Apes Of The State, a Pennsylvania folk-punk band that does charity work for people in rehab, plays Tampa on Friday

April Hartman co-founded Second Chance To Play.

By Josh Bradley on Wed, Feb 28, 2024 at 3:36 pm

Photo by Ben White via Apes of the State EPK

Apes of the State, which plays Hooch and Hive in Tampa, Florida on March 1, 2024.

April Hartman—frontwoman for folk-punk band Apes Of The State—has been very open about her time in rehab, and expressed it not only in the Pennsylvania-based band’s material (its first release was called All I Did This Summer Was Go To Rehab), but also her charity work.

Along with the group’s mandolinist Dan Ebersole, Hartman co-founded Second Chance To Play in her hometown of Lancaster, which helps individuals in rehab become part of the music scene by providing instruments.

Rehab isn’t all the group writes about, though. On its latest, acoustic EP They Can’t Kill Us All (a collaboration with Sister Wife Sex Strike), Hartman sings about the stupidity of no longer being able to have a conversation without it somehow turning political, and also how shooting a gun for the first time makes one want to start a revolution.

Tickets to see Apes of State play Tampa’s Hooch and Hive on Friday, March 1 are still available and start at $20. Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.

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Josh Bradley

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Josh Bradley is Creative Loafing Tampa's resident live music freak. He started freelancing with the paper in 2020 at the age of 18, and has since covered, announced, and previewed numerous live shows in Tampa Bay. Check the music section in print and online every week for the latest in local live music.

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