2026 Musikfest Exordium: Part 2 - Live Performances from Atlassian and Bren

2026 marks our 5th annual Musikfest Exordium where we preview “must see” bands, weather predictions, enjoy some live music, and kick things off with “the first part”.

In this segment, we "get to the music" and hear phenomenal live performances from two bands who'll be performing during this year's Fest: Atlassian and Bren.

Atlassian Bio

Lehigh Valley local favorites Atlassian formed in the winter of 2015, when Nickolas Kossup and Anthony Belcaro were playing early acoustic versions of their songs. It was then in the spring of 2016 that a fuller version of the band was formed with Keyboardist Brad Murray. The band began to really blossom with the addition of their long-time musical confidant and lead guitarist Aaron Michael Brown of the band Saint Slumber.  A fuller sound and visual aesthetic were needed and was finally resurrected when they asked art director and bassist Dave Meyers to help make their vision come alive. 

Together Atlassian has been passionately working to create visually striking content, a memorable live show with healthy amounts of improvisation that not only solidifies the band's professional skills but proves they are worthy of the praise they get.

Bren Bio

Bren is a Philadelphia-based artist who weaves together elements of punk, indie-folk, alternative, and post-grunge into a musical tapestry that is all her own. Through her sonically cathartic songs, she shares authentic stories of human experience that resonate at a deep emotional level with her audiences. Her powerful yet nuanced vocal performance takes listeners on a journey from the transcendent and tender to the fierce and feral. And the music behind her is equally dynamic, ranging from massive “wall of sound” guitars and blasting beats to haunting, ethereal acoustic parts and subtle percussion.

After multiple moves in her young adult life, Bren permanently relocated to Philadelphia and recorded her 2023 debut EP “Too Late for Flowers.” Bren lives and breathes the Philly indie scene, performing at numerous venues and sharing bills with both local and national artists. All of these experiences are being poured into her new music, and will culminate in her next record out in 2027. 

As always, our hope is to bring you "your next favorite band".  If you tuned in today because you already knew this musician - thank you very much!  We hope that you enjoyed it and would consider following us and subscribing so we can bring you your #nextfavband in the future.  And check out nextfavband.com for our entire catalog of interviews!

If you have a recommendation on who you think OUR next favorite band should be, hit us up on social media (@nextfavband everywhere) or send us an email at nextfavband@stereophiliastudio.com.

Thank you to Carver Commodore, argonaut&wasp, and Blair Crimmins for allowing us to use their music in the show open and close.  It makes everything sound so much better!

Let’s catch a live show together soon!

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