Blvck Hippie, which plays Crowbar in Ybor CIty, Florida on June 22, 2024. Credit: Photo via blvckhippieband/Bandcamp

Right out of the gate on their new album, Basketball Camp, Josh Shaw lets listeners know what kind of ride they’re about to go on.

The guitars on “P&H” shimmer as the Memphis songwriter croons about not having fun anymore. And while Shaw, who’s trained on classical piano and records as Blvck Hippie, has been writing about sad stuff since the summer before their junior year of college, the 11-track album also features plenty of groove (“Adult Swim Commercial Break”), texture (“A Spike Lee Joint”), and collage, too (“Cain and Abel Fighting”).

“I wanted to write a record that I needed to hear in high school” Shaw said about their latest endeavor.

Shaw is supported by some of the Bay area’s best rock outfits for this show curated by the Emo Night Tampa crew, which celebrates the third-anniversary of its FM radio show tonight from midnight-2 a.m. on WMNF-Tampa 88.5-FM.

Tickets to see Blvck Hippie play Crowbar in Ybor City on Saturday, June 22 are still available for $10.

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This article appears in Jun 20-26, 2024.