Bumpin Uglies draws on John Prine and Sturgill Simpson as readily as Sublime — which is to say, their Annapolis-rooted sound treats punk, reggae, ska, and folk storytelling as co-equal tools rather than a hierarchy to arrange. The Orange Crush Tour, built around a 2025 single with Artikal Sound System vocalist Logan Rex, arrives at Buffalo Iron Works on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
About the Show
The tour takes its name from “Orange Crush,” a May 2025 single that brought Bumpin Uglies and Logan Rex together. Per the band’s own framing, the track blends “buoyant pop melodies with reggae undertones” to capture “the tension and allure of a fleeting, passionate romance.” Artikal Sound System, the South Florida reggae ensemble that Rex fronts, will open every date on this run. The connection between the two acts is not incidental: Artikal Sound System, established in 2012 by guitarist Chris Montague and bassist Fabian Acuña, has built its sound around Rex’s jazz-influenced vocal delivery, and it is that same voice that anchors the song giving this tour its name. Their full lineup (Montague, Acuña, drummer Adam Kampf, and keyboardist Christopher Cope) performs the Buffalo date.
Bumpin Uglies themselves are a five-piece: Brandon Hardesty on vocals and lead guitar, Brent Schraffenberger on bass, T.J. Haslett on drums, Ethan Lichtenberger on keys, trombone, and trumpet, and Will Lopez on saxophone. They are touring behind Crawling Up the Wall, released September 2025, which finds Hardesty examining addiction, mental health, and fatherhood across 14 tracks with what the band characterizes as “unfiltered lyrical honesty.” Songs like “Crawling Up the Wall” and “Darkness” address anxiety and depression without flinching; “Growing Pains” and “Falling” take up fatherhood and the tension between personal ambition and family. The band’s Mid-Atlantic Dub (2022) reached #3 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart; Crawling Up the Wall is more personal and, in its better moments, more pointed. The band has built its following — known as Uglies Nation — through relentless touring and festival appearances at Cali Roots, Reggae Rise Up, and the 311 Cruise, as well as their own curated annual festival, Weekend at Wolfies.
Venue & Logistics
Buffalo Iron Works, 49 Illinois Street, hosts the show as part of the western New York concert calendar. Doors open at 7:00 p.m.; the show begins at 8:00 p.m. The event is 18 and older.
Tickets
No ticket price was available from sources at the time of publication. Buy tickets