Pons and AXIS: SOVA land at Manny's on Sunday, Nov 15

A rock-opera-minded indie band and a Chicago psych trio share a cheap Sunday-night bill in State College next weekend.

There's a particular kind of State College Sunday: the game's over, the week hasn't started, and somebody in your group chat wants to do one more thing before Monday. Next Sunday, that thing is at Manny's.

Pons plays Manny's Live Performance Space on Sunday, Nov 15, with AXIS: SOVA. The show starts at 7 p.m., and tickets run $9.69 to $14.55 through DICE. The date was announced Oct 26, so this one came together quickly — a week out, it's still the kind of ticket you can grab on the walk over.

Pons are an indie band built for rooms like this one; their usual headline stop holds about 225 people.

AXIS: SOVA make the bill worth showing up early for. The Chicago psych-rock trio — Brett Sova, Jeremy Freeze and Josh Johannpeter — have toured the Midwest with Ty Segall and the West Coast with Oog Bogo, according to Northern Transmissions. Their November tour is tied to the album *Flowerage*, per a listing in Madison's Isthmus. Expect fuzz, repetition and the kind of drive that turns a small room into a sweaty one.

A sub-$15 ticket, two bands with something to prove, and a Sunday night that ends before your Monday starts.

Why does a bill like this matter in State College? Because touring indie and psych bands don't have to stop here. The town sits between bigger markets, and the routing that brings bands through on a Sunday is fragile. Every night like this one that draws a crowd makes the next one easier to book. Manny's is one of the places keeping that door open, and a 7 p.m. start on a Sunday is about as considerate as a show gets for anybody with an 8 a.m. on Monday.

It's also just cheap. Under $15 for two touring bands is a better deal than most nights out downtown, and you'll be home at a reasonable hour.

Check the JamBase listing for any updates between now and next weekend.

Go for the opener, stay for the headliner. You'll have something to talk about at work on Monday.

Sources: PONS — INTELLECT (IDIOTEQ) (idioteq.com); Pons, The Liquid Self (Seven Days) (sevendaysvt.com); Pons — The Pons Estate (Full Time Aesthetic) (fulltimeaesthetic.com); “Hardcore Maps” by Axis: Sova (Northern Transmissions) (northerntransmissions.com); Axis: Sova, Slick, Mossmen (Isthmus) (isthmus.com); Pons at Manny’s Live Performance Space (JamBase) (jambase.com); Pons tickets (DICE) (link.dice.fm)