Baptized by the unyielding waters of fury and forged by the raging fire of vitriol, The Old Smugglers have created a shanty-rock, jazz-pirate sound big and scary enough to make Tom Waits walk the plank. Whiskey-bent sea shanties. Hillbilly horror country. Maritime folk from the lost coast. The Old Smugglers deliver an intoxicating shiver of sound that will never go down with the ship. The group is led by multi-instrumentalist Erik Pearson (aka the Infamous Dr. Thunder) and guitarist Joshua Murray (aka Mr. December) with bassist Nathan Johnston (aka Honeypants) and drummer Erich Johnston (aka the German). The full-length album Fever Dreams and Fire Sweats was released in 2022.

Old Love is an acoustic trio made up of musical misfits and meditators. The group performs fast-paced indie folk songs and sad-boy bops that go down as easy as a craft beer on a Tuesday night visit to Lincoln Park. Their music sounds a little like Adrianne Lenker and a little like Jerry Garcia — if the two soundtracked an episode of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. The group features Ben Cooper on mandolin, Cedar Corey-Flatau on bass and Nate Pollesch on vocals and baritone guitar. Expect a new drummer added to the lineup for Homegrown.

Ironically, NVR TGTHR came together during the COVID-19 pandemic and have been together ever since. In a further irony, the band has its musical sht tgthr. Fueled by the lead vocals of Chandler Gufflyr, the group’s “dark dance pop” combines passionate pleading vocals and melodies with crisp sonic energy and fun. Along with Gufflyr, the band features Nikki Moeller on bass, Ryan Nelson on drums, Derrick Shaney on keyboards, and Jesse Hoheisel on electric guitar. The group’s Easy to Please EP came out in 2024.

Guitarist and songwriter Paul Newberg has held down a regular solo gig in the cozy confines of Sir Benedict’s Tavern on the Lake for a long time. But that’s not the only place he performs. Newberg has played hundreds of shows, both solo and with a variety of bands, over the past 25 years. In what’s become an annual tradition, Newberg joins forces with bassist Tom Berrigan and drummer Jake Willis to form the band NewBerrigan. It’s a Homegrown exclusive. “Gonna play our (music) and a cover or two that will make you squeal,” Newberg said.