FRET12 BACKSTAGE STORIES
LOLLAPALOOZA 2026
FRET12 had boots on the ground for Lollapalooza 2026. Rain or shine, we trekked through mud, hung with some of our favorite artists on the lineup, and watched stand-out performances from TURNSTILE, The XX, and more.
FRET12 BACKSTAGE STORIES
LOLLAPALOOZA 2026
FRET12 had boots on the ground for Lollapalooza 2026. Rain or shine, we trekked through mud, hung with some of our favorite artists on the lineup, and watched stand-out performances from TURNSTILE, The XX, and more.
THE SOUND AND THE STORY
LOLLAPALOOZA SERIES
The festival stages captured the performances, but we wanted to take a closer look at the stories behind the songs, the unexpected moments, personal experiences, and sparks that shape the music before it reaches the crowd in a special Lolla smattering of our The Sound and The Story series.
For a look at Sound & Style at the festival, check out our recap here: Thursday. More to come!
ARTIST
AMBLE
SONG
"LONELY ISLAND"
Before their set on the Airbnb Stage on Thursday, Irish trio Amble shared the story behind "Lonely Island," inspired by a chance encounter on Ireland's Achill Island that became a reflection on the people who make places feel like home.
"I wrote the song that night about how what makes a place beautiful is the people you're with and when they're no longer with us, maybe it's not quite as nice. I actually wrote the riff on a bouzouki and the words together."
- Ross McNerney of Amble
- Ross McNerney of Amble
They also explained how the riff served as a hopeful counterpoint to an otherwise bittersweet story:
"The riff is like just this happiness around what can be a sad story because there's always happiness."
- Ross McNerney of Amble
Stream "Lonely Island" by Amble here.
PENELOPE ROAD -
"NEW MONEY"
After their Thursday set on the Airbnb Stage, Atlanta pop-rock band Penelope Road gave us an early look at their upcoming single, "New Money." The band shared how a simple loop sparked the song before evolving into a fresh, pop-forward direction.
"He (Daniel Tashian) played like this loop he had on his computer and we were all like 'let's do it.'"
- Max Moore of Penelope Road
They also explained the idea to lean into their generation's version of pop music.
“I think “New Money” is a really cool diversion of our normal stuff, but it's super in our bag.”
– Charles Eastman of Penelope Road
Stream Penelope Road here and keep an eye out for their upcoming single "New Money".
PENELOPE ROAD -
"NEW MONEY"
After their Thursday set on the Airbnb Stage, Atlanta pop-rock band Penelope Road gave us an early look at their upcoming single, "New Money." The band shared how a simple loop sparked the song before evolving into a fresh, pop-forward direction.
"He (Daniel Tashian) played like this loop he had on his computer and we were all like 'let's do it.'"
- Max Moore of Penelope Road
They also explained the idea to lean into their generation's version of pop music.
“I think “New Money” is a really cool diversion of our normal stuff, but it's super in our bag.”
– Charles Eastman of Penelope Road
Stream Penelope Road here and keep an eye out for their upcoming single "New Money".
ARTIST
MARLON FUNAKI
Song
"RED HEARTS"
After taking the Airbnb Stage on Thursday, Marlon Funaki reflected on one of his most personal songs, "Red Hearts." He shared how playing an early demo for his dad inspired one of the song's most meaningful lyrics, making it an important milestone in both his career and personal life.
"That was one of the first times I've seen my dad cry. That's where one of the lyrics came in, 'Why are you crying? There's a red heart on your sleeve.'" - Marlon Funaki
He also explained how this particular song first came to life, which happens to be the same way most of his songs do:
"It usually starts with my acoustic guitar in my bedroom." – Marlon Funaki
Stream “Red Hearts” by Marlon Funaki here.
ARTIST
MARLON FUNAKI
Song
"RED HEARTS"
After taking the Airbnb Stage on Thursday, Marlon Funaki reflected on one of his most personal songs, "Red Hearts." He shared how playing an early demo for his dad inspired one of the song's most meaningful lyrics, making it an important milestone in both his career and personal life.
"That was one of the first times I've seen my dad cry. That's where one of the lyrics came in, 'Why are you crying? There's a red heart on your sleeve.'" - Marlon Funaki
He also explained how this particular song first came to life, which happens to be the same way most of his songs do:
"It usually starts with my acoustic guitar in my bedroom." – Marlon Funaki
Stream “Red Hearts” by Marlon Funaki here.
ARTIST
THE BRAYMORES
SONG
"NEW SONG" (TITLE TBD)
Fresh off opening the BMI Stage on Thursday, Chicago's The Braymores walked us through a new song they wrote just a couple of months ago. What began as a chord progression quickly transformed into a guitar riff before growing into one of the band's first fully collaborative songs together.
"It was kind of just like a cool moment as a band where we came together and it kind of wrote itself."
– Keegan Melaniphy of The Braymores
They also explained how the riff served as a hopeful counterpoint to an otherwise bittersweet story:
"The riff is like just this happiness around what can be a sad story because there's always happiness."
- Ross McNerney of Amble
Stream The Braymores here and stay tuned for new music.
ARTIST
EVENING ELEPHANTS
Song
"FACEDOWN KENTUCKY"
The day after their BMI Stage performance, Evening Elephants broke down the story behind "Facedown Kentucky" from their debut album, Wholeheartedly, Terribly Sweet. They shared how an unexpected comment during a neighbor's argument became the unlikely inspiration for the song's lyrics.
"'Sometimes you're just a dumbass girl with a dumbass dog.' And I was like, 'That's amazing. I'm going to write that down and put it in a song.'" – Sam Boggs of Evening Elephants
The inspiration didn't stop there. Another Easter egg from that same dinner made its way into the song, with the second verse kicking off with "Plymouth Nikita" from the classic stripper name formula that was brought up that night.
"It usually starts with my acoustic guitar in my bedroom." – Marlon Funaki
Stream Evening Elephants' debut album, Wholeheartedly, Terribly Sweet, here.
ARTIST
EVENING ELEPHANTS
Song
"FACEDOWN KENTUCKY"
The day after their BMI Stage performance, Evening Elephants broke down the story behind "Facedown Kentucky" from their debut album, Wholeheartedly, Terribly Sweet. They shared how an unexpected comment during a neighbor's argument became the unlikely inspiration for the song's lyrics.
"'Sometimes you're just a dumbass girl with a dumbass dog.' And I was like, 'That's amazing. I'm going to write that down and put it in a song.'" – Sam Boggs of Evening Elephants
The inspiration didn't stop there. Another Easter egg from that same dinner made its way into the song, with the second verse kicking off with "Plymouth Nikita" from the classic stripper name formula that was brought up that night.
Stream Evening Elephants' debut album, Wholeheartedly, Terribly Sweet, here.
ARTIST
MOTHER MOTHER
SONG
"HAYLOFT"
Before taking the Tito's Stage on Friday, Ryan Guldemond of Mother Mother looked back on the legendary riff behind "Hayloft." Long before the vocals existed, the riff carried the song on its own and nearly made it an instrumental.
"We're such a vocal band and we usually write songs leading with vocals, but “Hayloft” was all riff for ages. There was no vocals. It was almost going to be an instrumental song because the riff was so strong and forefront, but we did end up putting vocals on it and it did turn out to be our biggest song. So yeah, riffs rule.”
– Ryan Guldemond of Mother Mother
They also explained how the riff served as a hopeful counterpoint to an otherwise bittersweet story:
"The riff is like just this happiness around what can be a sad story because there's always happiness."
- Ross McNerney of Amble
Stream “Hayloft” by Mother Mother here.
ARTIST
THE BENDS
SONG
"DANCE AWAY"
Following their Sunday Airbnb Stage performance, Baton Rouge-bred, Nashville-based quartet The Bends shared how "Dance Away" grew from an opening chord progression and riff, eventually making it onto their upcoming debut album. They jammed it out as a band, repurposing a chorus from another unfinished song, crafting their coolest solo to date, and adding in drums that fit perfectly, with each member leaving their mark on the final version.
"Everything everybody added to that song elevated it to something serious and I think it's probably our proudest song as a group." – Hayden Feld of The Bends
Stream The Bends here and check out “Dance Away” on their debut album If You Insist this September.
"It usually starts with my acoustic guitar in my bedroom." – Marlon Funaki
Stream Evening Elephants' debut album, Wholeheartedly, Terribly Sweet, here.
ARTIST
THE BENDS
SONG
"DANCE AWAY"
Following their Sunday Airbnb Stage performance, Baton Rouge-bred, Nashville-based quartet The Bends shared how "Dance Away" grew from an opening chord progression and riff, eventually making it onto their upcoming debut album. They jammed it out as a band, repurposing a chorus from another unfinished song, crafting their coolest solo to date, and adding in drums that fit perfectly, with each member leaving their mark on the final version.
"Everything everybody added to that song elevated it to something serious and I think it's probably our proudest song as a group." – Hayden Feld of The Bends
Stream The Bends here and check out “Dance Away” on their debut album If You Insist this September.
ARTIST
VILLANELLE
SONG
"PLACEBO"
Once the weather delays cleared on Saturday, we caught up with Villanelle ahead of their Toyota Music Den set. The band shared the origin of "Placebo," through one deceptively simple, yet catchy two-chord riff.
“It's just basically two chords, you know those ones that just sound right. Even though your brain's telling you to add more to it, your heart's going, "Nah, this is it. Just leave it like this." And it just absolutely fucking slaps.”
– Gene Gallagher of Villanelle
They also explained how the riff served as a hopeful counterpoint to an otherwise bittersweet story:
"The riff is like just this happiness around what can be a sad story because there's always happiness."
- Ross McNerney of Amble
Stream “Placebo” by Villanelle here.
ARTIST
EASY HONEY
SONG
"HOMESICK"
After kicking off Sunday on the Tito's Stage, Charleston indie rock band Easy Honey looked back on how one guitar riff, initiated at a cabin in Georgia’s southern Appalachia area, became the foundation for "Homesick."
“Coming from a guitar player standpoint, it is a very confusing riff. Luckily, I don't have to play it, Darby handles it, but it's a great riff.” - Selby Austin of Easy Honey
“We like to think of ourselves as a very riffy band. So dive in if you like your riffs.” - Darby McGlone of Easy Honey
We also got into the inspiration behind the lyrics.
“We're all fans of Don Quixote. It's just such an emblematic story of life and kind of mirrors what we do on our journey in music.” - Webster Austin of Easy Honey
We got to hear an acapella rendition of the riff during our conversation, but you can stream "Homesick" by Easy Honey here.
ARTIST
EASY HONEY
SONG
"HOMESICK"
After kicking off Sunday on the Tito's Stage, Charleston indie rock band Easy Honey looked back on how one guitar riff, initiated at a cabin in Georgia’s southern Appalachia area, became the foundation for "Homesick."
“Coming from a guitar player standpoint, it is a very confusing riff. Luckily, I don't have to play it, Darby handles it, but it's a great riff.” - Selby Austin of Easy Honey
“We like to think of ourselves as a very riffy band. So dive in if you like your riffs.” - Darby McGlone of Easy Honey
We also got into the inspiration behind the lyrics.
“We're all fans of Don Quixote. It's just such an emblematic story of life and kind of mirrors what we do on our journey in music.” - Webster Austin of Easy Honey
We got to hear an acapella rendition of the riff during our conversation, but you can stream "Homesick" by Easy Honey here.
ARTIST
Surfing For DaisY
SONG
"Psychic"
Surfing For Daisy stopped by after taking the BMI Stage on Sunday and reflected on "Psychic," a song written in the midst of a panic attack that became a reminder to embrace life while you can.
"I wrote it because I kind of was having a panic attack about how short our time on planet Earth is."
– Nick Francis of Surfing For Daisy
They broke down the lyrics that make this song one the fans connect most with.
“There's a part of the song where I say “four more years to carve your name in these streets,” and I think it's very important because you really never know when your time is up. So don't worry, just do what you want to do and have fun doing it. Live your life.”
– Nick Francis of Surfing For Daisy
Stream “Psychic” by Surfing For Daisy here.
ARTIST
SNACKTIME
SONG
"Can't imagine why you'd stay"
We wrapped things up with Philly natives SNACKTIME, fresh off their Sunday performance on the BMI Stage, diving into the story behind "Can't Imagine Why You'd Stay," an unreleased track that will be out on September 2, 2026.
"We are working on our debut record, we're super excited about it. We've been in the studio like crazy people every day, all day." - Sam Gellerstein of SNACKTIME
As the song began to take shape, one moment in the process transformed it and helped create what the band considers one of its most iconic riffs.
"Mike started playing a riff on the piano and that brought the song completely together. It's kind of like Prince meets Phil Collins but just rocks super hard and it's amazing." - Sam Gellerstein of SNACKTIME
Stream SNACKTIME here and stay tuned for their debut album in 2027.
ARTIST
SNACKTIME
SONG
"Can't imagine why you'd stay"
We wrapped things up with Philly natives SNACKTIME, fresh off their Sunday performance on the BMI Stage, diving into the story behind "Can't Imagine Why You'd Stay," an unreleased track that will be out on September 2, 2026.
"We are working on our debut record, we're super excited about it. We've been in the studio like crazy people every day, all day." - Sam Gellerstein of SNACKTIME
As the song began to take shape, one moment in the process transformed it and helped create what the band considers one of its most iconic riffs.
"Mike started playing a riff on the piano and that brought the song completely together. It's kind of like Prince meets Phil Collins but just rocks super hard and it's amazing." - Sam Gellerstein of SNACKTIME
Stream SNACKTIME here and stay tuned for their debut album in 2027.
“It's like you have to put on a show every time. You can't just sit there and play. You got to give them something to look at."- Caden Shae
“It's like you have to put on a show every time. You can't just sit there and play. You got to give them something to look at."
- Parker James
"Obviously we love the big stage, but like, it really doesn't matter to us as long as there's a community there to be a part of. It's all about the love of the game and the people, you know, it's not about where you're playing."
– Caden Shae
"Obviously we love the big stage, but like, it really doesn't matter to us as long as there's a community there to be a part of. It's all about the love of the game and the people, you know, it's not about where you're playing."
– Caden Shae
HARD-WON TOUR TIPS
💥 “School also serves the purpose of being something to kind of come back to and a schedule to be on, which I know is very helpful for me.”
💥 “We brought DVDs on tour, we watched Star Wars.”
💥 “Develop some stable things you do every night that can take away that strange Groundhog’s Day thing from touring.”
💥 “Make yourself wake up early enough to feel like you're real. It's like it's better to not just wake up and immediately get in a car.”
💥 “Taking a walk, eating breakfast, maybe with a piece of lettuce or something, just [doing] little things. Self-care, it’s 2024.”
💥 “Try to fill your days with things that aren’t just driving and moving gear.”
“I grew up singing in front of six, 700 people a week. You know, every Sunday was a concert basically.”
— Brother Wallace
“I grew up singing in front of six, 700 people a week. You know, every Sunday was a concert basically.”— Brother Wallace
“This is my favorite pedal I've ever owned, the Reverberation Machine [by Death By Audio]. I started using it for guitar because I like this really cool, dusty kind of distorted reverb... there are a lot of songs in Ganser where I use distorted vocals. It’s just a sound I’ve always wanted for vocals and it’s much more fun to perform as well.”
— Sophie Sputnik
“This is my favorite pedal I've ever owned, the Reverberation Machine [by Death By Audio]. I started using it for guitar because I like this really cool, dusty kind of distorted reverb... there are a lot of songs in Ganser where I use distorted vocals. It’s just a sound I’ve always wanted for vocals and it’s much more fun to perform as well.”
— Sophie Sputnik
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FRET12 BACKSTAGE – Lollapalooza 2026
Go deeper ➔ FRET12 / THURSDAY SOUND & STYLE
All video and photos by FRET12.
Venue: FRET12 Shop, located in the main lobby of the Salt Shed - Chicago.
FRET12 SESSIONS – REILLY DOWNES
Americana singer-songwriter Reilly Downes, backed by her band the Acid Cowboys, performs three new songs off her upcoming album in this FRET12 Session.
