Jax to the Max (part 2)

Whitney

Chicago’s Whitney is headlining Jack Rabbits, on October 2, 2026.

We previously saw Whitney in Oct 2019 and wrote, “Whitney closed out the show. The most interesting thing about this Chicago band is that their singer is actually their drummer, Julien Ehrlich. We saw the group in May 2016, stating “The second they took the stage, there was something familiar about them. Come to find out that two members of this band (Max Kakacek and Julian Ehrlich) are actually former members of The Smith Westerns (RIP). These guys had joined forces with members of a few other Chicago groups to form Whitney.” We soon realized that, in fact, the band is actually from the ashes of Smith Westerns… who we saw in August 2013.”

Support for the show is Nashville-based artist Oscar Lindsey, who recently signed to Mom + Pop Music (Courtney Barnett, Caamp, Tiny Habits, Hudson Freeman) and will release his label debut, Sunshine, on October 16.

We saw Lindsey earlier this month and noted, “Things got started with Oscar Lindsey, a young Nashville singer and songwriter. He self-released his debut album Glitter in 2025, and now having been signed to Mom + Pop Music, will release the LP Sunshine in October 2026. The comparison to the lofi aesthetic of Alex G gives a sense of Lindsey’s style. Coming to stage solo and seated with acoustic guitar, Lindsey jumped into Painting the Walls, a song that “came out three or four days ago”. He jumped to the title track of the new album, and his higher tenor vocals paired with the clean guitar was a calm but emphatic folk sound. He noted this was his first time in Minnesota and told an amusing story about a school era crush who moved to Minneapolis, so his gut reaction was “F that place, but now that I’m here, it’s pretty cool”. This was a simple, down to earth songwriting even as it hit themes of anguish and confusion, and Apples to Apples was a good distillation of Lindsey’s set. He noted that “this one man show thing is terrifying”, but outwardly he was holding it together just fine. Ruby was a lovelorn song and Lindsey seemed a little looser vocally then told a story of being in Asheville and randomly getting punched by a stranger, which led into the song Punch Yourself in the Face, much more about the mental torment we bring to ourselves. The lyric “don’t listen to advice from idiots” was both funny and brutal and showed some pretty good insight. Finishing up with the lead single, Metal Through Her Lip brought a guest vocalist and instrumentalist to stage and Oscar Lindsey closed with his most engaging number and we’ll be looking forward to the new album.”

Oscar Lindsey On Tour

Sarah McQuaid

Singer/songwriter Sarah McQuaid was added to my Jacksonville queue – but I soon realized she’s playing Jacksonville, Illinois (not Florida). Since we missed her Minneapolis appearance, I thought this would be a good make-up, by including her in the Jax article(s) for Rocktober.

Sarah’s latest album The St Buryan Sessions is out now.

Tour Dates

Jax Punx

Here’s Something for the Weekend: Jax Punx is hosting another Bridge show. It’s taking place October 24, 2026, headlined by Los Angeles’ Gottlieb and Boston-based quartet Sophie’s Body.

Gottlieb is touring in support of their debut album The Far Fallen Fruit (Quiet Panic). The band is known for being hardcore with post-punk and is very outspoken against police violence, ICE, and the billionaires.

Sophie’s Body is described as “not an emo band”. They’re led by Sophie McMinn and featuring Dylan Hughes (drums), Harry Van Der Meer (bass), and Adam Hurt (guitar)… also on tour in support of their debut album Zero (coming out October 30). Knowing very little of the band, I get the impression that they took the band’s name from the movie Jennifer’s Body, starring Megan Fox.

Other acts on the bill includes False Cape and Miracle Pill.

Sophie’s Body tour dates:

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