Bumpin Uglies

punk · reggae · reggae rock

Bumpin Uglies is a reggae-rock band from Annapolis, Maryland, formed in 2008 by singer-guitarist Brandon Hardesty and percussionist Zach Pfefferkorn, who picked the name while deliberately hunting for the most memorable one they could think of. The group mixes reggae and ska with punk energy and folk and bluegrass touches, and puts unusual weight on lyrics for the genre. Its current lineup is Hardesty on lead vocals and guitar, Brent Schraffenberger on bass, T.J. Haslett on drums, Ethan Lee Lichtenberger on keys, trombone and trumpet, and Will Lopez on saxophone and guitar. The band built its following the slow way, from East Coast clubs outward to national touring, and has kept a self-managed, DIY posture throughout. Its studio albums are Free Candy (2011), Go Folk Yourself (2012), Ninjah: Reggae Assassins (2013), Keep It Together (2016), which reached number three on Billboard's Reggae Albums chart, Beast from the East (2018), which reached number one there, Keep Your Suitcase Packed (2020) and Mid-Atlantic Dub (2022), both on Ineffable Records, and Lyrics Over Everything, a fourteen-track record released on 21 June 2024 whose title song was written with fellow Marylander Joey Harkum. Mid-Atlantic Dub was submitted for Best Reggae Album consideration at the 65th Grammy Awards. Along the way the band has also issued EPs including Better. Faster. Stronger. (2016) and Buzz (2019), each of which reached number two on the reggae chart, plus live and acoustic sets such as Load In/Load Out: Live at 8x10 and Songs From the Basement. Bumpin Uglies hosts its own annual destination festival, Weekend at Wolfies, and has played Cali Vibes and Everwild. It tours large clubs and ballrooms nationally, including Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver.

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Where they play in South Carolina