Over the weekend of May 15-17, The Current hosted Sounds Like Home: a virtual festival of Minnesota music. You can find all the performances archived on The Current's Facebook page, and we're also sharing the archived sessions one by one on YouTube. Thanks to the Minnesota Legacy Amendment Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, which allowed us to compensate artists for their performances.

26 BATS! is the brainchild of Bailey Cogan (keyboard, vocals). The band also consists of Karl Remus (guitar), Warren Thomas Fenzi (drums), Daniel Chavez (trumpet), and Christian Wheeler (bass); they have been releasing music since 2017. All of these musicians are a part of the Kremblems collective, which is short for Kriyative Emblems of a Blue Soul Renaissance, and also includes the projects Lucid Vanguard, Warren Thomas Fenzi, and Christian Wheeler, each led by a different member.

Self-described as genre fluid, 26 BATS! create music that incorporates neo-soul, R&B, jazz, punk and more. The musicians in 26 BATS! are jazz- and blues-trained and are constantly yearning to challenge themselves sonically and not put themselves into a box that's constricted by genre. When writing music, Cogan focuses most on themes of healing and self-realization, and wants to connect with and empower audiences through music. Cogan wants listeners to feel "inspired" and filled with "self-love" at a 26 BATS! show.

26 BATS! have released two full-length records, including Cave Cuts, which was out in 2017, and Onyx, which was released last year. Most recently, they put out a new single, called "National Anthem." Cogan and Remus played that song and two more, including new song "Holy Ultimatum," for a Sounds Like Home session that included some canned — but nonetheless well-deserved — applause.

Songs performed

01:23 "Holy Ultimatum"
05:51 "National Anthem"
15:52 "'The Last Time"

Hosted by Andrea Swensson
Produced by Jesse Wiza
Engineered by Erik Stromstad
Web feature by Sylvia Jennings

External link

26 BATS! - Bandcamp