Astrachan

In the organizer's words:

Astrachan is the solo project and surname of curly-headed indie-rock beefsack Ben Astrachan, a self-taught analog tape enthusiast who creates his signature mix of dreamy lo-fi folk-rock in the candlelit haze of Puccini's Studio (Astrachan's basement bedroom and workspace) on Chicago's Northwest side. Astrachan is also a co-founder of Berta Bigtoe (with Austin Koenigstein) and Astro Heart (with Ryan Gebhardt), as well as a tireless collaborator with fellow acts like Smushie and No Lonesome, among others. With his golden voice, versatile musical skills and good-natured, boyish charm, he graces stages across Chicago. His second album, Cleaner than Clean, self-produced and recorded straight to tape at Puccini's Studio, is a loud, upbeat rock 'n' roll record released via Happen Twice.

Astrachan opened for Vancouver psych band Meltt in 2023, John Gallagher Jr. in 2024 and head band Henny and Australian indie rock bands Teenage Dads and Quivers in 2025. Also in 2025 he played support for Yuma Abe and Tommy Ragen. His other project Berta Bigtoe opened a sold-out Tokyo Police Club show at Lincoln Hall (capacity 507) in 2021. That same year, they played a sold-out show at the Golden Dagger (100 capacity) and came very close to selling out at The Hideout (200) and Schubas (212) in 2021, 2022 and 2023. In 2024, they toured Texas, played The New New Festival and several unofficial SXSW shows booked by Happentwice. Last summer they performed at three festivals in Albany (WI), Kalamazoo (MI) and Burlington (VT), each with around 300 attendees. In 2025, Astrachan played an impressive ten shows at SXSW, including the official Paste Magazine showcase at High Noon ATX.