Tag Archive for: aisle 5

GREG MENDEZ ON TOUR PLAYING AISLE 5 ATLANTA – AUGUST 1

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 7/17/26

RELEASES NEW ALBUM

BEAUTY LAND 

TODAY VIA DEAD OCEANS

EXPANDS 2026 TOUR DATES

WATCH VIDEO FOR ALBUM STANDOUT “SO MEAN”

Photo Steven Yang

“In less than two minutes, Greg Mendez can express a lifetime’s worth of pain, regret, and resilience.” -Pitchfork 


“It’s at once a grandiose and understated… Mendez’s severe lyrical specificity opens up entire worlds in which the listener can find themselves.”
-Rolling Stone

“In Mendez’s hands, coming to terms with the worst of times has led to music so grippingly human, you’ll want to hear him grapple with his demons on an endless loop.”
-NPR 


“Mendez’s unrefined, plaintive voice, his piercing melodies, and his conversational but haunting lyrics all mark him out as one of the best songwriters to come out of a city teeming with great songwriters.” -Stereogum

“The best songwriters can take visceral moments from their lives and bend them to the palettes of the people listening to them unfold, so they can inject themselves into these spaces; Mendez’s ability to leave that door cracked for the rest of us is what makes him one of our subtlest geniuses.”
-Paste

“Nakedly honest and gently strummed indie rock confessionals.”
-The FADER

“Sweet, melancholic, and perfectly understated”

-Consequence

Greg Mendez releases his anticipated new album, Beauty Land, today via Dead Oceans. On Beauty Land, Mendez perfects his raw and quietly devastating sound, as evidenced by the album’s singles “I Wanna Feel Pretty,” “Gentle Love / Frog,” “No Evil,” and “So Mean,” released today alongside an understatedly heartbreaking video directed by Luke LeCount, shot on 16mm film in Wildwood, NJ and at Minimart in Philadelphia, PA.

On the album, we’re guided by a wry but forgiving narrator, an underdog who has learned to balance cynicism and faith. These songs are self-effacing without self-pity, carefully constructed altars of imperfection channeled through pop melodies, shimmering but urgent guitars, and a voice that reaches for choir boy innocence.

The bulk of Beauty Land was recorded directly to tape, almost entirely alone in Mendez’s makeshift home studio in Philadelphia – a small room with no natural light. It’s his first full-length album since his unexpected breakthrough self-titled album in 2023, which was a slow burn success following 15 years of writing and recording music in relative obscurity between Philly and New York. Beauty Land picks up where we left off three years ago – plumbing the depths of grief, love, and addiction – but its intense, quiet clarity shows Mendez at his songwriting best.

Mendez is touring across North America this summer in support of Beauty Land this summer, with just-announced dates across Europe this October and November. Tickets for all shows are available now via gregmendez.net. All dates below.

Tour Dates:

06/10 – Washington, DC – Songbyrd #

06/11 – Richmond, VA – Richmond Music Hall #

06/12 – Asheville, NC – Static Age #

06/13 – Nashville, TN – The Blue Room #

06/15 – Bloomington, IN – The Bishop #

06/16 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon #

06/17 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th St Entry #

06/19 – Iowa City, IA – Gabe’s Oasis #

06/20 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall #

06/21 – Detroit, MI – Lager House #

06/23 – Toronto, ON –  Sound Garage #

06/24 – Northampton, MA – Iron Horse Music Hall #

06/25 – Portland, ME – SPACE Gallery #

06/26 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair #

06/27 – Hamden, CT – Space Ballroom #

06/30 – Brooklyn, NY –  Music Hall of Williamsburg #

07/01 – Kingston, NY – Tubby’s #

07/10 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church #

07/31 – Durham, NC – Cat’s Cradle Back Room ^

08/01 – Atlanta, GA –  Aisle 5 ^

08/02 – New Orleans, LA – Siberia ^

08/04 – Austin, TX – 29th Street Ballroom ^

08/05 – Dallas, TX – Club Dada ^

08/08 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar ^

08/09 – San Diego, CA – Soda Bar ^

08/10 – Los Angeles, CA – Sid the Cat Auditorium ^

08/12 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent ^

08/14 – Portland, OR –  Polaris ^

08/15 – Seattle, WA –  Barboza ^

08/16 – Vancouver, BC – Biltmore Cabaret ^

08/18 – Boise, ID –  Shrine Social Club ^

08/19 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court ^

08/21 – Denver, CO – Lost Lake ^

08/22 – Kansas City, MO –  Record Bar ^

08/23 – St Louis, MO –  Off Broadway ^

08/24 – Newport, KY – Southgate House Revival ^

08/25 – Pittsburgh, PA – Bottlerocket ^

10/27 – Berlin, DE – Lark

10/29 – Cologne, DE – JAKI

10/31 – Brussels, BE – Ancienne Belgique

11/2 – Paris, FR – Pop Up Du Label

11/5 – Glasgow, UK – McChuills

11/7 – Manchester, UK – The Abbey

11/8 – Nottingham, UK – The Chapel

11/10 – Bristol, UK – The Croft

# with Scarlet Rae

^ with Maria BC

JAY SOM COMING TO ATLANTA’S AISLE 5 ON DEC 5

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 11/9/25

Los Angeles-based / Bay area- raised multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer Melina Duterte aka Jay Som recently released the critically acclaimed Belong – her first new album in over six years. The record has received praise from NPR, The New York Times, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Stereogum, The Needle Drop, Alternative Press and Paste Magazine, calling it “one of Jay Som’s strongest works of late.” Next month, she will be heading on tour, playing at Aisle 5 on 12/5.

Early praise for Jay Som & Belong:

“Indie’s secret weapon” – Rolling Stone

“Duterte’s third album, ‘Belong,’ has both pillowy guitar textures and plenty of bite.” 

– The New York Times 

“Come for the gauzy songwriting, stay for the hooks stuck in your head” – Pitchfork

“the full thrush of this is very much pop-punk catharsis..the eruption of it, it’s just so satisfying”

 – NPR Music 

“a startling, spectacular return…’Float’ is one of the most purely pleasurable rock songs in recent memory.” – Stereogum

“a tender electro-pop track featuring textured synths, piano, and dreamy vocals. The evolving soundscape feels effortless and vibrant” 

– Paste

“’Belong’ is an expansion of her once nascent talents, a rush of electro-synths, punk-pop and other variously nostalgic indie genres, presented in a new way.” – Associated Press

“While she indulges in a bit of nostalgia, this is no aughts radio rock pastiche; her sound remains refreshingly her own”

 – them

“‘Float’ feels like an organic collaboration mixing Jay Som’s dream pop sensibilities with Adkins’ signature sound” – Consequence

“a truly excellent electro-pop track…with some of her best vocals to date.”

 – Billboard 

 “Even on her most collaborative release yet, Duterte’s individual vision has never been stronger or clearer.” – Brooklyn Vegan

“another triumph” – Interview Magazine

“…the production and attention to the tiniest details throughout Belong show a new level of artistry.” – PopMatters


Jay Som – the project of Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer Melina Duterte – just released Belong, her first new album in over six years. Belong features Jay Som’s first-ever collaborations and today she shares a music video for one of the album’s biggest moments – “Past Lives” featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore. 

Studio Sparks (Cristiana Figueiredo & Lucas Moreira) who directed the video note:

“We wanted the animation to reflect the journey of personal discovery that the song represents.

We imagined a tiny, music-box-sized character who escapes into a vast frozen world, haunted by shadowy reflections of her past self as she travels through melting cliffs, falling stars, and cracking ice — a fragmented narrative mirroring her emotions and confusions through surreal sequences. Caught between collapse and transformation, she spirals upward through abstract scenes of memory and feeling, ultimately reconnecting with all the lives that live within her.”

Watch Jay Som spiraling up in the mesmerizing animated video HERE. 

Jay Som will embark on her first North American tour in over 5 years this winter, but first she’ll return to the EU/UK starting this weekend. See below to find a show near you, and get your tickets HERE.

Since Jay Som’s critically acclaimed sophomore album Anak Ko came out in 2019, Duterte has spent the last few years cultivating her passion for production and audio engineering. This lead to producing credits on the GRAMMY-winning boygenius album the record, Lucy Dacus’ latest Forever Is A Feeling, and countless beloved indie records. She also joined boygenius as a touring band member, collaborated alongside the likes of Troye Sivan and beabadoobee with No Rome, contributed to the I Saw the TV Glow soundtrack, and more. Yes, Jay Som itself has been on a bit of a break; Duterte, however, has perhaps been busier than ever.

Finally, Jay Som returns with Belong. While Jay Som has always been a solo project for Duterte, this album finds her expanding her world by collaborating with outside musicians, writers and producers. Duterte wrote, composed, performed, produced, engineered and mixed the record with contributions from Joao Gonzalez (of Soft Glas), Mal Hauser (a collaborator to Mk.gee and Illuminati Hotties), Steph Marziano (producer for Vundabar, Hot Wax, Sir Chloe) and Kyle Pulley, and she also welcomed guest vocalists for the first time. The album finds Duterte searching for her place, or somewhere she belongs, within an indie rock ecosystem that Jay Som stepped away from for the past six years. The result is an album unlike any Jay Som record before it: a gripping 11-song set about self-definition that floats between supercharged power-pop hits and hazy ballads, between electronic curiosities and lighters-up anthems. 

DOWNLOAD, STREAM & PURCHASE BELONG – OUT NOW!

Tour Dates

11/03 – Berlin, Germany @ Kantine am Berghain

11/05 – Paris, France @ Pitchfork Paris – Le Trabendo  

11/06 – Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique – Rotonde

11/08 – London, UK @ Pitchfork London – Earth Theatre

11/22 – San Francisco, CA @ Bimbos 365 Club %

11/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey +

12/02 – Austin, TX @ Brushy Street Commons*^

12/03 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada*

12/05 – Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5 *

12/06 – Memphis, TN @ Raised By Sound Fest

12/08 – Washington, DC @ Atlantis ~

12/09 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry ~

12/11 – New York, NY @ Warsaw ~

12/12 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Hall ~#

12/13 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall ~

12/14 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line ~

12/19 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos ~

12/20 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater ~

% w/ Sour Widows

+ w/ Fashion Club

~ w/ Sea Lemon

* w/ Jahnah Camille

^ w/ proun

# w/ Tory Silver

ROCKET PERFORMING AT AISLE 5 ON NOV 4TH!

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 10/15/25

R is for Rocket, out Oct 3rd via Transgressive Records / Canvasback (Greg Freeman, War on Drugs) sees the band deliver on all of the promise of their 2023 self-released debut EP. Great introductory story at Rolling Stone if you’re unfamiliar. Stream the new album, check out the Press Kit, and watch videos for “Wide Awake” & “Crossing Fingers,” both great examples of their fully formed sound. 

The band’s jagged, fuzzed-out sound has antecedents in ‘90s guitar bands like Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine, but Rocket are doing something uniquely their own with those touchstones. It’s no wonder they are widely considered one of the most promising guitar-forward bands of their generation. They’ve just wrapped up a tour with Smashing Pumpkins, and this will be their debut headline tour. Definitely worth catching this very promising band at this stage!

“an explosive introduction.. levels up their dynamic, Nineties-inspired rock sound” – Rolling Stone

“nods to ’90s indie rock staples..blissfully detached dream-pop..hard-hitting numbers..Rocket have built themselves a solid launching pad” – Stereogum ‘Best New Artists of 2024’

“It’s rare to find a band so fully developed without an album out.. they’re certainly not lacking in the songwriting department” – Consequence ‘Artists to Watch in 2025’

“combines a laid-back California charm with biting lyricism and tight, synergetic compositions. If Sonic Youth made pop chart-friendly hits, you’d have Rocket”- Paste Magazine 

“The harmonies glide, whereas the riffy, daydreamy guitars build to a glorious climax in the back half, reminiscent of Sonic Youth and Momma” – Alternative Press ‘Rising Artists to Know’

“this underground band are making big, open-hearted anthems for a new generation to rally around” – NME ‘Cover Story’

“catchy, yearning ballads that evoke nostalgia for adolescent frustrations” – Document Journal

Los Angeles, CA’s Rocket have released their highly anticipated debut album, R is for Rocket, their first for Transgressive Records / Canvasback. “We dedicated this record to Alithea’s dad, who passed away unexpectedly this year,” the band shared in a heartfelt statement. “Choosing him as the cover was the perfect way to immortalize him forever on our first record. This record is so special and close to our hearts and we spent years getting it to the place it is now.”

Comprised of Alithea Tuttle (vocals, bass), Baron Rinzler (Guitar), Cooper Ladomade (Drums) and Desi Scaglione (Guitar), Rocket have had a busy few years. The Los Angeles crew with friendships stretching back to their childhood formed in 2021, convening in an unmarked shed to put their debut EP to tape. Despite it being the first time any of them had seriously approached the idea of a ‘band,’ they seemed to arrive fully formed with combustible, airtight songs.

R is for Rocket, the quartet’s remarkable debut album, is a joyride through sonic terrain that is gloriously loud, anthemic, bombastic and beautiful, with instantly captivating songs that achieve the rare feat of evoking nostalgia while sounding completely new. The band’s jagged, fuzzed-out sound has antecedents in ‘90s guitar bands like Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine, but Rocket are doing something uniquely their own with those touchstones. It’s no wonder they are widely considered one of the most promising guitar-forward bands of their generation.

While the album builds on the energy of their critically lauded Versions of You EP, R is for Rocket is also hugely evolutionary, elevating the band’s craft in major ways. By the time they began work on the album in early 2024, they’d been on a near constant touring schedule, spending countless hours on the road opening for their heroes Ride, Sunny Day Real Estate and Silversun Pickups, and writing in their modest studio – a back house in drummer Cooper Ladomade’s parents’ yard – both refining and expanding their sound.

The quartet have been slowly releasing their first new music since the 2023 EP this year, sharing album cuts “Crossing Fingers” & “One Million,” before formerly announcing the album in July with the head turning “Wide Awake,” which arrived alongside an in-depth Rolling Stone profile, and support from Alt Press, Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, FLOOD Magazine, Consequence and many more, and was followed by the euphoric and sparkling “Act Like Your Title.” The album’s final single, “Another Second Chance,” arrived alongside an iconic music video featuring a medley of homages to Devo, Kiss, The Beatles, and Blue Man Group, and an in-depth ‘Best of What’s Next’ feature with Paste Magazine. 

This Fall, Rocket will embark on their debut US headline tour, kicking off in October after having wrapped international festival appearances and a UK run supporting Smashing Pumpkins. They’ve also announced their debut headline tour of Europe kicking off in early 2026. They’ll perform a special LA show at Amoeba Hollywood next Tuesday, Oct 7th. Tickets on sale HERE. 

“All of the touring led to the songs changing for the better,” says Tuttle, “because we got to play them for so many different kinds of audiences and hear what worked and what didn’t.” Whenever they got home from a tour, they were infused with new ideas for how to finish the in-progress tunes, and many were upgraded in major ways thanks to the time Rocket took to hone them. “Recording the second half of the album eight months after the first half gave us a lot of time to think about what we were doing,” says Scaglione.

With guitarist Desi Scaglione again at the helm as their producer, Rocket logged time at two Los Angeles studios that provided the perfect balance between those extremes. They tracked the more introspective elements at 64 Sound in Highland Park, which offered an array of tasty vintage gear that was ideal for the quieter, more intimate tunes. The heavier moments were captured during sessions at the Foo Fighters’ Studio 606 in Northridge, where they could get the massive drum sound they wanted for tracks like “Crossing Fingers” and “Wide Awake.”

TOUR DATES:

Tickets Here

2025

Oct 7th – Los Angeles, CA @ Amoeba Hollywood

Oct 27th – Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge

Oct 30th – Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves

Oct 31st – Austin, TX @ Mohawk (Indoors)

Nov 3rd – Nashville, TN @ drkmttr

Nov 4th – Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5

Nov 6th – Washington, DC @ DC9

Nov 7th – Philadelphia, PA @ Warehouse on Watts

Nov 8th – New York, NY @ Baby’s All Right

Nov 11th – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison

Nov 13th – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups

Nov 14th – Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern

Nov 15th – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry

Nov 18th – Seattle, WA @ Barboza

Nov 19th – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall

Nov 21st – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill

Nov 22nd – Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy 

2026

Feb 10 – Bristol, UK @ The Croft

Feb 11 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club

Feb 12 – Glasgow, UK @ King Tut’s

Feb 14 – Dublin, IE @ The Workmans Club

Feb 16 – Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute

Feb 17 – London, UK @ Scala

Feb 19 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique – Witloof Bar

Feb 20 – Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown

Feb 21 – Utrecht, NL @ EKKO

Feb 23 – Berlin, DE @ Neue Zukunft

Feb 24 – Cologne, DE @ Bumann & SOHN

Feb 26 – Paris, FR @ Point Ephémère

Feb 27 – Tourcoing, FR @ Le Grand Mix