Catch The Maine w/ Real Friends & More | TONIGHT @ Cannery Ballroom

Constantly evolving rockers The Maine have doubled down on their nostalgic, alt rock and unabashed pop tendencies on their latest release, American Candy, and TONIGHT, May 12, they’ll return to Nashville for an all ages show at Cannery Ballroom to show off some new tunes. Joining the (criminally underrated outside of the punk scene) band are pop punk revivalists Real Friends and Knuckle Puck, along with eclectic garage rockers The Technicolors, and tickets are still on sale! Read on to find out why this might just be the best way to spend your Tuesday, especially since our Acme showcase is taking a week off!

THE MAINE

Out in support of the recent release of their fifth album, American Candy, pop punk turned nostalgic alt rock revivalist act The Maine are set to return for their first headlining Music City show in two years. Hailing from Tempe, Arizona, the quintet rose to prominence in the late ’00s, as part of the short-lived “neon wave” of radio-ready pop punk. Unlike most of their peers (many of whom have since faded away), The Maine have always benefited from a more transcendent, timeless musical sensibility, and a knack for crafting unparalleled, unabashedly poppy rock songs. Throughout the years, their sound has drifted more towards straightforward rock meets late ’90s alternative (Third Eye Blind comparisons come up a lot), and they’ve proven unafraid to push themselves artistically, going so far as to record 2013’s Forever Halloween on analog tape, with the aid of Nashville’s own Brendan Benson. In never limiting themselves to any one style or trying to ride a musical fad, The Maine have remained one of the freshest, most underrated acts to emerge from the pop punk scene in recent years, and have constantly pushed their fans to evolve along with them. If you haven’t yet given this group a shot, there’s never been a better time; American Candy is the sound of The Maine firing at all cylinders, and their live show, nearly a decade in, is amazing.

REAL FRIENDS

Illinois group Real Friends are part of a new wave of cooler, better, more organic pop punk acts, who borrow heavily from the early ’00s golden era of that scene, as well as the emo heyday of the ’90s. Their debut full-length, Maybe This Place Is the Same and We’re Just Changing, dropped last year, and to say that the band came out swinging would be an understatement. This is one buzzy up and coming act that should absolutely be on your radar.

KNUCKLE PUCK

Like Real Friends, Knuckle Puck also hail from Chicago, and combine elements of pop punk and emo to help lead the charge in a new wave of bands we couldn’t be more excited about. If The Maine narrowly escaped the crop of bands that further derailed pop punk’s relevance by vying too hard for mainstream attention (again, The Maine themselves are just a really good band who got swept up in a weird time for pop punk), Knuckle Puck and Real Friends are part of its organic, much-needed course correction.

THE TECHNICOLORS

Decidedly void of punk influence, The Technicolors hail from the same place as The Maine, and harbor a garage and indie rock aesthetic which strongly pulls from ’90s Britpop and alternative. They sort of sound like The Maine, had pop punk never entered the equation, and, as a group who pass through Music City on the semi-regular, we can vouch for their insanely good live show; don’t be late!

The Maine, Real Friends, Knuckle Puck, and The Technicolors will perform tonight, May 12 at Cannery Ballroom. The show is all ages, begins at 7 p.m. (doors at 6 p.m.), and tickets are available for $20.