By Craig Horleman

Milford-based Great Big Liars came together around the first of the year with its unique brand of original alternative rock music. And in that short time, it’s already played a bunch of area gigs and is releasing a debut EP later this month.

Great Big Liars is also set to play Saturday’s Mispillion Fest at Mispillion River Brewing, Feebs Distilling in Milford on May 29 and easySpeak spirits, also in Milford, on June 18.

Downtown Milford business owners John Mollura of John Mollura Photography and Mike Perfetti of tattoo shop Delaware Branding Co., have expanded a collaboration that began a few years ago.

“I met John when he was one of our first Artists of the Month seven years ago,” said Mr. Perfetti. “We were still a new shop, a tattoo shop in downtown Milford, at that. We were showcasing local artists on a wall at the shop, complete with receptions and a chance for patrons to meet and talk to the artist.”

Mr. Mollura had been playing guitar at home, and while he often thought of joining a band, he never pursued it.

“Me and the singer, Stephen Barr, had been struggling to keep personnel onboard. ... Guitar players came and went. None of them really fit,” Mr. Perfetti said of his various musical incarnations.

“It wasn’t until John shot a video with us, for an interim project, that we discovered he played guitar, and it just clicked. We finally secured Ben Gunter on drums earlier this year, and the rest of the history is currently being written.”

As far as Mr. Mollura, he has played guitar since he was 11 but never really thought he was good enough to play in a band.

“I let those negative voices steer the ship, as it were, for the majority of my life. And ... we were just talking, and they knew I play guitar. They said they were looking to start a band of just general hard rock music and said, ‘Are you in?’” Mr. Mollura recalled.

“And as I tend to do, I just said, ‘Sure.’ If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out. It was all solidified in January once we brought Benjamin Gunter into the lineup on drums.”

Their upcoming EP is cleverly called “Self-Titled” and features six songs written by Mr. Perfetti and Mr. Barr last year but recorded by all in 2022. It just went to the printer Wednesday, and the hope is to have some available at the band’s next few gigs.

Mr. Mollura hopes the music will serve as an “escape” for listeners, as that’s what it’s been for him and his bandmates.

“I grew up with some guys that were just natural musicians and came from musical families, and I thought I wouldn’t ever be able to do that. Decades went by, and I came into a lot of personal growth. I realized, ‘Hey, you don’t have to be the best.’ And that’s how we approach it — as music really just being an escape,” he said.

“When people come out, we want them to let their emotions out, whether they’ve had a bad week and just kind of want to scream and bang their head during a hard song or (if they) want to scream and celebrate and say they had a great week. That’s what we’re really there for, is to provide an outlet for people and for them to maybe articulate some emotions going on that they’re not able to articulate through other ways.”

While it’s not always easy to mainly play original songs in nightspots where patrons are accustomed to hearing tunes they know, Mr. Mollura said Great Big Liars has a way around that.

“The way we overcome that is to make sure the audience is really a part of things. And we do that by having really catchy musical hooks and guitar riffs and also choruses where people can sing along. We really work to engage the crowd right from the get-go. Stephen’s great at engaging the crowd and making them a part of the show,” he said.

Saturday’s Mispillion Fest will also feature the local Mad Dabbers Band, Dutchman and Erase Me. The music goes from 7-10 p.m.

Kevin DiCostanzo, entertainment and concessions director of Mispillion River Brewing, said he’s looking forward to Saturday night.

“Mispillion Fest is the brainchild of Mike Perfetti, John Mollura and the other guys from Great Big Liars. On April 1, Great Big Liars and The Mad Dabbers had played here initially, and the turnout and reception were absolutely outstanding. Seeing the success of that night was a catalyst, I’m sure, for the idea of Mispillion Fest,” he said.

Rehoboth Beach food truck Grandpa Mac will also be on hand and SoDel Roller Derby will hold a rock-paper-scissors tournament in between sets.

And, oh yeah, about that band name.

“The name is actually from the first song on our EP called ‘Complicated Existence.’ A lot of our lyrics deal with some of the struggles that people have faced in their lives, and one of the big ones is people not being honest with themselves and being a great big liar to themselves,” Mr. Mollura said.

“And that’s where the name came from. And the good news of that is that, once you admit that you’re lying to yourself, then you can actually see where those blind spots are in your life and bring some truth into your life.”

Mispillion River Brewing is at 255 Mullet St., Milford. Great Big Liars can be seen and heard on its Facebook page.

Ladybug in Wilmington

A music festival of a different sort is today in Wilmington.

The Ladybug Music Festival returns to Market Street with over 40 artists from all over the country celebrating women in music.

Started in 2012, the festival features an all-female-led lineup of artists taking over two blocks of LOMA. In addition, Ladybug will feature a variety of vendors, food trucks and libations. Admission is free, and it is a rain-or-shine event.

Businesses on the 200 block of Market Street are throwing open their doors to host a variety of talent, including headliner Sweet Lizzy Project. Other artists on the bill include The Upstarters, The Infamous HER, Laura Cheadle, Sug Daniels and more.

Founder Gayle Dillman is excited about the diversity in this year’s lineup.

“We try to hit on as many genres of music as we can. And I think we pretty much touch on everything,” she said. “In addition to rock, we have alternative indie groups, some hip hop, folk and country, as well as singer-songwriters and jazz. A little bit of everything.”

The Ladybug Music Festival takes place on the 200 and 300 blocks of Market Street, with an additional stage at Humble Park at Fourth and Shipley. Music begins at 5 p.m.

If you miss it, don’t worry: Ladybug returns to Milford on July 30.

For information, visit here.

Battle of the Bands

On Sunday from 1-6 p.m., the Dover American Legion, at 835 S. Bay Road, will host a Battle of the Bands concert.

The event is open to all and will help the legion update its HVAC system. Tickets are available at the facility and at the door for $10.

Bands include The Jim Cochran Band, Bad Alibi and CHAiNBREAk.

Food and beverages will be available for purchase, but no outside food will be permitted. There will be raffles, 50/50s, a cake wheel and other goodies.

For information, contact Larry at 302-387-3384.

‘Sally Cotter’

The Second Street Players present “Sally Cotter and the Quest We Follow” this weekend.

In the show, Sally has just bought a copy of the final book in her favorite series of novels. But if she finishes reading it, will the magic be over? As she sleeps on it, Sally drifts off to dreamland and the Frogbull Academy of Sorcery from the last book.

Directed by Michael Forrest, Deanna Forrest and Guy Crawford, Sally — with the help of Professor Albatross Underdrawers and his pals, Dave and Harmonica — look to uncover the secret of the MacGuffix and face the evil Lord Murderdeath in a final showdown.

All performances will be at the Riverfront Theater, 2 S. Walnut St., Milford.

Shows today and Saturday begin at 7 p.m., and Sunday’s begins at 2 p.m. Tonight’s performance is pay what you can. Saturday and Sunday ticket prices are $5 for children and $10 for adults. All tickets are sold at the door.

For information, visit here.

Chapel Street Junction

On Saturday, Delaware Friends of Folk will present its monthly coffeehouse concert in its new venue — the Dover Art League, 21 W. Loockerman St., beginning at 7:30 p.m.

This month’s show features the eclectic Newark-based band Chapel Street Junction, a five-person group with guitar, banjo, upright bass, mandolin, fiddle and harmonica. Though rooted in bluegrass, the band has many traditional country and Irish songs, as well as ragtime and cover tunes.

Opening the evening will be local duo, Rick and Tom. Rick Hudson and Tom Hench are singer-songwriters living in the Dover area. Their songs reflect life “below the canal.” Combining a mix of folk, Americana, blues and “back porch” music, they are storytellers who sing of the experiences of everyday life: from pets to greenhead flies, to driving in lower slower Delaware, to state history and even horseshoe crabs.

Admission is $7 for members of Delaware Friends of Folk and $10 for nonmembers. Teens are half-price, and those 12 and under are admitted free. Coffee, cookies and other snacks will be available. Full COVID-19 vaccination is recommended, and masks are optional.

Now showing

New in theaters this weekend is “Downton Abbey: A New Era” and the horror film, “Men.”