Garden Party: Meet the women-fronted bands playing festival in Omaha

izzylewismedia8
May 6, 2025
3 min read

Garden Party is a music festival that celebrates local and Midwestern woman musicians. The festival started in University of Nebraska-Lincoln alum Madeline Reddel’s backyard in 2022. It soon outgrew the space, so this year, it will be held at Sonny’s, an outdoor bar at Aksarben Village in Omaha.

This year’s Garden Party features nine sets from some local Nebraska bands and out-of-state artists, spanning across genres. Read more about each musician below.

Headliner: Abby Holliday

Abby Holliday is an indie pop artist based in Nashville, Tennessee. Her music draws influence from Phoebe Bridgers and The Japanese House.

Holliday released her debut album, “WHEN WE’RE FAR APART I FALL APART,” in 2021. Her most recent release is her junior record, “CRACK A SMILE COME ON STAY A WHILE.”

Last summer, Holliday played on the Lollapalooza stage in Chicago. She then went on tour around the country with her recent album.

autumnal

autumnal is a four-piece folk band from Fort Collins, Colorado. They have self-described their sounds as “fuzz folk,” combining both the folk and shoegaze genres.

The band is made up of guitarist and vocalist Annalee Knies, synth player and vocalist Geneva Hein, bassist Justice Murray and drummer Nina Dorighi.

autumnal released their first single, “girl at a party,” in 2022. Since then, they’ve released other singles. Their most recent release is “breathing” from March 2025.

Keo & Them

Keo & Them is an alternative R&B group from Wichita, Kansas. The band formed in 2019 and is a collective of musicians and collaborators that had a fluid membership.

Keo is the singer-songwriter that heads the band. She is joined by guitarist Mattea Clara and drummer and bassist Kam Kozart, who joined the band just before the release of their single “Eyesore” in March 2025.

The band released its first album, “This Time Around,” in 2023. Keo & Them is no stranger to playing in Nebraska. They’ve frequently performed in Omaha and at Lincoln’s very own Duffy’s Tavern.

Honey Marmalade

Honey Marmalade is an indie artist originally from Omaha who is now based in Brooklyn, New York. Her music is a blend of blues, rock and soul.

Honey Marmalade graduated from UNL in 2022 before she moved to New York to pursue her music career. She performs as an individual singer-songwriter, with a trio or a full band.

Honey Marmalade released her debut album, “Over Before It Started,” in December 2024. She has a decade of performance experience.

Ione

Ione is an indie artist from Chicago, originally from small-town Iowa. Her music has elements of alternative indie pop rock, but defies any exact genre.

For a while, Ione lived in Omaha, playing in local venues in Omaha, Lincoln and around the Midwest with her band.

She released her first two singles in 2023, “Why Anna” and “Thieves and Snakes.” Since then, she’s released a few more singles while playing the Chicago music circuit. In March 2025, she released her debut EP, “From Here.”

LyriQ LaShay

LyriQ LaShay is a singer-songwriter from Omaha, who uses storytelling in her music. LaShay lives by her motto, “Music is not a hobby; it’s a lifestyle,” to inspire and uplift others with her music.

LaShay has a single released in 2016 called “City Lights.” Recently, she has been playing many shows around Omaha.

Peachy Beaches

Peachy Beaches is a bedroom surf-pop duo from Omaha. The band consists of vocalist and bassist Kat Teutsch and guitarist and mixer Phoenix Heywood.

Peachy Beaches released their debut single, “Parallels,” in February 2025. They’ve played shows at various Omaha venues over the past few months.

The duo recently announced in an Instagram post that they are moving to Chicago. Garden Party will be their last show in Omaha.

Grace Lundy

Grace Lundy is an indie folk artist from Lincoln. In 2020, she was in the top 40 contestants on “American Idol.”

Lundy released her debut single, “Sunflower Fields,” in 2023. She has since released two other singles. In July 2024, Lundy released her first EP, “Cruze.”

Twin Pages

Twin Pages is a duo from Omaha, made up of Natalie Hanson and Keenan Hallas. Twin Pages creates a textured sound including instruments like the baritone ukulele, glockenspiel and electronic elements.

Twin Pages released their debut single, “Impression,” in 2022. Their most recent release is their March 2025 single, “I’m A Bird // On For You.”

Twin Pages plays shows around Omaha. This year will be the second time they’ve played in the Garden Party festival.

Garden Party is completely free to attend on May 10 from 2-11 p.m. The show is open to all ages. More details can be found on the Garden Party website.

Published in the Daily Nebraskan, read here.