SWOMP

Nashville punk rockers Winona Fighter performed a blistering set on Saturday, June 28, 2025 at All Your Friends Fest in Burl’s Creek, Ontario.

Following their set, frontwoman and multi-instrumentalist Coco Kinnon, lead guitarist Dan Fuson and bassist/producer Austin Luther sat down with SWOMP for an interview.

In the latest news with the band, Winona Fighter is stripping things down with a brand new acoustic version of their hit single “You Look Like A Drunk Phoebe Bridgers”.

Originally found on their 2022 EP Father Figure and re-recorded for the band’s debut full-length My Apologies To The Chef, “You Look Like A Drunk Phoebe Bridgers” has become a fan favorite and a setlist staple for the Winona Fighter.

“We are so stoked to release ‘You Look Like A Drunk Phoebe Bridgers (acoustic)’! It was pretty crazy to us how much of a new life was breathed into it by making an acoustic version. The first time I listened to the final mix, I felt like I was listening to it for the first time all over again,” shares front woman and multi-instrumentalist Coco Kinnon. “After playing it live for so long we were able to take some of the parts that naturally changed over the years and incorporate them into this newer, more raw version. And yes, it’s raw.”

She continues: “The vocals have no post production enhancements on them, the acoustic guitars were solely mic’d up by two microphones, and the drums are partially recorded through a garden hose (shout out to Sylvia Massy for the inspiration on that one). This new version had us put being “artists” aside and brought us back to our roots of being musicians. Focusing on the musicianship and having fun with it along the way. It inspired us so much that there may be even more coming down the pipeline… We hope it’s as refreshing for the listeners as it is for us!”

Winona Fighter recently wrapped up their first ever UK headline tour, which concluded with a performance at Slam Dunk Music Festival. Upon their return, they kicked off Leg 2 of their Yes, Chef Tour. The headline run will pick back up on July 8th, including sold out shows in New York City and Chicago, and additional stops in Boston, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and more. For a full list of upcoming shows or to purchase tickets, please visit: winonafighter.com.

Underoath returned to Canadian soil with a performance Saturday, June 28, 2025 at All Your Friends Fest in Burl’s Creek, part of the band’s 2025 festival run supporting their latest record, The Place After This One.

SWOMP caught up onsite with founding member Aaron Gillespie prior to their set to talk about the new album and the band’s ongoing evolution.

Released in March, The Place After This One marks a significant chapter in the Florida-based band’s history. The record continues Underoath’s reputation for blending heavy rock with electronic elements and introspective lyrics, while showcasing a sound that is both expansive and rooted in their past. The album follows a string of recent singles, including “Generation No Surrender,” “Survivor’s Guilt,” and “Teeth.”

Their latest release, “All The Love Is Gone,” pushes into drum-and-bass territory, with influences ranging from The Prodigy to Justice. Vocalist Spencer Chamberlain has described it as one of the most experimental tracks the band has recorded, tackling themes of emotional collapse and personal reckoning.

Now more than two decades into their career, Underoath remains a mainstay in heavy music, with two RIAA gold albums and three Grammy nominations. This year has already seen them return to Australia for the first time since 2019, where they performed They’re Only Chasing Safety in full.

Later this year, they’ll head out across North America supporting Rise Against and Papa Roach on the Rise of the Roach tour. Underoath also recently played major U.S. festivals, including Sonic Temple in Columbus, Ohio and Welcome to Rockville in Daytona Beach, Florida.

For Gillespie and the rest of the band, The Place After This One reflects both where they’ve come from — and where they’re going next.

Follow the band at https://underoath777.com/.

Toronto alt-rock trio Stuck on Planet Earth performed Saturday afternoon at All Your Friends Fest in Burl’s Creek, taking the stage on top of the Amazon Bus at the Rick and Morty activation site.

SWOMP caught up with the band for an onsite interview following their set.

The group is currently promoting their latest single “Erase Me,” which has seen national exposure through placements on Hockey Night in Canada and the 4 Nations Cup broadcast. The track recently charted at #27 on the Canadian Active Rock Chart and #32 on the Billboard Canada Mainstream Rock Chart.

Signed to Anthem Records, Stuck on Planet Earth has received airplay on stations including CKGE-FM, CHOM in Montreal, and CFJB-FM in Barrie. The single has also landed on editorial playlists across major platforms — including Amazon Music’s Fresh Rock and Brand New Music, Apple Music’s Breaking Rock and The New Rock, and Spotify’s Rock Now and Fresh Finds Canada.

Known for blending groove-heavy alt-rock with emotional themes and R&B-influenced melodies, the band has continued to build its reputation through consistent touring and streaming presence. Their live shows remain a key part of that growth — something fans in Burl’s Creek witnessed firsthand.

Follow the band at https://www.stuckonplanetearth.com/.

Ash Molloy performed Saturday, June 28, 2025 at All Your Friends Fest in Burl’s Creek, taking the stage on top of the Amazon Music bus at the Rick and Morty activation area.

SWOMP caught up with the Newfoundland-born, Toronto-based alternative artist for an interview onsite following her set.

Molloy’s latest single, “will I ever learn?”, continues a run of momentum that includes two Top 30 tracks at Canadian alternative radio and a #2 placement on the Breaking Alt chart. The song follows earlier releases like “Breakdown,” and has earned playlist support, including a feature on FRESH CUTS on X92.9.

She has recently opened for acts including Mother Mother, Our Lady Peace, The Glorious Sons, and Collective Soul. Her work has also received social media reposts from The Beaches, The Lumineers, and X Ambassadors.

Described by some in the industry as “a future headliner in the making,” Molloy continues to build her profile through steady releases and consistent live dates across the country.

Follow her at https://www.ashmolloy.com/.

With their 10th studio album, Ricochet, due out in August, and a headlining slot at All Your Friends Fest in Burl's Creek, Ontario on Saturday, June 28, 2025, Rise Against took some time with SWOMP for an interview at the Universal Music office in Liberty Village in Toronto.

Listen to the full chat with Zach Blair (guitar/vocals) and Brandon Barnes (drums).

The Chicago, Illinois rockers return with news of their most resounding and reinvigorating music to date.

Out August 15th on Loma Vista Recordings, Ricochet marks the rock band’s first album in four years, arriving in a world of constant stimuli, where the algorithm wants us all to be angry: like a pile of marbles hit hard and bouncing uncontrollably, continuing to spread further and further. But across these twelve songs, produced by GRAMMY®-winner Catherine Marks (Boygenius, Foals, Manchester Orchestra, St. Vincent) and mixed by Alan Moulder (Nine Inch Nails, Paramore, Queens of the Stone Age, The Killers), Rise Against ask listeners to consider who ultimately benefits from this collective division and displeasure – to look before we leap, to think about the consequences our actions have on each other, as the power structures that prod us remain preserved and protected.

Rooted in unification, Ricochet is a record massive in sound, but centred around the small parts of the psyche that lead to the biggest positive change. It all starts with oneself, and on the searing lead single, 'I Want It All,' Rise Against rev the engine and jump-start a mission of self-determinism that is ardent, ambitious and unapologetic.

"The algorithm wants our attention so it is designed to make us laugh or cry, but mostly, it wants us to be angry, because that is how it spreads the furthest. Like a pile of marbles, hit hard. Who benefits from our anger? Questions we don't ask, as we fire away," stated lead singer Tim McIlrath.

'I Want It All' follows recent singles 'Nod' – hailed as a “particularly potent rallying cry for the moment” (Rolling Stone), and “the anthem we need right now” (VICE) – as well as 'Prizefighter,' illustrating the internal battle between making art, maintaining autonomy and meeting the demands of our rapidly-shifting attention span.

Throughout the rest of Ricochet, Rise Against dive deeper into the solace we find in community and the chain reaction of our words and actions – how hurt is not something that can be reversed, and that the fight for a better existence begins not with blind allegiance, but through an unpopular opinion from a minority of voices.

While so much of the world is designed to feel like we are in a constant state of emergency, Rise Against urge us to come together to not simply survive, but to save it now.

In the four years since 2021’s Nowhere Generation, the Chicago band’s outspoken messages, bulletproof melodies and deep body of multi-Gold and Platinum hits have reached more fans than ever, uniting millions in a necessary embrace of vital, progressive issues.

Whether they are singing about injustice, instability, environmentalism, animal rights or the way the social and economic decks have been stacked against the youth, Rise Against continue to fill arenas, top charts, break records and earn billions of streams.

This summer, they are back bigger than ever.

Having already performed at LA’s Kia Forum and toured across three continents this year, Rise Against return to the road hot on the heels of the album announcement, for an impressive EU/UK tour and festival headliner run in June, followed by Vans Warped Tour, and dozens of arena and amphitheatre shows in the US.

All of the details can be found at riseagainst.com.

Taylor Acorn will return to Canada this weekend as the opening act on the main stage at All Your Friends Fest, taking place Sunday, June 29 at Burl’s Creek.

Set in one of Ontario’s most scenic summer spots, Acorn will be warming up the crowd for Avril Lavigne, who headlines the festival that night.

The American artist has been called a “certified punk star”—a label that will be on full display this summer as she joins the Summer School 2025 Tour, beginning in July at The Fillmore in Detroit. The tour features Charlotte Sands, Rain City Drive, Arrows In Action, Beauty School Dropout, If Not For Me, and Huddy.

SWOMP caught up with Taylor for an interview. 

Acorn’s set at All Your Friends Fest comes in support of her 2024 full-length debut, Survival in Motion. The album includes hard-hitting tracks that tackle themes of emotional strain, societal pressure and personal vulnerability.

On songs like “Applause,” she reflects on the emotional weight artists carry on and off stage, while the title track opens with a sharp lyrical commentary on society before launching into full-throttle punk rock.

Acorn’s musical evolution has seen her shift from early pop-leaning releases like 2017’s “Put It in a Song” and “Something Tonight” to a more emotionally raw and guitar-driven sound. That transformation gained traction through her stripped-down covers of Matchbox 20’s “Unwell” and blink-182’s “First Date,” which helped cement her emo-punk style.

Her 2023 Certified Depressant EP led to her first headlining tour and major festival slots in both the U.S. and Europe, building momentum ahead of Survival in Motion.

Follow Taylor at https://www.tayloracorn.com/.

More details about All Your Friends Fest can be found at https://www.allyourfriendsfestival.com/.

Vancouver rockers Econoline Crush kicked off Day #2 of the 2025 Bluewater Borderfest at Centennial Park in Sarnia on Friday, June 20.

Right after their sound check, SWOMP caught up with vocalist Trevor Hurst for an interview.

The band have several shows planned for the rest of the year, new music is set to be released later this year and a documentary about Econoline Crush is also in the works.

Follow the band at https://econolinecrushmusic.com/.

As far as high-voltage summer shows go, Incubus’ upcoming June 30th stop at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage is already looking like one of the season’s must-see moments.

It’s the only Canadian date on the band’s 2025 schedule so far, and it lands right in the middle of a landmark year — new music on the way, a global touring sprint, and the continued evolution of a band that’s never stood still.

We caught up with bassist Nicole Row ahead of the North American run, and fans can hear our full conversation on the SWOMP podcast, below:

In it, Row reflects on her journey from playing the final Panic! At The Disco show in London to almost immediately being approached by Incubus. She talks about the experience of joining a band with such a deep catalog and the challenge of both honoring the past and contributing something new.

Row also shares what it was like to help re-record Morning View as her first project with Incubus, how the band approached writing and recording the upcoming album Something In The Water, and what it meant to be involved in that creative process from the ground up.

Full ticket details for their tour and news about the band can be found at https://www.incubushq.com/.

Photo credit: Shawn Hanna

Canadian singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Sandra-Mae Lux has released her latest studio album, Seasons in Jazz, marking a return to her jazz beginnings.

SWOMP caught up with Sandra-Mae to discuss the new album.

Now based in London, the Richmond, B.C. native explores the evolving nature of love through original compositions inspired by the Great American Songbook and the golden era of songwriting from the 1920s to 1950s.

A departure from her 2020 disco-infused debut Happily Ever Now, Seasons in Jazz blends vintage charm with fresh storytelling. “I love songs that make me feel something… that take me on a journey,” said Lux. “The Great American Songbook did all of that and more.”

The album was recorded with two distinct ensembles, creating subtle shifts in tone and feel across its 11 tracks. One group features pianist Rob Barron, Canadian guitarist Tristan Paxton, bassist Calum Gourley, and drummer Sebastiaan de Krom. The second includes pianist Christian Vaughan, bassist Dave Jones, and drummer Tristan Maillot.

“Having two different bands brought out two slightly different approaches to the material,” said Lux. “The subtle differences between Christian and Rob especially gave the album some variation.”

Working closely with lyricist and Penticton, B.C. native Alan Marriott, Lux says most tracks began with lyrics, with the exception of ‘When Autumn Calls,’ which was built around a melody. “As a songwriter, I find something deeply special and inspiring about AABA song structure,” she said.

From playful swing (‘Are We Having Fun?’) to bossa nova (‘Perfect Weather’) and melancholic ballads (‘Everyone Else Knew’), Seasons in Jazz chronicles the shifting seasons of love—both literal and emotional. A standout moment is a dual presentation of ‘Perfect Weather,’ once with vocals and again as an instrumental spotlighting Lux’s expressive saxophone work, a nod to Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto.

The album was recorded in December 2023 and July 2024 at HOXA HQ by engineer Luke Glazewski, who also handled mixing and mastering. Lux co-produced the album with Marriott and handled all arrangements. It is released on Sandra-Mae Lux Music in association with ECN Music and is dedicated to her late mentor, guitarist and educator Jeremy Hepner.

A graduate of Capilano University’s Jazz Studies program, Lux has performed at the Ottawa Jazz Festival alongside legends like Herbie Hancock and Robert Glasper. Her 2021 single You Me and Tomorrow reached No. 3 on the UK Soul Chart, and she has earned nominations from the Bright Star Awards and international songwriting competitions. She is also a noted voice actor, with roles in high-profile Audible productions such as The Sandman.

Seasons in Jazz is available now on major streaming platforms.

Follow Sandra-Mae Lux at https://www.sandramaelux.com/.

Rising country duo The Band Loula is gaining momentum on the national stage this summer as part of Dierks Bentley’s Broken Branches Tour, joining fellow opener Zach Top for a run of high-profile dates across North America.

The tour includes major stops at Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome and New York’s Madison Square Garden, offering a growing audience a chance to experience the North Georgia pair’s unique blend of harmonies and swamp-tinged country firsthand.

The duo are set perform at Budweiser Stage in Toronto on Thursday, June 12, 2025 as part of the tour.

SWOMP caught up with Logan Simmons and Malachi Mills just hours before their Toronto performance for an interview.

The road run follows a milestone spring for the duo, who earned a standing ovation after their recent Grand Ole Opry debut. The moment marked a breakthrough for the longtime friends, who have steadily built industry buzz with their powerful songwriting and undeniable chemistry.

Since signing with Warner Music Nashville last year, The Band Loula has been working on their debut project with John Osborne of Brothers Osborne. Their previously released singles—“Marshall County Man,” “Don’t Call Me” and “A Little At A Time”—have showcased their knack for rich storytelling and genre-defying sound.

They’ve spent the past few years developing their live chops alongside artists like Brothers Osborne, Ashley McBryde, Paul Cauthen, Elle King and Brent Cobb, making this latest tour another key step in their rising profile.

Alongside the tour, the band released the official music video for their latest single, “Can’t Please ‘Em All.” The track, co-written with Bryan Simpson and Marcus Hummon, is a defiant anthem about embracing authenticity in the face of criticism. “You won’t please everyone,” the band shared, “so you might as well just be you.”

Follow the duo at https://www.thebandloula.com/.