2026 PorchFest Preview: Crash & Burn, Hogan's Alley, and FMC Brass

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By Marlena Ballinger / PHOTOS from Facebook

Crash & Burn, Hogan’s Alley, and FMC Brass will be among 30 bands performing at Bluffton's 2026 Play Music on the Porch Day festival on August 29. The event is part of a worldwide movement featuring music in neighborhood settings.

This is the third year for the event in Bluffton, also known locally as PorchFest. The schedule and map as of July 31 is attached above (CLICK to enlarge).

Crash & Burn
Making their public debut, Crash and Burn are excited to participate in this year’s PorchFest. The band is self-described as three friends, one band, and three midlife crises. A 25-year friendship between three men turned into a 90s/2000s rock alternative band. The trio has been playing together for two years. Scott, the guitarist and lead vocalist, has played in groups before in his hometown Huron, Ohio, but Paul, the drummer, and Brad, the bass player, have never played in a band.

“What started as just three friends getting together quickly turned into something we loved doing, and something we wanted to expand,” they said on Facebook.

“This is our first live show together, so let’s hope we don’t Crash and Burn,” the band continued.

Hogan’s Alley
Another band that’s been with Bluffton’s PorchFest since the beginning, Hogan’s Alley is a group of local guys who bonded over rock-and-roll music. Band members and Bluffton locals Jason Fritsch, Brett Prothro, Benjamin Bergstrand, and Bradley Bergstrand will play rock, country, and original songs at this year’s PorchFest. The group reportedly has over 30 years of cumulative experience playing music.

FMC Brass
Joining PorchFest for the second year in a row, FMC Brass Ensemble is a group of people from different walks of life, reviving or maintaining a love of music and brass horns. The group reports that they get together for the fun of it, and if an opportunity comes where they can share their talent with others who want to listen, then they love that too. The ensemble enjoys playing polkas and music of the immortal Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.

Read about other performers at PorchFest from previous stories in this series:

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