Grooblen
Channeling experimental psychedelic cabaret dreampunk into her performance alter-ego, Grooblen, San Francisco's Ellie Stokes’ healing work braids themes that are reflective, surreal, pensive, and whimsical. Inspired by musical artists Queens Of The Stone Age, Fiona Apple, Frank Zappa, Jeff Buckley, and XTC, critics have described as "a playful and genre-diverse style of art pop, pulling from psychedelic cabaret arrangements, jazz pop, and surreal rock stylings.” (Under the Radar Mag)
Grooblen is a community-oriented band described by Psychedelic Scene as the “originators” of “psychedelic-cabaret-dream-pop-punk,”- continues to shine with the members’ individual talents: Drummer Sean Aaron and guitarist Spencer Lay spring out with intricate rhythms and melodies, joining the orchestral swell of Alejandro Lara-Agraz on bass, Eva Alejandra contributing vocals, Jack Lillian mixing in flute, guest bass and vocals, and Stokes’ lead vocal slashing through with equal parts power and delicate sadness.
SWISS.
San Francisco, CA-based singer, songwriter, and guitarist Christine McCann had just finished her last album as part of the shoegaze rock band Columba Livia, and she was going through it. “I was beaten up, very depressed and feeling catharsis with heavy music all because of a stupid ol’ break up… I wanted to switch it up as I was getting out of that funk and create music that you could dance to, music with a touch of pop.
What resulted is SWISS.: a guitar-driven sonic pivot born from pop sensibilities and pulsing with fresh energy. SWISS. gleams with an eclectic sound that pulls from the swagger of early Arctic Monkeys, the confessional sprawl of Angel Olsen or Courtney Barnett, and the cheeky, left-field spirit of Caroline Rose. And while McCann’s heavy-rock past lingers in the occasional haze of distortion, SWISS. leans into movement—a shift from the heavy-hearted to the dancefloor-ready.
McCann began composing songs from the first moment she picked up a guitar. While working in a pizza shop with a collection of artists in Los Angeles, the spark to create hit her all at once. “We would play guitar on my rooftop in Venice,” she recalls. “I knew a couple chords but I just immediately started writing songs everyday. It poured out, and it was relatively easy and I didn’t want it to stop.”
Hundreds of miles and a handful of years later McCann as SWISS. has played notable San Francisco venues such as Great American Music Hall, Bottom of the Hill, and The Independent, opening for bands such as Les Savy Fav, A Beacon School, and Foxtails Brigade. After working with co-producer and engineer Isaac Civitello, SWISS. plans to release their debut EP in Summer 2025. Be on the lookout for the EP and catch SWISS. at a concert near you.
Rumble Pak
funk punk from the bay area:
an arrangement concocted in order to perform a single show
and then it was too much fun
and then we wrote a lot more music
now our first album is available
playing as much as we can
DOORS at 7:00PM | MUSIC at 8:00 PM