Fresh off the success of lead single “Underdog,” the band’s quickest single to 100,000 streams (six days), rising Reggae Rock outfit Bumpin Uglies have announced the release of “Spinning Plates,” the bluesy groove-driven second single from ‘Underdog: The Acoustic Sessions,’ a visceral 16-track collection arriving September 8 via Controlled Substance Sound Labs/The Orchard (Slightly Stoopid, Rebelution, Pepper).
Characterizing the unflinchingly honest new single (“Spinning Plates”), hitting digital services August 4, band co-founder/vocalist Brandon Hardesty offers, “Spinning Plates is a song about not being ok in your own skin so to compensate you try and stay busy so there’s no time to think about it. I was playing a lot of blues guitar when I wrote it so it’s made up with a bit of a of blues tonality over top of an acoustic reggae groove."
While the new project boasts searing stripped-raw takes of classics from fan favorite releases Buzz (“Locust Avenue”, “Self-Loathing”, “This Is Ours”), Keep It Together (“Load In / Load Out”, “Keep Moving”) Beast from the East (“City by the Bay”), Keep your suitcase packed. (“Shades of Gray”, “Suburbia”), and 2022’s Mid-Atlantic Dub (“Wild Girls”), seven new songs join the fray to supercharge the day.
On the band’s first ever career-spanning milepost, the group revisits the treasured corners of their canon, from Suburbia and Locust Avenue to Self-loathing and City by the Bay, it’s shades of gray, it’s spinning plates, it’s catch & release and keep moving. Its vitality, the pure essence of Bumpin Uglies. Full of passion and integrity, these are the anthems of a thinking man’s paradigm. The land of the free. The home of the brave, these are the days we commemorate when the fire in the belly inflames, when you demand change. This is Ours. Don’t count out the Underdog.
“This album is an anthem for authenticity. It’s for all the artists that choose to embrace their passion as a form of art, rather than a transactional medium. A celebration of the imperfections that make us beautiful,” offered Hardesty.
From the emotional umbrage of lead single “Underdog” (its official video a collage of searing live performances), to the lilting blue-collar confessional “The Work” contrasted by the tension-filled, fed-up verve of “Loneliness in Ab,” to the pandemic-fueled melancholy of “Livestreams & Vaccines” and album closer, “Jerry’s Song,” a heartbreakingly moving tribute Brandon wrote in remembrance of his father who passed away in 2021, the new tunes find Hardesty digging even further into his core, rescuing himself from another crossroads while providing guidance for those still in the throes.
The upcoming full-length expands upon the band’s two ‘Live at Sugarshack Sessions’ acoustic EPs, the latest of which featured a sparse passionate rendition of Jason Isbell’s “Cover Me Up,” to which the former Drive-By Trucker championed with the social media comment “Lovely job!” Americana Highways seconded that sentiment by professing, “Vocals that are youthful and disarming and sound a bit like indie folksters like Passenger.”
An exhilarating ride it’s been. For more than a decade, the Maryland-based band, whose members include Hardesty (vocals, guitar), Dave “Wolfie” Wolf (bass, vocals), T.J. Haslett (drums), Ethan Lichtenberger (keys) and Will Lopez (tenor saxophone), blend rock, hip hop, dub, reggae and punk into a refreshing blast of spacetime funk. The hardworking road warriors have toured constantly, starting with local open mics and backyard parties to ever-expanding audiences, festival slots and sold-out shows coast to coast.
This fall, they’ll join reggae-rock icons The Expendables, as support on select dates, from September 14 - November 12, while also making appearances at a number of festivals including Everwild Music Fest (Aug 3), Montana Hempfest (Sept 8), OctoberQuest (Oct 7) and Reggae Rise Up Vegas (Oct 8) which sees them share the main stage with Sublime With Rome, Dirty Heads, Action Bronson and Lettuce.
After their nationwide trek, the sextet will host a trio of Holiday shows including their climactic Ugly Sweater bash at Baltimore Soundstage in Baltimore on December 2. For tickets/VIP upgrades, please visit https://www.bumpinugliesmusic.com/tour
Bumpin Uglies Tour Dates:
8/03 - Thornville, OH - Everwild Fest w/ Pepper, Tropidelic, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
8/10 - Virginia Beach, VA - New Realm Brewing Co.
8/11 - Kill Devil Hills, NC - Outer Banks Brewing Station
8/12 - Roanoke, VA - Black Dog Salvage w/ Lazy Man Dub Band
8/13 - Myrtle Beach, SC - Boathouse
8/25 - Bethlehem, PA - Levitt SteelStacks
8/26 - Grasonville, MD - Red Eyes
8/31 - Essex, MD - Crazy Tuna
9/01 - Solomons, MD - Tiki Bar
9/07 - Billings, MT - The Pub Station w/ Jon Wayne & the Pain Trio
9/08 - Lolo Hot Springs, MT - Montana Hempfest
9/09 - Spokane, WA - Lucky You Lounge w/ Jon Wayne & the Pain
9/12 - Bend, OR - Volcanic Theatre Pub
9/14 - Portland, OR - Star Theater (supporting The Expendables)
9/15 - Tacoma, WA - The Spanish Ballroom (supporting The Expendables)
9/16 - Bellingham, WA - Wild Buffalo House of Music (supporting The Expendables)
9/18 - Talent, OR - Talent Club
9/20 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory (supporting The Expendables)
9/21 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex (supporting The Expendables)
9/22 - Reno, NV - Virginia Street Brewhouse (supporting The Expendables)
9/23 - Chico, CA - Sierra Nevada Big Room (supporting The Expendables)
10/7 - Garrettsville, OH - OctoberQuest at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park
10/8 - Las Vegas, NV - Reggae Rise Up Vegas
10/16 - Tulsa, OK - The Vanguard (supporting The Expendables)
10/18 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater (supporting The Expendables)
10/19 - San Antonio, TX - The Rock Box (supporting The Expendables)
10/20 - Corpus Christi, TX - House of Rock (supporting The Expendables)
10/21 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar (supporting The Expendables)
10/23 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues (Parish) [supporting The Expendables]
10/24 - Pensacola, FL - Vinyl Music Hall
10/25 - Jacksonville, FL - Underbelly (supporting The Expendables)
10/26 - DeLand, FL - Cafe Da Vinci (supporting The Expendables)
10/27 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room (supporting The Expendables)
10/28 - Fort Meyers, FL - The Ranch Concert Hall (supporting The Expendables)
10/29 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade - Hell (supporting The Expendables)
10/31 - Charleston, SC - Charleston Pour House (supporting The Expendables)
11/02 - Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theatre (supporting The Expendables)
11/04 - Ardmore, PA - Ardmore Music Hall (supporting The Expendables)
11/08 - Chicago, IL - Martyrs' (supporting The Expendables)
11/09 - Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room Lounge (supporting The Expendables)
11/10 - Fort Collins, CO - Aggie Theatre (supporting The Expendables)
11/11 - Denver, CO - Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom (supporting The Expendables)
11/12 - Grand Junction, CO - Mesa Theater (supporting The Expendables)
11/14 - Kansas City, MO - recordBar w/ The Bastard Sons
11/15 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St Entry w/ The Bastard Sons
11/16 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon w/ The Bastard Sons
11/17 - Peoria, IL - Kenny's Westside Pub w/ The Bastard Sons
11/18 - Indianapolis, IN - HI FI Indy w/ The Bastard Sons
11/30 - Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Music Hall
12/01 - Buffalo, NY – Buffalo Iron Works
12/02 - Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage (Ugly Sweater Show)
Bumpin Uglies
Underdog: The Acoustic Sessions
1. Locust Avenue (from Buzz)
2. City By The Bay (from Beast From The East)
3. Underdog
4. Wild Girls (from Mid-Atlantic Dub)
5. Load In / Load Out (from Keep It Together)
6. Catch & Release
7. Livestreams & Vaccines
8. Spinning Plates
9. Self-Loathing (from Buzz)
10. The Work
11. Shades of Gray (from Keep your suitcase packed.)
12. Suburbia (from Keep your suitcase packed.)
13. Keep Moving (from Keep It Together)
14. Loneliness in Ab
15. This Is Ours (from Buzz)
16. Jerry’s Song
Listen “Underdog” single: https://cssl.fanlink.to/bumpin-uglies-underdog
Pre-save “Spinning Plates” single: https://cssl.fanlink.to/BU-SPINNING-PLATES
Pre-save ‘Underdog: The Acoustic Sessions’ album https://cssl.fanlink.to/bumpin-uglies-UTAS
