Hannah's Encounters (October 2026) - Hero Fest Edition!

Plus some additional recs :)

On September 13th I went to Hero Fest, a delightful all-day festival at Rubulad. Organized and founded by Hero Magnus, who describes it as inspired by "DIY music, unicorns with impossibly soft manes, friendship, detailed descriptions of perfume, difficult and problematic novels," and so on and so forth, it's something of a smaller-scale counterpart to Olivia Rodrigo's Daisy Chain, or a mix between that and the recent New Colossus festivals.

She recruited an impressive lineup of musicians like Frances Forever to perform and writers like Eileen Myles (as well as Hero’s own father, Magus Magnus) to read. When I got there, Myles was reading, and everyone was in hushed silence while listening to a legend of queer poetry.

Rubulad was the perfect choice for the festival; an absurdist, crowded outside space – why yes, that is a rainbow tongue slide – that somehow had enough room for other non-musical vendors, including clothing from Myth Spirits and food from Brown Men Cook.

I got Hero’s thoughts on the various acts that performed, an eclectic list I appreciated for its refusal to stick to any one genre. Where I was able to see the acts, I offered up some of my own thoughts. Read till the end for some other non-Hero Fest recs!

florid

RIYL: unclassifiable artists

Hannah: I was incredibly impressed with this new band, stretching in so many different directions I didn’t even realize they identified as metal until looking them up after the show. I wrote down “chamber R&B with prog-metal influence?” in my notes; I don’t often see a guitar-violin-saxophone set up anywhere, making them harder to identify in terms of genre but all the more intriguing because of it. They don’t have music on streaming, yet, but I hope I get to hear some recordings soon.

Hero: I found florid on the internet because I loved their NPR Tiny Desk contest entries — they’ve entered the NPR Tiny Desk contest five times and received accolades from Bob Boilen and Phoebe Bridgers in the process. florid is an eclectic independent musician based in New York, and their music is ethereal soft twinkling floral folk metal.

brahmi/brahm masla

RIYL: Half Moon Run, Ray LaMontange, Fleet Foxes

Hannah: This band reminded me of indie folk groups like Iron & Wine and Half Moon Run (whose “Full Circle” remains a reference track when I’m testing out new speakers.), but as Hero says below, there’s a ton of influence from Latin music and electronica, adding more complex rhythms to this brand of cozy acoustic singer-songwriter. I love when an adult-alternative act actually sounds sophisticated enough for adults!

Hero: brahmi is the project of brahm masla — who so happens to be the Hero Magnus drummer! We became friends on the Amtrak train after they interrupted my online chess game. brahm masla is a vocalist, producer, percussionist and multi-instrumentalist based in NYC. Originally growing up between the Berkshire mountains of Western Massachusetts and the Sierra Madres of Jalisco Mexico, they make indie/folk/fusion music. brahm performs all over the world as brahmi, in their future-pop group June Arc, in their latin-jazz trio Los Transplantes, and as an accompanist for many world renowned artists.

Zapbeetle

RIYL: Pictoria Vark, Soccer Mommy

Hannah: Like Florid, Zapbeetle’s recorded catalogue is almost non-existent, but I really liked what I heard of their Hero Fest, reminding me of longtime friend-of-the-Peak Pictoria Vark. With five-piece bands (or particularly talented four-piece bands), there's this kineticism that scratches my ADHD brain the right way - in the video I've linked below, there's always something else to watch.

Hero: Zapbeetle is a Brooklyn-based indie rock band led by angelic songwriter Nima Lewis. They opened up for my album release show back in April, and I absolutely loved the set. Zapbeetle’s music is rebellious and chill, just like indie rock should be, with a touch of country pedal-steel twang.

Aggie Miller

RIYL: RIYLo Kiley, Eliza McLamb, Alvvays

Hannah: If I were to give a Most Likely To Succeed superlative to one band on this lineup (aside from the ones already successful), it would be this one, very in line with other NYC-based rockers like Eliza McLamb and Belle Shea but with a particular knack for immaculate arrangements. In the studio, guitarist Teddy O’Mara’s production fills out their sound with all sorts of strange keyboards and guitar filigree; live, they turn the distortion up, revealing the intensity beneath the surprisingly manicured music.

Hero: I am just a huge fan of Aggie Miller’s live shows. Aggie released her incredible self-titled debut album in 2024. Then, the band spent two years cementing her place in the New York live music scene and went on a national tour opening for The Army, The Navy. Aggie Miller reminds me of Samia (brutal vulnerability x so funny and sexy), Mazzy Star, Neutral Milk Hotel, 24-hour breakfast restaurants and sea captains. They give me the special buzzy feeling of seeing a band that is talented and sharp and about to get huge.

Kinneret

RIYL: Let's Eat Grandma, MARINA

Hannah: There should always be room for silliness, and opening one of the last sets of the night wearing butterfly wings absolutely qualifies. Field Guide appropriately centers around nature, with songs about birds and on-stage messages about how we’re all connected. I’m always up for a setup featuring an Omnichord, as well as a cover of “White Rabbit” - it's all a bit hippie, but endearingly so, of course.

Hero: Kinneret and I met at Nook, my favorite coffee shop in Brooklyn. She is a pop star, a friend of the birds, and a true artist. I think she is a total original, and I especially loved her recent album Field Guide, which is inspired by her dedicated observations of nature and feels like shooting stars and glittering neon signs.

Hero Magnus

RIYL: Audrey Hobert, Sidney Gish, August Ponthier

Hannah: If Audrey Hobert’s music was more rooted in folk than synth pop, and she was truly a weirdo. Her album, How Do You Leave A Warm Dark Place, is delightful and tongue-in-cheek. "Harriet", about getting pregnant from another woman and “Subletter”, seemingly a dare for how many words can fit into a chorus while still being catchy. Magnus' kookiness beautifully contrasts her sugary melodies, like nailing a Lilith Fair set on two hours of sleep.

Hero: It wouldn’t be Hero Fest without me, Hero Magnus! I’m based in Brooklyn and I make indie folk / indie rock music with a little country twang. Keywords: birth crane womb pink kiss fawn baby dream fig. I’ve played shows all around the US this year to celebrate my debut album, How Do You Leave a Warm Dark Place. My live shows are a win if at least one person cries during my song about getting miracle-pregnant from the power of love.

I was unable to see the next three acts, but I wanted to include Hero’s thoughts:

Frances Forever

Hero: Frank from Frances Forever and I met at summer camp at Berklee College of Music in Summer 2016! We reconnected after running into each other on the street in Bushwick and became friends. I’ve seen them live twice this year and it just keeps getting better and better – intimate and headbangy live shows. Frances Forever just got back from their headline I FEEL LIKE A SHARK tour and I was so happy they were available to play Hero Fest.

Olive Klug

Hero: I’ve been a fan of Olive Klug’s music for years, and after putting together the rest of the lineup I realized they would be an amazing headliner for our show especially with their sonic influences in bluegrass, folk, country, and pop. Olive’s music reminds me of Dolly Parton, John Prine, and Joni Mitchell — nostalgic and present; intimate and danceable; funny and sad.

Imani Graham

Hero: I became an Imani Graham fan after hearing her songs online — they’re pensive, catchy, earnest, and perfect for driving. Imani Graham is an indie pop artist and producer from New Jersey. She has toured all around the world with artists including Semler, Abby Holliday, and most recently Nep. Plus, her music has been featured in tv shows like Calabasas Confidential and HEARTSTOPPER SEASON 3!!

You can also find Hero’s blurbs about Hero Fest performers like Eileen Myles and her own father, Magus Magnus. on the paid tier!

More non-Hero Fest recommendations!

Thomas Powers, Rob Moose, Gordi - “Grasp on You”

RIYL: Sigur Ros, Imogen Heap

Gordi’s music inexplicably shows up exactly when I needed it: in 2020, my first Hannah Jocelyn byline at Pitchfork the week I started HRT; in 2024, post-election, with a last-minute New York show; in 2025, in the aftermath of a breakup; in 2026, when I was spiraling for both political and personal reasons over the last two weeks, I once again found myself at Gordi show. I absolutely cannot be objective, the way I try to step back from my own biases when writing about even my favorite bands.

Last year, she released “Instant Life”, a Peter Katis-produced song very reminiscent of early-to-mid National and thus very Hannahcore. This time, Sophie Payten collaborates with Thomas Powers of early 2010s band the Naked and Famous and Rob Moose (if it exists, he’s worked on it) on a gorgeous electronic ballad about accepting the unknowability of the Other.

This is a rework of Powers' track, with new lyrics over it: the chorus promises, “I’ll never stop reaching for you” So much of my own music is about trying to deal with that; I love a song that can just sit with that gap.

Ayleen Valentine - White Gummy

RIYL: Hole, Ethel Cain, Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey already made a grunge album in the 90s, but if she didn’t, this is initially what I imagine it would sound like with its whistle-notes and R&B-influenced melodies. As the song goes on, Valentine’s vocal becomes increasingly unhinged, climaxing with her wailing “IT HURTS! IT HURTS!” I don't want to say too much here, except I wish someone would do a reaction video to this song because it never goes anywhere close to where you'd expect.

Nina Winder-Linde - “Girls”

RIYL: Patti Smith, Neko Case, Patti Smith, Fiona Apple, Patti Smith

This album, Wild Love, from the lead singer of Brighton band The New Eves, sounds like staring into the sun; I often say that when faced with any intense art made by women, the ones who feel things I don’t know how to feel yet. It also shows why I am 29 and Afraid Of Other Women, cis or trans; the ability, forged out of necessity, to articulate themselves with a clarity men are taught to ignore; the amount of shit women are expected to take; and the way that being a trans woman specifically feels like being spared and robbed at the same time. The grass is greener on the male side, yes, but not when you’re allergic to it.

After six years on HRT, I still wonder: what the fuck do I know about girls and womanhood? I didn't even have a girlhood! Yet the more I'm perceived as a woman among other women, the more I discover nobody has any idea what that means - I hope it’s more than that Fleabag quote or that Tomberlin song, but it’s certainly not as idyllic as the Eras Tour. "Girls eat almost nothing/Girls will try anything", Winder-Lind sings, acknowledging the pain and the perseverance that unfortunately connects all women under patriarchy together, no matter what word comes before "woman". Maybe that's why I love "Girls", which looks at women with admiration and awe instead of desire.

But maybe you don't need all that grandstanding of what womanhood means to me. So I can try to sell you intellectually on "Girls": cellos homaging the Raincoats and Velvet Underground, deadpan but ultimately sincere commentary on womanhood reminiscent of Neko Case, an outro that approaches the grandeur of Springsteen's "Thunder Road" with half as many instruments. The warbly contralto voice will be an acquired taste, but it is worth hearing what she has to say before writing it off. Nina wrote this for somebody’s experience; listen even if it’s not yours.