THE WORMHOLES
06/09/2023
Visulite Theatre (16+ (Must have ID) - Under 16 with Parent Only)
Doors Open: 7:00 - Show Starts: 8:00
Tickets: $10.00 (Advance) / $12.00 (Day of Show)
ON SALE NOW!
The Wormholes are Ben Verner (artist, lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist) and Chris Walters (producer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist). They write, record, and produce all of their music together from a bedroom studio in Charlotte, North Carolina. Their sound blurs the lines between art-pop, post-rock, and neo-psychedelia.
“Light in the Dark” is the duo’s second full-length release. The album is a journey through an atmospheric dreamscape, navigating the mysteries of the heart, the wild unknowns of human emotion. Vocal effects harken the sound of consciousness, as if speaking to the listener from deep inside their own mind, from a deep, cavernous, rarely-touched place within.
The whole album is an exploration in dichotomies - the hard and the soft, the steady and the chaotic, both in its instrumentation and in its lyricism. Like the vulnerable emotional experiences it narrates, the album is multidimensional, layered, and textured, blending the light and the dark, the hard and the soft, the steady and the chaotic, expressing a full and complex range of truths.
In between producing and recording two self-released full-length albums and two EP’s, the duo has solidified a reputation for replicating their unique sound with an unforgettable live performance…one that produces a wall of sound unexpected from only two humans. Numerous tours have led them up and down the east coast, armed with an extensive sonic weaponry of lush harmonies, layered synths, fuzzy guitar, and intricate percussive rhythms.
SWANSGATE
Formed in small town North Carolina by 3 close friends, Swansgate was originally set up in the likeness of a jazz trio. The musical direction of frontman Stu Draughn manifested as a series of long, mostly instrumental, compositions for keys, drums, and bass.
Over time, the direction of the band evolved into a more symphonic approach to making music. With more and more elements being added to each composition, Swansgate decided to enlist drummer Mike Kaloudis so that founding member and multi-instrumentalist Michael McKinney could commit to playing electric guitar and keyboards.
Their current sound leans toward Alternative/Indie with elements of psychedelic/space rock, electronic, shibuya-kei, hip-hop, and more. Their live set includes precisely composed songs that experiment with genre-fusing and avant-garde sounds; while also keeping in mind accessibility and spontaneity so that each show is a unique, fun, and memorable experience. Currently based out of Charlotte, NC, their debut album, “Becoming Someone” was released independently on April 29, 2022.
FAMILY VIDEO
Start Time: 8:00
Family Video wants you to dance like the world is ending.
The Charlotte, NC-based five piece fuses vintage synths, four-on-the-floor drum machine grooves and fuzzed out, angular guitars to craft indie pop songs that conjure up the likes of Echo and the Bunnymen, Depeche Mode, and LCD Soundsystem. Anchored by frontman Josh Shabtai’s manic stage presence and darkly tinged lyrics, the band evokes the decadence and daring of a musical era gone by.
An NYC transplant (formerly of art rockers Controller), Shabtai moved to Charlotte with a batch of songs and a hunger to get them out into the world. He recorded Family Video’s debut EP, Future so Dark, with producer Danny Kalb (Ben Harper/Beck/DREAMERS) at White Star Sound outside of Charlottesville, VA. Future so Dark is a three-song collection that introduces listeners to Family Video’s unique brand of new wave-meets-pop punk bombast.
Shabtai soon enlisted Gabe Avant (drums), Garrett Ballard (guitars, synths), Derrick Davis (guitars), Brian Bethea (sax), and David Frick (synths) to transform Family Video from a bedroom project into an in-person spectacle. Audiences can expect a cinematic, high energy show with equal opportunities to dance and sing along as the band moves through a set of songs from their EP, upcoming album, and the occasional rendition of a new wave classic.
