Feel good folk band returns to Belly Up Aspen

Indie-folk group The 502s will bring their “Nonsense All Night Shows” to the stage at 8:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23, at Belly Up Aspen, following their debut performance at the venue last year. 

Dubbed “the happiest band on Earth” on social media, The 502s — whose name came from Founder and Frontman Eddie Isola’s childhood home in Orlando, Florida — are looking forward to bringing their good vibes to Aspen. 

“Hopefully it’s something that will lift your day up a bit and get your blood pumping,” Isola said.

The high-energy group have noticed that when they perform for audiences coming in from the cold, by the end of the night, beanies, scarves, and hoodies are off. 

“It’s a little cold out, so we tend to warm the place up. There’s a lot of jumping around and singing, and there are six of us on stage. It seems like the crowd is in the same energy, so we always joke that we see people come in sweatshirts and scarves and stuff, and by the sixth song, they are gone,” he said.

Band members include Isola, Matt Tonner (keys/guitar), Joe Capati (saxophone/trumpet), Sean Froehlich (drums), Nick Melashenko (bass), and Graci Philips. The band is working with Nashville-based producer Bobby Campbell.

“I’ve always been drawn to the more upbeat type songs. Growing up, my dad was always listening to Earth, Wind, and Fire, and I was always a big fan of ‘September.’ It’s songs like that, where it’s kind of upbeat with a good groove, that always piqued my ear,” Isola said. 

He added that being part of a happy family, even back to his grandparents’ generation, has helped shape his positive outlook.

The band has been described as “a blend of roots, rock, and bluegrass” and is noted for bringing together a varied mix of instruments, like a banjo, piano, and horns.

“People seem to sing along to most songs or most choruses, which is really, really awesome for us, but we also understand how unique that is,” he said.

The band’s song “Just a Little While” became a viral TikTok hit in 2021, reaching the top three in Spotify’s Viral 50 in 2022. In 2025, the band released their fourth studio album and debut release with Big Loud Records, “Easy Street,” featuring the infectious single “Summer Fling.”

Not all lyrics or songs have been a shoe-in for the album, though. One, called “Someday, I’ll Be Alright,” worked lyrically, Isola said, but was a challenge to put together musically. 

“I think once we hit upon the idea of the banjo as the lead-in to that song, everyone was like, ‘That’s it!’ Once we had that breakthrough, the song came together very quickly,” he said of the multi-day process.

Their popular song, “Your Nonsense Makes Sense,” was one of the last tracks on the album.

“Our saxophone player, Joe, has always been a huge fan of that song. I sent him a voice memo when it was written,” Isola said, adding that Joe replied, “‘This is awesome.’ When we were going through the process of figuring out what should be on the album, he was like, ‘This has to be on the album.’ He was a big supporter of that song from day one.”

The “Nonsense Makes Sense” name came from the band thinking nonsense makes sense, and that “it’s just a very 502-y phrase,” Isola said. “We thought, let’s do nonsense all night — that sounds fun.”

Looking ahead, one of the Isola’s dream opportunities would be for The 502s to perform at the longstanding The Avett Brothers New Year’s Eve Celebration in North Carolina.

“They are a big inspiration to me,” Isola said. “I always thought that would be such an awesome event to be part of.”

In the meantime, the band hailing from the Sunshine State will continue touring and writing more songs.

“I think a lot of the music is subconsciously influenced by all the time we spend in the sun … (it) has naturally seeped in,” Isola said. “I like to listen to music with the windows down, driving, and trying to write songs like that.”

Belly Up Aspen is located at 450 S. Galena St. While it’s an all ages show, those under 18 must be accompanied by a legal guardian. For more information and tickets, visit bellyupaspen.com/events/the-502s.