Shaky Knees Music Festival

TWENTY ØNE PILØTS

Twenty One Pilots is an alternative rock duo from Columbus, Ohio. It started out as a band in 2009, formed by singer and songwriter Tyler Joseph, bassist Nick Thomas, and drummer Chris Salih. Joseph and Thomas were high school friends, and Joseph later met Salih while attending Ohio State University.

Pierce The Veil

Right now, Pierce the Veil are at their most raw, crackling with urgency and immediacy. Never predictable, always engaging, Pierce the Veil continue to soar on the strength of highly potent energy, rich musicality, and a scrappy sense of authentic exuberant ambition that's frankly unrivaled. Frontman Vic Fuentes, guitarist Tony Perry, and bassist Jaime Preciado put volatile, angsty, confessional emotions into the music, which is why their songs resonate with so many. "No matter where the band performs, fans will show up," wrote Loudwire. "When you see Pierce The Veil live, you'll understand why."

PTV's evolution from album to album is nothing less than stunning. The early buzz generated by A Flair for the Dramatic (2007) made its follow-up one of the most anticipated albums of 2010. Selfish Machines shot to No.1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. The Chicago Tribune saluted Collide with the Sky for its "post-hardcore punk with more than a few nods to Queen." They became a true arena act on Misadventures, selling out huge venues without losing the intimate connection with their fans.

Pierce the Veil have long cemented their status as one of the most exciting and relevant acts in their genre — by constantly evolving.

The Prodigy

Rising out from Essex, UK, The Prodigy have become one of the biggest electronic acts for over the past 20 years.

Pavement

Pavement was an American indie rock band from the 1990s. Although they experienced only moderate commercial success, they achieved a significant cult following, and their music has been a major influence on many bands of the late 1990s and beyond. They are largely considered as one of the first rock bands of the current age to gain a moderately wide degree of success without the support of a major label. In effect, the band gave rise to a deluge of indie rock bands who have succeeded on that same premise. Beginnings and Slanted and Enchanted Pavement formed in Stockton, California, in 1989 as a studio project of guitarists and vocalists Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg, known originally only as "S.M." and "Spiral Stairs", respectively. Their debut EPs were extremely lo-fi releases titled Slay Tracks (1933-1969), Demolition Plot J-7, and Perfect Sound Forever. They were recorded at Louder Than You Think, the home studio of infamous Stockton local and former hippie Gary Young. The eccentric and aging hipster also provided drums. Upon first hearing the duo's songs, Young was quoted as saying, "this Malkmus idiot is a complete songwriting genius". Pavement's most obvious influence during this time was English rock band The Fall, although Kannberg stated in a 1992 interview that he preferred The Replacements to The Fall. The Fall's primary member, Mark E. Smith, would often angrily claim through the years that Pavement was a "rip-off" of his band and that they didn't "have an original idea in their heads". However, some of the other members of The Fall actually enjoyed Pavement. Around 1992 Pavement became a full-time band, with the addition of bassist Mark Ibold - who had been one of the band's first fans - and extra percussionist Bob Nastanovich (a fellow museum security guard along with Malkmus and David Berman, who later fromed Silver Jews) to help Young keep time. Their debut album, Slanted and Enchanted, was released commercially in 1992 after being circulated among critics and tastemakers for nearly a year, and became an instant indie classic. Though the percussive influence of The Fall was still pervasive (as was that of English post punks, Swell Maps), many of the songs also exhibited a strong sense of melody. The following year, the band released the EP, Watery, Domestic, which represented a balance between their earlier and later styles. Gary Young's departure and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain The tour for Slanted & Enchanted gave Gary Young a chance to showcase his bizarre live behavior. He would act out by giving away cabbage and mashed potatoes to fans at the door of the venue, doing handstands, running around the venue and stage while the rest of the band was playing and drunkenly falling off his drum stool. His bizarre drug- and alcohol-fueled personality had grated on the rest of the band through several years of touring and recording and they could no longer take it. At the end of the tour, Young left Pavement. The final straw came when Young allegedly pulled a gun on Malkmus. (Malkmus later stated that this was not true: while Young had bought a gun, he never pulled it on Malkmus). The group soon after had a meeting in a hotel room in Copenhagen during which Malkmus, Kannberg and Ibold remained silent while Nastanovich (Young's best friend at the time) argued with the drummer and informed him that his antics were unnecessary. According to the band, Gary Young quit and was replaced by Steve West. With an improved recording quality and more original songwriting, they released Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain in 1994. The record was far more indebted to the classic rock tradition than their more obscure debut. The single, "Cut Your Hair" was the band's closest brush with the mainstream, and briefly enjoyed airplay on alternative rock radio and MTV. Another single, "Range Life", was infamous chiefly for lyrics that criticized alt-rock superstars The Smashing Pumpkins and Stone Temple Pilots. Malkmus has insisted over the years that the line is meant to be light-hearted and timely, sung from the point of view of the aging hippie character in the song - later live versions of the track had the singer substituting Spice Girls, Counting Crows, or countless others for "Stone Temple Pilots". Billy Corgan, leader of The Smashing Pumpkins, threatened to drop his band from the 1994 Lollapalooza Festival if Pavement was allowed to play. The Smashing Pumpkins were headlining Lollapalooza that year. Corgan and Malkmus would trade barbs through the press for several years after. Wowee Zowee and Brighten the Corners Pavement's next album was the eclectic, inscrutable Wowee Zowee (1995). In eighteen tracks, the band covered a wide range of styles including punk, country and balladry, and largely dispensed with conventional song structures. The album was not widely admired at the time of release but is now generally embraced by fans. On the Slow Century DVD, Malkmus attributed his odd choice of singles to his pot smoking, stating that "I was smoking a lot of grass back then but to me they sounded like hits." Although Malkmus has said in recent interviews that the album is the last "classic Pavement record", Kannberg has voiced regrets about Wowee Zowee. "We made some mistakes on that record... we were kind of pressured into putting out a record a little faster than we were ready to. I mean, I'm totally into the record. It's just if we had another six months to think about it, it would've been much different." During the tour for the album, Nastonovich stated on the Slow Century DVD, the band would often not work out a setlist before shows, opting for drug and alcohol fueled jams over hit singles. Wowee Zowee was followed up by the EP, Pacific Trim, which was recorded with only Malkmus and drummers Nastanovich and Steve West. Their studio time was originally reserved for a Silver Jews recording, but frontman David Berman walked out in frustration and the trio decided not to waste prepaid recording time. 1997's Brighten the Corners, a shorter, mellower and more focused record than the previous album, was produced by Mitch Easter. In style it resembled Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain and contained two of the band's best known singles in "Stereo" and "Shady Lane". It was the only Pavement album to include a lyric sheet. The album sold better than its predecessors, but Pavement remained a cult band. It was at about this time that the band started to fragment, with its members focusing more on other musical projects or on raising families. Terror Twilight and breakup In 1999, the band released its final album, Terror Twilight. Bob Nastanovich came up with the title, and has revealed the meaning of it in several interviews: "Twilight Terror is the short span between sunset and dusk; this is considered the most dangerous time in traffic, because half of the people switch on the headlights, and the other half doesn't. It's when most accidents happen." During an interview on the Slow Century documentary DVD, he said that the band was having trouble coming up with names for the record until he put forth Terror Twilight. One of the final contenders was Farewell Horizontal (also the name of a 1989 science fiction novel by K.W. Jeter), and Nastanovich said, "There was no way I was going to be on the Farewell Horizontal tour for the next year." Malkmus wrote the entirety of the record, and the recording of the music only featured minor contributions from the rest of the band. The music on the record is by far the gentlest and most emotionally direct in the band's discography, though the oddball Captain Beefheart homage "Platform Blues" is a nod to their more obscure roots. Its comparatively pristine production was helmed by Nigel Godrich, best known for his work with Radiohead and Beck. The group released one last EP, titled Major Leagues. It features three Malkmus songs, two original Spiral Stairs songs and two covers: "The Killing Moon" by Echo & the Bunnymen and "The Classical" by The Fall. Stephen Malkmus sings on both of the cover songs. After completing a world tour in London in 1999, the band announced that they were going on hiatus, which eventually revealed itself as an unofficial break-up. Nastanovich later said that it was a somewhat civil dissolution. "There was too much exhaustion for heavy emotion." Slow Century and Perfect Sound Forever In 2002, Slow Century, a documentary by Lance Bangs coupled with all of the band's music videos, was released as a 2 DVD set. Included was extensive footage, both professionally shot and taped by fans on camcorders, from the band's earliest shows in 1989 forward. The three final songs from the band's last show ever ("Stop Breathin'", "Conduit for Sale" and "Here") are presented at the end of the documentary. Also on the DVD is a hidden easter egg clip from the same show, wherein Malkmus apparently jokingly talks about how the handcuffs attached to his microphone stand "represent what it's like being in a band all these years." A bonus disc with a complete concert in Seattle, Washington, from the early part of the Terror Twilight tour was included on the second disc, as well as several songs from their second to last show. 2004 saw the publication of "Perfect Sound Forever: The Story of Pavement", a biography on the band written by Rob Jovanovic. Most reviews of the book rated it poorly, saying that it contained much of the same information as the Slow Century DVD and expanded very little on it. Post-Pavement projects * Stephen Malkmus has gone on to enjoy success as a solo artist combining his intricate guitar playing with a progressive rock influence. He has released four albums, Stephen Malkmus (2001), Pig Lib (2003), Face the Truth (2005), and Real Emotional Trash (2008) each garnering mainly warm reviews from critics and fans alike. Malkmus' new group has been known to treat audiences to Pavement songs every once in a while (On May 24, 2003, while touring in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with his new band The Jicks, Malkmus opened the show by saying, "This is off our first record". The band then proceeded to play an evening's worth of Pavement songs. This show has been dubbed by fans as The Milwaukee Show). He is a revolving member of the group Silver Jews, led by David Berman. * Scott Kannberg went on to form a musical group named Preston School of Industry, not to be confused with the Ione, California reform school nor the Pavement tune of the same name. They have released two albums with Matador Records, All This Sounds Gas (2001), and Monsoon (2004). The latter album boasts studio contributions from members of The Minus 5 and Wilco. Preston School of Industry has remained apparently inactive since the end of their September 2004 Australian tour. *Mark Ibold has been reported to be working behind the bar at a restaurant called Great Jones Cafe in New York, New York. In early 2005, rumors began to spread on the internet that he had a new group called Cam'Ron's Foreskin. In the summer of 2006, Ibold joined Sonic Youth as their touring bass player for their Rather Ripped tour. * Steve West lives in Lexington, Virginia. He has two children and works as a stonemason. He has released 3 albums as Marble Valley. * Bob Nastanovich has a home in Louisville, Kentucky and produces a website called "Lonely on the Rail" which combines his passions for horse racing and writing. He tour managed for The Jicks during their first tour. Since then, Nastanovich has been a jockey agent for Greta Kuntzweiler. When asked if he was in contact with his former band members, he said, "West - yes, Malkmus - yes, Ibold - rarely, Kannberg - never". He accompanied Malkmus on drums for two songs during a solo acoustic set at the 2007 Pitchfork Music Festival. * Gary Young has continued recording bands at his Stockton studio. He also has a new group, Gary Young's Hospital, with which he records and plays concerts. Young also invented the Universal Microphone Shock Mount, "an innovative approach to keeping your microphones isolated from stand vibrations." Reunion There is frequent speculation about the possibility of a Pavement reunion. In a 2006 Pitchfork interview, Scott Kannberg discussed the possibility of a reunion for the band's 20th anniversary in 2009. In a 2008 Entertainment Weekly article, Kannberg echoed the possibility of a 2009 reunion, and mentioned Matador Records' 20th anniversary. Mark Ibold was amiable to the idea; Malkmus, however, stated: "something small in 10 years like the Zeppelin thing sounds good to me." http://www.matadorrecords.com/pavement/

Jimmy Eat World

Celebrating 25 years of Something To Write Home About perfoming the album in its entirety 2024!

Blood Orange

Blood Orange (founded in 2009) is the indie-rock, R&B and new wave soul project of eccentric musician Devonte “Dev” Hynes, hailing from London, England.

Peach Pit

Peach Pit has become a standout in indie rock, known for their ability to craft songs that are both sonically rich and emotionally resonant. Since their 2016 debut Sweet FA, the Vancouver-based band—lead singer Neil Smith, guitarist Chris Vanderkooy, bassist Peter Wilton, and drummer Mikey Pascuzzi—have continuously evolved, expanding their sound while staying true to the heartfelt songwriting that first captured listeners’ attention. Their previous albums, You and Your Friends(2020) and From 2 to 3 (2022), saw the band honing their blend of introspective lyrics and dreamy, guitar-driven arrangements, incorporating elements of psychedelia and classic pop. With Magpie, Peach Pit takes this evolution further, infusing their signature indie-rock style with even more expansive, kaleidoscopic arrangements and raw emotional depth. The album reflects both personal growth and artistic exploration, drawing inspiration from a wide range of musical influences while embracing the duality of life’s choices, challenges, and moments of reflection. The energy on Peach Pit's Magpie is also the closest the band has ever come to capturing the essence of their legendary live show. Selling out nearly every headline show they’ve ever played, the band has also graced the bills of festivals such as Lollapalooza, Shaky Knees Festival, Bonnaroo, Osheaga, and played numerous sold-out tours in the US, Canada, Australia and Europe.

Taking Back Sunday

Taking Back Sunday (formed in 1999) is an American post-hardcore and alternative rock band from Amityville, New York, in the U.S.

Minus the Bear

The Seattle quintet Minus the Bear formed shortly after the turn of the millennium, fusing the previous decade’s forward-thinking math rock guitar gymnastics with the new century’s poptimistic pulse, indie sleaze revelry, and technological adventurism. Across the span of eighteen years, six full-lengths, and an array of singles and EP, the band traversed a broad swathe of sonic territories, seamlessly jumping from brainy indie pop to glitchy dance-punk to ambitious prog rock, all while retaining their signature blend of celebratory swagger with a pensive and reflective patina. Fueled by guitarist David Knudson’s fingertapping dexterity and pedalboard wizardy, vocalist/guitarist Jake Snider’s wistful and poignant depictions of adulthood escapades, multi-instrumentalist Alex Rose’s lush synth layers, and bassist Cory Murchy’s nimble groove, Minus the Bear created a body of work that cemented their place as one of modern indie rock’s most distinctive and influential acts.

Though Minus the Bear toured extensively across Europe, Asia, South America, and Australia, they were mainly known as an absolute juggernaut on the North American circuit, where they routinely sold-out theaters from coast to coast. Their final US tour was documented on the posthumously released live album Farewell, which captured not only the fiery and flawless execution of their most beloved material, but also the fervent enthusiasm of their devoted fanbase.

Wolf Alice

Our new album The Clearing out now

https://wolfalice.os.fan/finsbury-park

The Rapture

Congress the Band

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets

MUSIC/MERCH/TICKETS

https://psychedelicporncrumpets.com

Geordie Greep

Elio Mei

With vivid storytelling, poetic wordplay, genre-defying productions, and a

beautifully unique voice, Elio Mei (he/they) has quickly become known

for their innovative indie-folk twist on the bedroom pop genre. Having

released his debut album, 3 EPs and countless singles in just over 2

years - all of which written and recorded from his bedroom in Arizona -

the 23-year-old singer-songwriter is building a fun, comforting, and

magically whimsical world, relatable enough for anyone to immerse

themselves within.

Villanelle

Cruz Beckham

Rehash*

Rum Jungle

Hailing from the coastal backstreets of a steel city, Rum Jungle craft raw alt-rock anthems and late-night ballads that capture the haze of nostalgia, the chaos of youth, and the strange comfort of letting it all fall apart in style. Their sound pulls from surf-punk grit, indie sleaze swagger, and the kind of hooks that stick like salt on skin after a long summer.

The story began with a hand-me-down name from Bennys dad’s 70’s band – a reminder that music was always going to be the family business, whether official or not. For Rum Jungle, being a band isn’t optional; it’s hard-wired into who they are. It’s how they process their world, tell their story, and chase the moments that only exist when you’re plugged in together, pushing the same noise out into the night.

Since forming, Rum Jungle have grown from backyard parties to selling out rooms across North America, the UK, Europe, and Australia, while playing The Great Escape, Reeperbahn, and SXSW (Sydney). Their debut album Recency Bias landed at #1 on the ARIA charts, and with new music on the horizon, Rum Jungle are pushing deeper into their pretty-but-gritty world.

The Inspector Cluzo

ROCKFARMERS: DIY Blues Rock Duo 1100 gigs in 65 countries & Organic Prof. Farmers @LOU CASSE FARM.

Hotel Fiction

Sophie's Body

Old Mervs

Two piece band from Perth, How the fark are ya?

Sir Chloe

Gorillaz

Gorillaz is a British pop band created in 1998 in London, England, as the creative brainchild of musician Damon Albarn and graphic artist Jamie Hewlett. The band consists entirely of fictional members, with Albarn and various guests creating the band’s music.

Modest Mouse

Modest Mouse is an experimental indie rock band that was formed in Washington state, USA by Isaac Brock, Jeremiah Green and Eric Judy in 1993. The band has had a revolving cast of collaborators which include Granddady's Jim Fairchild and Smiths legend Johnny Marr.

Wu Tang Clan

One of the most revolutionary hip-hop acts, Wu-Tang Clan helped prove rap to be an art form, establishing a hip-hop enterprise in the process whilst delivering their uncompromising, dark sound and hard-hitting, intelligent wordplay.

Ben Howard

Ben Howard is a folk singer/songwriter who was born on the 24th of May 1987 in London, England. Based in Devon, UK, he’s released two studio albums and three E.P’s since his first release in 2008.

LCD Soundsystem

Because, in the studio, LCD Soundsystem is just James and his multifarious musical, vocal and production skills. But, onstage, LCD Soundsystem is a quintet of similarly funk, punk and art-obsessed friends - featuring Pat Mahoney (drums); Nancy Whang (k..

Santigold

Santigold (born September 25, 1976) is the stage and recording name of pop, R&B, punk and electro singer-songwriter, Santi White, hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Fontaines D.C.

Romance.

https://fontainesdc.com/

Jet

A rock band.

Danny Elfman

Daniel Robert 'Danny' Elfman is an American composer, record producer, and actor originally from California who was the lead singer of the rock band Oingo Boingo.

OK Go

Since their inception OK Go has been something more than a band and something different from an art project. With a career that includes award-winning videos, New York Times op-eds, collaborations with pioneering dance companies, tech giants, NASA, animators and Muppets, and an experiment that encoded their music on actual strands of DNA, OK Go continue to fearlessly dream and build new worlds in a time when creative boundaries have all but dissolved. Formed as a quartet in Chicago in 1998 and relocated to Los Angeles three years later, OK Go (Damian Kulash, Timothy Nordwind, Dan Konopka, Andy Ross) have spent their career in a steady state of transformation and continue to add to a curriculum vitae filled with experimentation in a variety of mediums. OK Go’s work is in the permanent collection of MoMA, and their achievements have been recognized with twenty-one Cannes Lions, twelve CLIOs, three VMAs, two Webbys, The Smithsonian Ingenuity Award, and a Grammy.

Japanese Breakfast

New album ‘For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)’ out March 21

Alice Phoebe Lou

Husband-and-wife duo Flora Cash craft atmospheric indie folk and pop music born from a cross-Atlantic courtship. In 2012, the pair met on SoundCloud and struck up a musical connection, leading Shpresa Lleshaj to travel from Stockholm to Minneapolis to meet Cole Randall in person. They returned to Sweden together and immediately began work as Flora Cash. Their debut EP, Mighty Fine, was released just months later. The next year, they released another set of harmonious tracks on Made It for You. Flying back to Minneapolis, they got married and honeymooned in Los Angeles before making their way back to Europe in 2014. Their third EP, I Will Be There, was issued that year. After signing with Icons Creating Evil Art, they released mini-LP, Can Summer Love Last Forever, in 2016 and followed that with a full length offering, Nothing Lasts Forever (And It’s Fine) in mid 2017 to rave reviews incl. a 9/10 review from Earmilk, 98/100 from Elmore Magazine, a #1 single on the Hype Machine’s Most Popular chart and support from Noisey by VICE, Paste, The Music Ninja, Interview Magazine, The Line Of Best Fit and more.

Coheed and Cambria

Taking inspiration from two main characters Claudio Sanchez’s fictional works, prog-rock band Coheed and Cambria from New York, US who since formation in 1995 have steadily climbed to the top of the ranks while achieving global success with their Children of the Fence firmly by their side.

Turnstile

"NEVER ENOUGH"

Knocked Loose

A Tear In The Fabric Of Life

Cartel

Geese

Geese play original music from different time periods. Rock, Jazz, Blues, Swing, Funk, Prog,

American Hi-Fi

Snow Strippers

RA: Resident Advisor

Goldford

Music to heal to.

Fcukers

RA: Resident Advisor

Big Special

Post Punk Duo from The West Midlands of England “These two men make an amazing noise. Fantastic poetry, powerful songwriting and a texture of sound you’re just not going to hear any place else. It absolutely is both Big and Special.” - Tom Robinson, BBC 6 Music

Rehash

Rehash is an indie-rock band from South Florida that began with two high schoolers making music in their bedrooms. In June 2023, they wrote and recorded their self-titled debut album “Rehash”, cementing themselves as one of the most exciting emerging acts on the East Coast. To date, everything has been written, recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered by the band. Their latest project “mock” has been a favorite of fans since its release in June of 2025. With more music on the way, Rehash is gearing up for their biggest year yet.

They started off touring on opening runs with acts like Alexsucks and Dogpark. They’re currently on tour and have sold out 75% of the shows.

With the release of their sophomore album Mock in June 2025, Rehash saw explosive growth—streaming numbers jumped over 50% in the last two months, reaching over 5 million monthly streams.

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals

Porch Light

Songs for Kids

garbagebarbie

Two Lips

Geordie Greep (Black Midi)

Violet Grohl

Showing Teeth

Garbage Barbie

Hot Mulligan

Hot Mulligan writes songs for people to sing as loud as possible. Their music is the cathartic outcry for growth from a generation of forward-thinking Midwesterners caught in the gears of a rusted system in desperate need of hope. The members — Tades Sanville, Chris Freeman, Ryan Malicsi, and Brandon Blakeley — use songwriting to explore the lessons they’ve learned from lives lead in the pursuit of dreams with full awareness of the cost. From relationships to personal development, Hot Mulligan captures the human experience with unflinching honesty and infectious hooks that, above all else, make people feel something.

On their Sophomore LP, You’ll Be Fine, Hot Mulligan shares a collection of stories that capture their growth, or lack thereof, since the release of 2018’s Pilot. It’s an album about losing yourself in the pursuit of your dreams, and how that conundrum can create a ripple effect that touches every relationship in our lives. For every show played, there are moments missed back home. For every song, a commitment is made to staying on the road.

But don’t let the emotional intelligence displayed on You’ll Be Fine fool you. Hot Mulligan makes serious music for people that don’t take themselves too seriously. You may feel sad or stressed or lost in life right now, but don’t worry too much because those feelings will pass in time. When all is said and done, after dreams are chased, hearts are broken, and memories are made, you’ll be fine.

Shaky Knees Music Festival

Flytjendur