The Sonder Bombs

The Sonder Bombs

​​Like moonlight bouncing through the leaves of an old oak, the newest piece in The Sonder Bombs’ ever transforming portfolio shimmers through the fog to reveal a new era for the band. In making peace with mortality, “The Star” reflects and embraces the power of losing control. 

Through navigating an industry built to suppress and exploit artists, songwriter/vocalist Willow Hawks croons the question, “will you see me for who I am? Not for what you bought.” Mixed by Sarah Tudzin (of Illuminati Hotties) “The Star” highlights everything we already cherish about TSB while gifting us so much more to obsess over. Self-funded & self-released, The Sonder Bombs are only interested in carving their own way through the woods, straight to center stage.

The Ophelias 

After the critically acclaimed Almost opened The Ophelias to a world beyond their Cincinnati home in 2018, the indie rock quartet craved a return to a sense of community. “It was surreal for this time capsule of events and feelings, songs written early in college, to be reviewed in outlets like the New York Times,” recalls vocalist/guitarist Spencer Peppet (she/her). The band members no longer lived in the same city—Peppet and new bassist/longtime music video collaborator Jo Shaffer (they/them) live in New York, while drummer Mic Adams (he/him) and violinist Andrea Gutmann Fuentes (she/her) remained in Ohio. In the time since Almost, a fair amount changed: the band members all graduated from college, Shaffer joined as the new bassist, and Adams came out as transgender and started HRT. So when it came time to record the candid, expansive Crocus (due September 24th via Joyful Noise Recordings), The Ophelias purposefully focused on the experimental, communal spirit that fueled their first record. Through songs equally infused with references to the Bible and The Twilight Zone, The Ophelias wring mystic emotion out of the spaces between their past, present, and future.

The Ophelias’ growth has been marked — so much has transformed and been rebuilt that the Ophelias feel like they’re eagerly reintroducing themselves to the world. “Crocus represents that state of flux, between dreaming and reality or internal reflection and external action,” Peppet says. “I had to wring this all out of my chest, and doing that is very vulnerable. But being in a band with such a strong sense of community, trust, care, and love makes that process a lot easier.”

All shows at Dolphin Tavern are 21+