Phabies is a five piece indie / alternative band from Grand Rapids, Michigan fronted by Laura Hobson, who writes the music. Playing nearly 100 shows since 2022, Phabies can flex to a duo or solo act depending on the needs of the tour or venue. Phabies has released 2 full-length albums, “Fire Seed” (2022) and “The Curse Of Caring” (2025).
PHABIES Performing ~ full band
“weightless pop-rock, with sunny guitar lines... spritely vocals, and a warm-breeze chorus”
PHABIES Performing ~ duo / Solo
"crystalline folk... warm and plaintive, meditating on the intransience of life"
Phabies is a name that leaves you no idea what to expect. Sounds kinda punk. Then the needle drops on their full length debut, "Fire Seed," and the sky around you explodes with technicolor visions of wildly growing vegetation and emotional kaleidoscope Rorschach tests. Laura Hobson leads this Grand Rapids quintet with a high winsome voice and a strong hand on the creative rudder, spinning an aesthetic that owes as much to Celine Dion as it does modern alternative rock. In short, this music has to be experienced, as an inoculation against cynicism, and a celebration of the fever dream of life.
-Chad Wedeven, Earthwork Harvest Gathering
MUSIC VIDEOS
UPCOMING Shows
WYCE JAMMIES @ The Intersection - Grand Rapids, MI - 2/20/26
supporting Twen @ Bell’s Eccentric Cafe - Kalamazoo, MI - 3/26/26
Stoopfest - Lansing, MI - 5/8-9/26
Notable PAST SHOWS
supporting Michigander @ The Intersection - Grand Rapids, MI - 12/6/25
supporting Over The Rhine @ Covenant Fine Arts Center - Grand Rapids, MI - 9/19/25
supporting The Crane Wives @ Thalia Hall - Chicago, IL - 6/29/24
supporting The Crane Wives @ HI-FI Annex - Indianapolis, IN - 6/15/24
supporting The Crane Wives @ Lincoln Hall - Chicago, IL - 7/13/23
supporting Semler @ East Church - Grand Rapids, MI - 11/11/22
supporting Bad Bad Hats @ Covenant Fine Arts Center - Grand Rapids, MI - 9/27/22
supporting Loving @ The Underground - Detroit, MI - 4/29/22
Created by multi-disciplinary artist Laura Hobson, Phabies is a universe within her imagination. Their lyric-focused music is a blend of 60's-era folk and genre-blending pop, alternative, and indie. “Phabies has carved out a unique, artistic and entertaining niche in West Michigan, releasing EPs and singles over the past few years, with their full-length debut album, ‘Fire Seed’” released in 2022 (John Sinkevics, Local Spins). Laura’s voice, "both lyrical and literal, is the shining star of Phabies’ sky of sounds, celestial yet terrestrial, rising from the earth and the core of her being so beautifully" (Eric Mitts, Revue Mag).
Their album "Fire Seed" was awarded Critics Choice Album of the Year at the 2023 WYCE Jammies. Their music video for "Pink Christmas Tree" won Video of the Year, Best Alternative Video, & Best Cinematography at the 2024 Michigan Music Video Awards. In 2025 they released their sophomore album “The Curse Of Caring”, charting on the NACC Radio 200 Chart throughout the summer.
