Caroline Rose heads up the hill to Felton Music Hall in February

Fresh off a new self-released album, the songwriter plays Felton on Friday, Feb. 26 — their first local show since the Rio Theatre in May 2024.

The last time Caroline Rose played this stretch of coast, it was the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz on May 10, 2024. The next time is a little farther up Highway 9, and a lot smaller.

Caroline Rose plays Felton Music Hall on Friday, February 26, 2027, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $29.50 through Prekindle, and the show was announced October 20. Felton Music Hall holds about 400, which makes this one of the closer looks you'll get at Rose on this run.

What's changed since 2024 is the record and the business behind it. Rose's new album, *Gentling the Horse at the Walt Whitman Mall*, came out October 23, and it is the first release on their own independent imprint, SUCK Records, according to the announcement covered by JamBase, Stereogum and Under the Radar. It was produced by John Congleton, and it arrived trailed by the single "Chow Mein," which sits second on the tracklist behind the opener "Yip Yip Yow." The record closes on "Everything in its Right Place."

That title alone tells you something about where Rose's head is: funny, oddly specific, a little surreal. Going independent after years of label releases is a bet on the audience, and small rooms are where that bet gets paid back. A 400-capacity hall in the redwoods is a very different evening than a theater stop, and an artist who has just taken their catalog into their own hands has every reason to want the close-up version.

A new record on their own label, played in a 400-cap room in the redwoods.

Release week has been all in-stores. Per Pollstar, the in-store performances and signings started October 26 at Rough Trade in New York before Rose heads to Europe, and Spindizzy Records has them in for a performance and signing on November 5. February is when Rose reaches us.

Expect the new album to carry the set — this is the first time anyone here gets to hear it live — with older songs filling in around it. Rose's genres run indie, rock and pop, and the bigger hooks tend to land especially hard in a room where the back wall isn't far from the stage.

Felton Music Hall is also an easy night out by local standards: an early 7 p.m. start on a Friday means you can make the drive up from Santa Cruz or over from the Monterey side and still be home at a reasonable hour.

It has been almost three years since the Rio. If you missed that one, or caught it and have been waiting, February 26 is a good night to get up the hill early.

Sources: JamBase: Caroline Rose at Felton Music Hall, Feb 26 2027 (jambase.com); JamBase: Caroline Rose Announces New Album 'Gentling The Horse At The Walt Whitman Mall' (jambase.com); Stereogum: Caroline Rose announces new album, hear 'Chow Mein' (stereogum.com); Under the Radar: Caroline Rose announces new album, shares 'Chow Mein' (undertheradarmag.com); mxdwn: Caroline Rose announces new album for October 2026 release (music.mxdwn.com); Pollstar: Caroline Rose Announces New Album, Adds Fall Appearances (news.pollstar.com); Spindizzy Records: Caroline Rose live signing Nov 5 (spindizzyrecords.com); Prekindle tickets: Caroline Rose at Felton Music Hall (prekindle.com); Felton Music Hall Tickets (Vivid Seats) (vividseats.com)