The BMI Stage at Lollapalooza rocks on for day two of the famous festival. From pop and rock to hip-hop and EDM, the BMI Stage has a little something for everyone. Post-punk/rock band Mainland hits the stage first, followed by hip-hop blending emo rocker nothing,nowhere. Infamous trio CKY are prepared to show how far they’ve come since their days on the hit TV-series Jackass and Australian exports Chase Atlantic will keep the music pumping with their alt-pop vibes. Rising rap star, Buddy, will hit the stage next with a high energy set before R.LUM.R rounds out the performances with his signature smooth soul grooves.
BMI STAGE SCHEDULE – FRIDAY, AUGUST 3rd
MAINLAND | 1:00-1:40pm
Finding elegance in simplicity, California-via-Brooklyn band Mainland play a passionate blend of powerful rock rife with soaring choruses and chiming hooks that recalls garage-y New York City bands from the turn of the millennium. After independently releasing their Shiner EP in 2014, they landed a deal with 300 Entertainment as one of the label’s marquee acts. Following the release of the Outcast EP a year later, they dropped fan-favorite singles such as “Beggars” and “Permission Slip” – which both amassed over 1 million Spotify streams each. Between touring, the musicians recorded the songs comprising their 2018 full-length debut, led by the single “I Found God,” about the spiritual connection that arises when you experience real love communicated through sounds and visuals.
nothing,nowhere. | 2:10 – 2:50pm
The enigmatic guise of Vermont singer/songwriter Joe Mulherin, nothing,nowhere. plays an introspective blend of hip-hop and guitar-driven emo rock. While he continually hides his face in videos and promotional photographs, Mulherin’s lyrics pull out all stops in baring his soul. His most recent album, Ruiner, is an emotive exercise in catchy catharsis.
CKY | 3:20 – 4:00pm
Notorious in the 2000’s for their raucous sound and anarchic, hard-partying skate-punk aesthetic both onstage and off, Pennsylvania’s CKY are back with 2017’s The Phoenix, their first new album in eight years. While not necessarily a kinder, gentler ensemble, the CKY of 2018 is comprised of grown men who are feverishly devoted to delivering rock from its pretentious doldrums and serving up their music in as raw and authentic a manner as possible
CHASE ATLANTIC | 4:30 – 5:10pm
Chase Atlantic was formed by brothers, Mitchel Cave and Clinton Cave, and their longtime friend, Christian Anthony. The trio produces, performs, and passionately conjures up dark alternative pop punctuated by rock and R&B. This Australian group blurs the lines between a nocturnal aesthetic and primal bliss on their 2017 self-titled debut for Warner Bros. Records. Since forming in 2011, the trio has packed multiple headline tours across Australia, released two successful independent EPs, Dalliance [2014] and Nostalgia [2015], and spawned a viral single with “Friends” which garnered over 2.7 million Spotify plays. Now, their first single “Church” invites everyone to congregate in their world.
BUDDY | 5:40 – 6:20pm
While he hails from the hip-hop-heavy streets of Compton, CA, Buddy (a.k.a. Simmie Sims III) is devoted to a message of positivity. Initially signed by Pharrell and tapped for collaborations with Kendrick Lamar and Chance the Rapper, Buddy’s restless muse demanded that he pursue his own path, paving the way for his full-length album, Harlan & Alondra, a lush mix of retro R&B, chilled-out rap and jam-heavy funk, featuring cameos from A$AP Ferg and Ty Dolla Sign. “It’s beautiful day music,” says Buddy of his optimistic debut.
R.LUM.R | 6:50 – 7:30pm
Broadly praised by outlets like NPR Music, The New York Times, Complex, Vibe, Billboard and Rolling Stone (who called him “an artist you need to know”), R. LUM. R, also known as Reginald Lamar Williams, Jr., is an ascendant R&B singer/songwriter creating warm, soulful music that is resonating with listeners. Romanced and inspired by the city’s song-storytelling tradition, R.LUM.R has settled in Nashville, where he’s been steadily building a following with his acoustic guitar, piercing falsetto and original songs. On his debut EP, After Image, all six tracks were recorded live in single takes, augmented by a string quartet. Asked to describe his music, he says “it’s ‘R&B/singer-songwriter/soul/electronic, but,” he adds, “I don’t want to limit myself.”
