Algernon Cadwallader returns to Gainesville with Gladie and Snoozer on Dec. 9 for a night of high-energy emo revival at Heartwood Soundstage
Press release from Heartwood Soundstage
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Heartwood Soundstage is thrilled to welcome Algernon Cadwallader back to the stage on Tuesday, December 9, 2025.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m., and the show begins at 7:00 p.m.
Beloved for their intricate guitar work, electrifying urgency, and heartfelt lyricism, Algernon Cadwallader has long been considered one of the defining bands of the late-2000s emo revival. After disbanding in 2012, the group reunited a decade later to overwhelming enthusiasm — and now returns with Trying Not to Have a Thought, their first album since Parrot Flies (2011) and the first recorded with their original lineup since 2008’s Some Kind of Cadwallader.
“There’s a certain magic to this original form,” says vocalist-bassist Peter Helmis. That chemistry reignited during rehearsals, eventually sparking the creation of their new record. Written across retreats in Snoqualmie, WA and the Poconos, and tracked at Pachyderm Studios and Philadelphia’s Headroom, Trying Not to Have a Thought is warm, lively, and unmistakably Algernon — hooky, kinetic, and emotionally resonant. Guitarist Joe Reinhart jokes the sound lands somewhere like “Joan of Arc and Pavement in a blender,” but the band remains wholly its own: instinctive, dynamic, and unbound by trends.
Lyrically, the album spans grief (“Hawk”), protest (“Revelation 420”), systemic failures (“Million Dollars”), and historical injustice (“Attn MOVE”). The title reflects the band’s struggle against mental overload and the power of reconnecting as their original four-piece.
“This is just what comes out of us when these four people get in a room,” says Helmis.
Algernon Cadwallader will be joined by Philadelphia locals Gladie, an emotionally charged indie-rock project, and Snoozer, whose energetic punk-leaning sound complements the night’s lineup.
All Ages
Tickets available now at heartwoodsoundstage.com