician after touring with The Wolff Sisters, Chris Ross and The North, and more over the past decade. The Speed of Sound is an indie band with a hankering for Wonder, Hendrix, Little Feat, McCartney, The Meters, Hancock, Bowie, Zevon, 90s hip hop, and Detroit-era Motown.

Personal growth is a journey that weaves a path through the past, present and future. There’s the awkward, fumbling confusion of childhood, the hilarity and mortifying shame of puberty, and the suffocating nostalgia that piles up thick with age. Like the burning itch of an ever-shrinking sweater, you can’t ignore when it’s time to peel away from the parts of yourself that no longer serve you and walk away from them forever. Few can speak more to the sacred nature of such metamorphosis than the trans community- and Hammydown (aka Abbie Morin - they/them) is humbled to add their vulnerable, and often catchy musings to the conversation with their 2025 debut LP, Former You. Abbie entered their thirties March 12, 2020 (yes, they are a Pisces) while on the road playing in their best friend’s eponymous band, Caroline Rose. Drunk, bemoaning a canceled tour, and naive to the global chaos about to ensue, the two made a backup plan- a new Hammydown record. Working from a mouse-filled cottage in remote Maine, Abbie’s 2nd floor Burlington, Vermont apartment, and Caroline’s Texas home studio- they have spent the past 5 years chiseling out a world for Hammydown’s songs to emerge. Abbie’s colorful lyrics, pop infused melodies and 90s grunge guitar intersect with the complex, cinematic, and deeply thoughtful production of Caroline Rose to form a unique sonic palette that simultaneously feels as unexpected as it does familiar. The songs are rife with the frustration of a queer millennial caught in the dumpster fire of our modern world, and Abbie isn’t afraid to laugh through the pain. Hammydown aims to bring you just a bit of hope- tiny triumphant journeys to find friendship, self compassion and empathy for all of the versions of ourselves we’ve left behind along the way.

Lexi Weege is no stranger to the road. The New England powerhouse singer/songwriter grew up in a traveling Cabaret troupe, and she’s been on the move ever since. Combining the best of jazz, Motown, and soul, Weege’s original songs are full of spirit. Whether she’s crooning a heartbroken ballad or belting out the blues, Lexi Weege's dexterous voice is at the heart of it all. Her acrobatic vocals soar high and plunge low, tugging at your heartstrings. Expect to dance, and maybe shed a bittersweet tear, too. Weege is a gifted storyteller. Her nearly twenty years of experience is evident in the craft of her songwriting, and in the bold confidence she exudes onstage. Lexi Weege's six releases, national tours, and hundreds of shows have happened independently, without any label backing. A true believer in the power of DIY, Weege is surely an old soul, and one of a kind. In 2020, Weege joined forces with mountain folk singer songwriter and guitar slinger JJ Slater, and the pair began recording and touring under the name Signature Dish. The Dish released a record of reimagined blues classics and dubbed the collection “They’re Red Hot!” in 2025.