ORANGE LINE
Members: | Danny Mireles – Guitar | Niche Opas – Bass, Backing Vox | Nathan Opas – Keys/Synth | Jorge Gasca – Drums | JD Kostyk – Lead Guitar/Vox |
TONY JAMES SHEVLIN
“Affable and unpretentious” would sum up Tony James Shevlin perfectly, yet this UK-based Anglo-Irish musician has a musical pedigree that would have gone to a lesser man’s head. It’s not often you’ll have a solo guitarist playing a small venue who can introduce his next song and casually mention “this was the International Anthem of Peace chosen by Amnesty International” or “I wrote this one for REM”. However, as he starts to play, the tune and lyrics have that rare quality of true originality and you wonder why you’ve never heard of this singer-songwriter before. Tony’s been a professional musician for most of his adult life, and has performed around the world, from Europe to Russia, Africa, America, the Middle East, Australia… in fact it would be quicker for him to tell you where he hasn’t been. In between songs he’ll tell you of times spent in a cell with Shane McGowan singing in his ear or some of his many other tales from a life spent in music.
JAMES ADAMS
From Crown Point Indiana just outside of Chicago,Illinois Sing songs of life, blue collar living, love, heartbreak, Americana folky acoustic punk, Sometimes solo sometimes backed up by Colonal Buster
TRAVIS NEWTON
DUSTY RUST
Dusty Rust is a solo musician/recording artist from Kansas City, MO.
MARK VERBECK
Tater Tot is the guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for acoustic country/blues band Scotch Hollow. He has been cut directly from the spud of the roots music scene and brings a fingerpicking sliding finesse that could raise Robert Johnson from his grave and convince the Devil himself to sell his soul for a lesson or two. No ketchup is needed for what he’s frying up, just that smooth natural flavor from his guitar straight to your ears.
THE ELIXIRS
We’re a power trio with Guitar, Stand Up Bass, Drums, and Vocals… doing our own style of “CowPunkPsychobilly”. The Elixirs are quickly gaining a big following for our high energy live shows. Don’t expect to hear many covers, The Elixirs write and perform their own brand of original American music. We are based out of Gas City Indiana, Region 3, and the birthplace of “cool,” if that means anything to ya. We’ve been known to play birthday bashes, backyard BBQ’s, dirty ole dive bars, biker wedding parties, charity events, you name it.
THE LOVELESS
Charcoal mellowed cacophony aged in the desolate catacombs of rock n’ roll… Made with highest quality calamity, atomic age radiation, top-shelf booze and creepy-crawl antics blended together creating the finest 101 proof, maniac approved, hellraisin’ music…
SCREENS
Screens is a band from West Seattle featuring veterans of the Seattle, Bay Area and L.A. music scenes. Screens plays Crystal Skully music; synth heavy, bass driven, trip-pop anthems. Like a John Hughes movie on acid. Like The Journey of Natty Gann. On acid. Integrating visual elements into every live performance, Screens ushers the audience into their pixelated outer space fantasy game. Mapping a musical odyssey in the days of the pre-singularity for your listening pleasure.
Screens is :
Carlos Tulloss (guitar, bass), Allison Tulloss (vocals, synth, flute) and Doug Port (drums, vocals)
SUNSHINE ROOT
Sunshine Root was born in Chicago, Il. His whole life he has moved from place to place. He Went to High School in Colorado at Boulder High School, than transferred to September School. His whole life he has been around music, getting his first guitar when he was 6 years old. He has always loved the Grateful dead and Everything they stand for. The grateful dead and their music have changed his life forever more. Always searching for the simpler things in life through love and music. When he turned 21 he started really pursuing his music, and now plays all over Illinois, Colorado, and many other states. “Life is not about what you do but how you do it. stay beautiful world”
SCOTT ELLISON BAND
Scott Ellison is a Tulsa born Blues artist, with hints of Rock ‘n’ Roll and Soul wrapped into a contemporary shell. Scott has been credited many times on silver screen and on stage with blues legends such as B.B. King and Bobby “Blue” Bland.
PSYCHO SISTER
Psycho Sister is a hard driving original rock band from Chicago
LIL HERB
From Chicago’s Eastside “Terror Town” neighborhood, Lil’ Herb has emerged as the most poignant artist of his generation. Finally some who can authentically and artistically articulate what the youth are going through in Chicago. Just turning 18, Herb is the future and the present.
MACE HATHAWAY
Mace Hathaway is a singer/songwriter from the heart of the mid west, & he can really tell a story. Driven by his soulful voice, the energy in his delivery and clever lyrics have been known to consume the listener. Mace is What some might call a prolific writer, with over 200 songs to his credit.
Giving accolades to some of his major influences, Robert Hunter,Peter Rowan, Paul Simon & Joni Mitchell, he strides to turn each song into a new journey for the listener. Mace is also a member of the band Dirty River Ramblers, an up and coming Jamgrass band from Omaha Ne. Please also visit their band page -The Dirty River Ramblers- Dirty River Ramblers | Bluegrass from Omaha, NE
HERO JR.
When most rock bands depend on technology and gimmicks to sound fiercer than they really are Hero Jr. plugs in and pushes the ‘record’ button. Loud. 100% Live. Doesn’t sound like it was recorded in a living room. www.herojrmusic.com
TURNER FAMILY REUNION BAND
Ma and Pa Kettle would be proud!
THE KENNEDY VEIL
In 2009 the world bore witness to a whole new brutality, sure to brace the metal scene for years to come. Ascending from the depths of the Northern California Valley, The Kennedy Veil unleashed upon the scene their own fanatical perspective of American Death Metal.
The Kennedy Veil started as a quartet composed of Casey Childers (ex-Forktung), Gabe Seeber (Alterbeast, Decrepit Birth, ex-Wretched Dawn), Cody Walker(ex-Skribble) and Shawn Peterson. The ensemble recorded their first album “The Sentence of Their Conqueror” with engineer Josh Williams at Metal Works studios and released a compilation of 8 visceral tracks which quickly grabbed the attention of the west coast. With the release of this album, The Kennedy Veil played shows relentlessly with legendary acts such as Cephalic Carnage, Exhumed, Cattle Decapitation, Macabre, Decrepit Birth, Origin, Divine Heresy and Abysmal Dawn.
In 2011, The Kennedy Veil came in contact with Unique Leader Records and was added to their devastating roster of modern death metal acts for a multi-album deal. With the departure of their vocalist Cody Walker, The Kennedy Veil auditioned dozens of vocalists and stumbled across local front man Taylor Wientjes. With his diverse vocal range and will to decimate the masses, the covenant was sealed.
In 2012, the band went to work on writing the follow up to “The Sentence of Their Conqueror” and prepared 11 dynamic and hostile tracks which would come together to form as the “Trinity of Falsehood” – a doctrine that will enslave the ears of the lawless and govern the damned into a frenzy of panic. “Trinity of Falsehood” is set to be released worldwide on January 21st 2014.
OVID’S WITHERING
Ovid’s Withering is a musical unit that has been refined into its own identity through seasons of staying on their own two feet, and never settling for less than their best. With a grounded ethic that always has kept them at the most interpersonal level with their lively and interactive fanbase, they crafted a brand that keeps listeners involved in their universe even between musical releases. There’s always activity behind the curtains of the Ovid’s Withering camp, but the curtains are transparent enough for the faithful followers to never feel forgotten in the midst of the toiling songcraft.
With a tight, intense live show, and a focus on clever songwriting over easily-forgotten showboating, they have won over many an audience. With increasing widespread interest and hype for their debut full-length “Scryers of the Ibis”, they can effortlessly prove themselves to be an engaging and entertaining musical force on both live and recorded platforms of delivery.
While others dream, Ovid’s Withering forges grandiose visions into tangible art. 2013 saw them move forward on a larger scale than ever before, and the lasting journey will be a regrettable one to ignore.
MARSHALL CRENSHAW “SELF TITLED”
Marshall Crenshaw is the debut studio album by American musician Marshall Crenshaw. It features his breakthrough hit, “Someday, Someway”
THE KNACK “GET THE KNACK”
Get the Knack is the debut album by the Knack, released in June 1979. At the time, the album was one of the most successful debuts in history, selling over one million copies in less than two months and spending five weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart. The lead single from the album, “My Sharona”, was number one on the BillboardHot 100 for six weeks and number one on Billboard’s Top Pop Singles of 1979 year end chart. The follow-up single, “Good Girls Don’t,” followed “My Sharona” to #1 on the Canadian Singles Chart, and reached #11 in the U.S.
THE YOUNG REVELATORS
The band is made up of brothers Alejandro and Frank Martinez and Ben Michalski. We don’t pride ourselves on technicality or complexity, we just make the music we want to hear. Released our self titled EP on New Years Day 2015.
SOL SHINE
Sometimes we play Rockband.
WRIST
Wrist is a metal band from Champaign IL.
DISENTOMB
2009: Formed, released two track 2009 Promo.
2010: Released debut album Sunken Chambers of Nephilim through Amputated Vein Records. Supported Napalm Death and Dying Fetus. Toured Australia
2011: Played Switzerland’s Mountains of Death w/ To Violently Vomit, Defeated Sanity, Putridity, Wormed, Decapitated. Toured United Kingdom w/ Cerebral Bore.
2012: Released 2012 Promo. Toured Australia w/ Cannibal Corpse. Toured Australia w/ Bastardfest/Psycroptic/Bloodduster. Bassist Tom departs.
2013: Jim joins the band on bass.
Released two track 2009 promo.
2014: Release second full length album ‘Misery’
Played Indonesia’s largest metal festival, HAMMERSONIC, alongside Morbid Angel, Kreator, Hatebreed
FATHER
American producer, recording artist and founder of Atlanta independent label Awful Records.
HEX BOMBS
THE HEX BOMBS sound is a unique brand of proletariat punk with a classic punk rock-revival attitude. Never tiring of powerful hooks and anthemic sing-along choruses, these raucous gents sing about the reality of life from the perspective of hard working folks. The songs are progressive and honest with the intensity of a maelstrom. Formed in 2006, the band is known for their high energy live shows and crowd participation.
DOG COMPANY
Dog Company was formed in early 2004 with an obvious bone to pick with the status quo… Whether it be the business as usual politics of D.C., or the ever increasing mediocrity of punk rock. Ex-Staggers front man Joe and bassist Matt decided to return to their roots with the no flash, no gimmick, punchy style of punk rock that Dog Company does so well.
With the release of their first official album “Songs of Discontent” in 2008, Dog Company’s dissatisfaction with the present state of affairs is acutely displayed. With the average song coming in under two minutes and fifteen seconds, its clear that the motto of “rock ‘em in two minutes or don’t do it at all” is definitely at work.
Straight out of the gate Dog Co. not only decries against the attack on individuality and personal freedom (With songs like “Product and Demand” and “Content American”) but also sing of the unity and values they firmly believe in (with title song “Songs of Discontent”). Do not be mislead though, its not all business. With the sing along “Saturday”, Dog Co. shows they are capable of a good time.
Led by the commanding vocals of Joe Blow, and backed by the increased energy of additions Garrett, Shea, and Mick; Dog Company will grab your attention from the first note to the last. In addition to playing with punk legends such as Street Dogs, The Briefs, Lower Class Brats, Vice Squad, Agnostic Front, The Business & Subhumans.
KING CHIP
FLYING BALALAIKA BROTHERS
Psycho-Russian-Gypsy for the 21st Century!
BLAINE CARTWRIGHT
There are few bands that embody the phrase “sex, drugs & rock ‘n’ roll” as well as the Grammy Nominated American hard rock act Nashville Pussy. Blaine Cartwright is the Bon Scott of his generation with his ‘nursery rhymes for prisoners’ style of lyrics. Wife Ruyter Suys is the Angus Young of women. Together they create 100 proof No holds barred, no apology rock n roll. This shit ain’t for pussies
BIRDCLOUD
Birdcloud is Jasmin Kaset and Makenzie Green, a pair who met in a place called Murfreesboro and who, since 2009, have used things like booze and sacrilege to make very modern country music. The duo write songs about what Sarah Palin deemed “the real America,” that unsung republic of countrified interstices stretching from coast to coast between cities. Kaset and Green’s America is a nation of indulgent reprobates and boastful imbeciles, laughing maniacs and horny high school dropouts— the desperate, absurd place we all inhabit in one way or another. The band’s music is the ravenous id of today’s commercial country sound, and in place of the pandering and polished banality of Nashville’s Music Row is a savagely honest depiction of “real Americans,” where a teenage evangelical designates her vagina (alone among her orifices) to Christ; a Desert Storm veteran dispenses ancient wisdom while driving drunk and toppling birdbaths in the suburbs; a coked up blackout drunk on a spree fellates a rodeo clown and tells her friend’s children that Santa doesn’t exist. These characters are characters in both senses of the word: 1) eccentrics with notoriously outsized personalities, as well as 2) complexly three-dimensional literary creations. The complicated sensation of listening to Birdcloud’s music—the simultaneous urge to laugh, vomit, and maybe break down and cry a little at how familiar and sad and true it all is—has won the band fans across the lower 48, stupefying and sickening audiences in equal measure.
Boasting a strong YouTube presence, Birdcloud’s un-unseeable videos resonate beyond the continental U.S., with a slew of fan-versions of songs available online as well as an odd amount of unauthorized re-releases of official Birdcloud videos with Russian subtitles. Birdcloud’s third and darkest EP was released in spring of 2014, and their follow-up record will launch in the summer of 2015.
DJ CARRIE MONSTER
DJ CarrieMonster has been laying down spooky, toe tappin, rock n rock tracks at various spots in Chicago and the rest of the world since 1992.
After coming out of a hiatus, she’s more than ready to delight your dark hearts with her spin on music.
DJ CarrieMonster mainly focuses on Psychobilly, horror punk, punk and rock and roll she’s pulls songs from all genres that she loves.
She’s probably one of the best well rounded DJS you’ll ever have the pleasure of hearing. And she’s cute as hell )in a really macabre way of course)!
ELVIS HITLER
The band was active in the late Eighties and early Nineties, and has recently re-formed (2005). It consists of singer Jim Leedy (a.k.a. “Elvis Hitler”), guitarist John Defever, bassist Warren Defever, and drummer Damian Lang. Their irreverent mix of rockabilly and lowbrow humor led to them having a cult following in their day, though they never had commercial success. Their first album, Disgraceland, was initially released on Wang Head records in 1987 (WH004) and early copies came in a handmade sleeve formed from corrugated cardboard with a black-and-white sheet pasted to the front and back. The band managed to put out three CDs on Restless Records. They then disappeared from the public spotlight for the first time. Warren Defever would go on to front the dramatically-different sounding His Name Is Alive, and work as a record producer for underground bands.
In 1998, however, Elvis Hitler reunited as a 3-piece band with former Mutants guitarist Pasadena now on bass and occasional guitar and his (at the time) 18-year-old son Jeff on drums, who would later go on to play with bands like One Hump Chump, Short Of 1st, The Weakend, and Deastro. This lineup continued to play until mid 2000. They once more reunited in 2003 at The Magic Stick club in Detroit with Warren Defever returning to the bass. They played one more concert at that club on September 4, 2004.
Their minor “hit” song “Green Haze” consisted of the lyrics from the successful TV-show Green Acres sung to the tune of Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze.”
SUPER FRESH BROS
SFB straight from chicago
5TH BANDITS
HOOD GEEKZ
REEM
MELO
GABRIEL ROYAL
NYLO
The snowy landscapes of Chicago converge and blossom into musical soundcapes in R&B singer/songwriter Nylo’s world. Ushering the downtempo movement among artists like James Blake, The Weeknd, and London Grammar, the production is soulfully sparse and emotive while Nylo’s confessions and stories delicately flow throughout.
In a somewhat distruptive childooh, Nylo struggled to find normalcy anywhere outside of music. After attending ten schools, she finally dropped out at 16 for the studio life, honing her skills as a producer and songwriter at any studio that would have her.
Her first self-released 5-song EP ‘Memories Speak’ has no low points, and washes over you in a way that draws comparisons to the late Aaliyah. From ‘Memories Speak’ to, ‘Indigo Summer’ Nylo has been making waves and even garnering high profile fans and shout-outs from artist such as rappers Nas and Mac Miller.
The second release of the Indigo project, “Indigo Rose” is set to unveil this winter to a much anticipated release.
JOSH SALLEE
SLOW SEASON
“Slow Season possess that raw, hard rock sound that is firmly rooted in the blues..”
MONDO DRAG
Mondo Drag will knock your socks off, let your hair down and take you on a mind’s eye exploration you won’t soon forget. Though they exude love for the spiraling tapestry of heavy psychedelia of the past, they are on a rock and roll mission all their own: an unearthed prog band, futuristic in their time capsule, rocketing forward through the depths, gathering the sounds of space itself.
ELECTRIC CITIZEN
Electric Citizen is a Cincinnati-based rock band known for their fuzzed-out riffs, haunting melodies, and electrifying live shows. Since forming in 2012, they’ve carved out a distinct sound, blending vintage psychedelia with heavy rock ‘n’ roll. With three acclaimed albums under their belt, they’ve toured extensively, sharing stages with acts like The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Pentagram, and Fu Manchu.
Seven years after their last release (Helltown, 2018), Electric Citizen returns with their fourth album, EC4—a powerful statement of renewal and raw energy. The album was meticulously crafted over several years and recorded with Mike Montgomery and John Hoffman at Candyland Studio in Dayton, KY. The album was mixed by Collin Dupuis (Lana Del Rey, The Black Keys) in Detroit and mastered by JJ Golden at Golden Mastering in California. The album art was created by Neil Krug (Lana Del Rey, Tame Impala, Weyes Blood), who the band worked with for their first album, Sateen. Now signed to Heavy Psych Sounds, the band is ready to unleash their most potent work yet—a fusion of hypnotic grooves, searing guitars, and Laura Dolan’s spellbinding vocals. EC4 is both a homecoming and a rebirth. Electric Citizen is back!
Band members list:
Ross Dolan — Guitar
Laura Dolan — Vocals
Nick Vogelpohl — Bass Guitar
Nate Wagner — Drums
Owen Lee — Keyboard
PARALLEL MIND
Throughout their career, Parallel Mind has continually impressed listeners with their technical prowess, sophisticated compositions, and high quality live performances. The group began in the fall of ‘99 with the meeting of drummer Joe Babiak and keyboardist Nibandh Nadkarni. The two shared a similar musical vision, and despite numerous changes in personnel/instrumentation over the years, Joe and Nibandh have always remained the group’s backbone.
In 2001, Parallel Mind released their first EP and performed many shows in Wisconsin and the Chicagoland area. In 2005, Parallel Mind released their first full-length instrumental album ‘Colossus ADEA’ and was signed by the Canadian record label Unicorn Digital. ‘Colossus ADEA’ featured various guest musicians while drums, bass, and keyboards remained the core instrumentation.
In 2014, after an extensive hiatus, Parallel Mind reassembled utilizing the talents of former members and continued writing. With the return of guitarist Aaron Harris, Parallel Mind expanded its songwriting capabilities and sonic palette. In August of 2015, Parallel Mind released their second full-length album titled ‘Connections.’ ‘Connections’ represents a decades worth of musical ideas finally brought to fruition and reflects the many parallels between band members, both past and present.
BARRIER
David Libert – Vocals
Sam Bottner – Guitar
Alex Marcelletti – Drums
Jett Lucas – Bass
Sam Bottner – Guitar
Alex Marcelletti – Drums
Jett Lucas – Bass
BLACK FRIARS SOCIAL CLUB
Mark Panick isn’t a man of narrow vision. And his Black Friars Social Club project is just one example. He also front the rock juggenaut known as Razorhouse. He writes with his dark roots rock roots planted firmly, but don’t be fooled: he may be a composer entranced by the darkness of the human condition, but he isn’t one to be pigeonholed. He’s a lover of campy art flicks as much as he is the visceral source of your next trip. His recordings are rife with unabashed sexuality, gutter-punk abandon and tasty grooves. Every Panick song is a standalone odyssey—proof that he isn’t defined by structure but by the inner workings of his madcap mind. He marches to the beat of his own drum, wails on it with a sledgehammer and isn’t afraid to bring you along into the swirling chaos.
RUBEDO
Rubedo is the physical manifestation of sound streaming from the psyche of its members. This is the alchemy of transgressive synth rock.
It started with the band meeting Isaiah “Ikey” Owens, the keyboardist of The Mars Volta, who has gone on to become a friend, mentor and collaborator with the band as well as producing Rubedo’s first album, Massa Confusa, and its latest opus, Love Is the Answer. Owens was like the god Janus that opened some doors for and within the band, challenging it to step up and not merely be a local phenomenon.
Through the DIY space Unit E, Rubedo had the chance in 2012 to curate the Blacktop Music Festival and shutting down a couple of streets in downtown Denver–something that rarely happens for much of anything beyond the occasional parade or visits from heads of state. In 2013, Rubedo was also asked to perform at Denver International Airport for a month, several hours a day. Experimental rock bands don’t get asked to do things like that but that’s the story of Rubedo.
Its music is out of left field but incredibly accessible. It has a core of improvisation built into the sound, the performances and the songwriting but never feels self-indulgent. There is something inviting about the band’s music even in its most fiery moments like you’re sharing the same dream, the same feelings without being subsumed by anyone else’s vision.
Love Is the Answer may sound like a hippie platitude but with Rubedo it is a simple formula for salving the ails of the modern psyche without telling you how that has to look, the form it has to take and without suggesting a timeframe. Rather, it is a fundamental statement of everyday spiritual solidarity with the struggles of being alive and a subtle but powerful act of kindness given from that tranquil place in all of us we must cultivate in these troubled times.
-Tom Murphy
SROS LORDS
In the darkness and depravity that festers in the crumbling corners of a city that has seen better days, the SROS Lords rose from the rubble and roaches to decimate the masses with their unique brand of slimernetic punk.
MYSTERY
‘The youngest Rock band to ever tour the world with three consecutive years of International tour dates!’MYSTERY was first formed in 2010 by a group of twelve and thirteen year old boys in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. The home of the legendary AC/DC.
The band originally formed in 2010 and did not know what to call the band for their very first show, so Rocky suggested Mystery. He suggested it simply because they were heading into the show with their name being a complete mystery even to themselves only a few weeks prior to show day.
After performing their first show as ‘Mystery’ and being that it was also a song by DIO, the band chose to keep the name MYSTERY as a tribute to the memory of the late Ronnie James Dio. Coincidently, the band’s first original song ‘Rock n’ Roll Forever Be’ was written and composed as a tribute to Dio.
Playing and performing like true professionals at such an early age, MYSTERY surprised their unsuspecting audiences who sang along to their set of originals and a number of classic Hard Rock / Heavy Metal anthems.There was no looking back and everything from that point would have to be nothing short of huge!
MYSTERY intend on making HISTORY! As it’s been said ‘the future of ROCK and HEAVY METAL is in good hands’!
The band since released their debut album titled ‘2013’ which was supported with World tours in 2012 and 2013. The band performed on main stages all over the World including Japan, The USA, Australia and Europe with bands such as MOTLEY CRUE, IRON MAIDEN, SWEET, EUROPE, MANOWAR, MOTORHEAD, MEGADETH and many more.MYSTERY has also played at many of the World’s greatest festivals like Ost Fest and they played twice at Topfest and Rocklahoma with GUNS N’ ROSES, KID ROCK, CHEAP TRICK, TWISTED SISTER, ALICE IN CHAINS, KORN and many more.
The band would eventually become to be known as the youngest Rock band to ever tour the world.
A follow up album was recorded in 2013 titled ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’ and scheduled for a 2014 release, which is also supported by their very own motion picture movie that features all of the songs from the album.
The movie ‘MYSTERY: BORN TO ROCK’ premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014 as part of the official line-up for Screen Australia and the Australian Government.2014 also marked the third consecutive year of International tour dates and the beginning of the recording of a third album which will be supported with major touring in 2015.
There is no stopping MYSTERY as the band continues to dominate the world stage!
DAVID LAFLAMME
David LaFlamme, born May 4, 1941 in New Britain, CT. was raised in Salt Lake City, UT. Beginning his musical education at age five, David grew up to be a soloist for the Utah Symphony. After serving in the army he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1962. There he became an icon in the underground scene performing with people like Jerry Garcia and Janis Joplin. After his short-lived Electric Chamber Orkustra, David co-founded an early incarnation of Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks before joining It’s a Beautiful Day in mid-1967. A self-titled debut LP was launched on Columbia in 1969, scoring their biggest hit “White Bird.” After several albums he left the group and released two albums on Amherst records. Today he and Linda live in California and continue to compose music and perform as their busy schedules permit.
PARASITES
It’s simple – Parasites are one of the longest running and most influential Pop Punk bands ever. They helped define the genre, and never changed their sound to fit the latest trend. They’ve released 8 albums, 20 singles, and have songs on more compilations than you can count. They’ve done 16 tours, and played nearly 1000 shows all over the US, Europe and Japan. Pop Punk bands from all over the US, Europe, and Japan have recorded covers of Parasites songs. Parasites have done a lot, however, here’s two things Parasites haven’t done: sell out, or give up.
THE MOPES
The Mopes got started when singer/guitarist Dan Vapid (Screeching Weasel, Riverdales) and bassist B-Face (Queers) wrote some silly songs together to pass time on the road. Little did they know that those songs were the makings of a band. But a few years later they recruited drummer Dan Lumley (Squirtgun, Screeching Weasel) and guitarist Jughead Pierson (Screeching Weasel). The quartet rendezvoused in Lafayette, Indiana in 1999 to record their first album, Accident Waiting to Happen, which features “Baby Doll.”
JOSE & ME
Founded in 2014, Jose & Me is a loud and raucous rock band from Chicago. This duo features Jose Bernal (Bionic Cavemen, Dead Feathers) on drums and Bob Dain (The Sweeps) on vocals and guitar. A five track debut EP will be available this summer.
THE LAKESHORE DOLLS
Darcie Bender-Hubber, Taylor Keenan & Molly LeCaptain are The Lakeshore Dolls, a Chicago-based group that sings music from the 1940’s through the decades.
REFLECTING POND
A band formed through the patience and love of music
YOUNG & DEAD
Noise for the end
BLUE OX
“Well, here’s some weirdness for you all. I have been using the “Handle” BlueOx/(BlueOxMN) where the other is already taken,) since about 1995 as a chat room name/online ID. Why? I am from Bemidji, I’m a big clumsy guy (ox), and Babe the Blue Ox is a statue of iconic presence in the center of my hometown. I also have bluish colored skin being a super pale Irish American type guy, and I am Gay and like men who look like Paul Bunyan, so the name is a great fit for me.
It seems that some time in the last few years a very hardcore metal band came along in MN and started calling themselves Blue Ox. That’s all fine, and I haven’t yet had any contact from them or issues regarding the name, so all is good. I think its a bit weird to name a furiously scorching metal band after a Big Sappy Blue Ox, I mean, look at the classic Disney Film some time and you’ll see Babe is a lover and all about nature, not exactly the Icon of CHAOS one would normally use to christen your blistering angst filled rock aka: Death Metal/Black Metal. Sure, Babe and Paul get into playful wrestling matches and smash entire areas of the North into different natural features now seen today. So I guess Babe could be seen as a Childlike manifestation of terrible natural forces, so in that context Babe is ‘sort of’ metal like.
I checked out their MySpace page, and they seem to be quite a good local band in this genre. They have HUGE numbers on their page for plays, so I’ll give ’em props and assume they must be pretty well liked. More power to them, but if they think I am going to stop being the person Blue OX because they called their band Blue Ox, they have another thing coming. I had the handle in active use when these guys were not yet old enough to drive, and it’s MINE!!! I will also state that I totally dislike the style of music they are into, but they are DAMN good at it. I play guitar and these guys scorch and howl like a Rhesus Monkey geeked on meth in a woodchipper. Their posted recordings are very well produced, it is really hard to be that loud and distorted, and to get it to come through as clearly in a recording as they did. I produce my own stuff which is certainly way milder by comparison, and I fully appreciate that their studio work is seriously good.
Rock on Blue Ox, but I’m keeping my handle.”
MARCUS NOGOOD
JINX THE NATURAL
MONSTER MIKE
KODIAK
Kodiak is a three man Indie Folk band from Chicago that believes music should have a strong emphasis on storytelling. After graduating from Columbia School of Music, Paul O’Grady and Christian Brown-Thomas pulled in Andrew Brown-Thomas and began performing in January of 2014. The trio takes pride in a communal song writing process and draws inspiration musically from bands such as Devotchka, Cloud Cult and Cake. Their songs capture three part harmonies over bouncy guitar rhythms, catchy mandolin riffs and soaring melodica accompaniment.
THE WAY DOWN WANDERERS
Equal parts fast-paced and soulful, 5 piece alternative folk band, The Way Down Wanderers from Chicago, IL, not only draw listeners in with their energy and originality but also captivate fans with their unique and touching story; Banjo player, Ben Montalbano and fiddle/mandolin player, Collin Krause, are half brothers who met each other for the first time 5 years ago. The two were shocked to find that not only were they both pursuing careers in music, but that they were each drawn to the same genres. In addition to their unexpected brotherly collaboration, the other band member’s dramatically diverse backgrounds in bluegrass, jazz, classical and rap music, blend together to form unique harmony vocals, soaring instrumentals, lively dynamics and standout melodies.
DIRTY STREETS
Scan the press on soul-groove outfit Dirty Streets and you’ll see numerous references to rock, soul, and dirty-blooze touchstones like the Faces, Humble Pie, Otis Redding, CCR, and more. Spin Dirty Streets’ records and you’ll hear all of those echoes, plus others—some jazz timing, some acoustic balladry. But by and large, what you’ll hear is a raw, rowdy blend of Motown, Stax, and rock—the pure American
blood-beat moving through the heart of Memphis groove.
Austin-born Justin Toland (guitar/vocals) found his own musical food early through his father, a classic-rock aficionado who turned Justin on to the Stones, Creedence, soul music and the Stax sound. At 17 Toland moved to Memphis and met Thomas Storz (bass), a native of the city, through mutual friends; the pair found common musical ground and began playing groove-grounded rock with a series of temporary
drummers. Andrew Denham (drums), a Shreveport-born drummer and British hard-rock fan, joined up with Storz and Toland in 2007.
The trio began demoing using a basic setup: a single cassette recorder, no tracks, no real separation, just mics on the bass/drums and guitar and vocals live in the room. Without the option to isolate, tweak, or sweeten after the fact, Dirty Streets became accustomed to running through a take 40 or 50 times asthey worked to get it right, all the way through.
By the time they began gigging live, that level of discipline had honed Dirty Streets into an instinctual, responsive outfit. Bootleg recordings of their shows in and around Memphis helped to generate buzz, and established Dirty Streets’ rep as a band whose timing was as sharp as their sound was ragged.
Albums followed—Portrait of a Man (2009), Movements (2011), Blades of Grass (2013), White Horse (2015), Distractions (2018), and the live Rough and Tumble (2020), drawn from an in-house performance for the DittyTV streaming music service—all steeped in the raw rock-soul groove that serves as the band’s taproot, the musical core from which all of its explorations still proceed. And within that core, too, is the element that gives their music, the music they love and play, its unique character.
“Soul and blues music is about testifying,” says Toland. “To me, that’s great songwriting. When it’s good, it’s good because it’s true, because it’s authentic.”
MOTHERSHIP
Supersonic intergalactic heavy rock trio Mothership based out of Dallas, Texas give a real sense of hope that all is well in the universe, and that pure honest rock and roll has once again returned to this planet on a mission to unite true believers. Consisting of brothers Kyle Juett on bass/lead vocals, Kelley Juett on guitar/vocals, and Judge Smith on drums, these guys have created a unique sound that satisfies like a steaming hot stew of UFO and Iron Maiden, blended with the southern swagger of Molly Hatchet and ZZ Top, paired with a deadly chalice of Black Sabbath. Mothership’s goal from the beginning has been to carry on the tradition of the classic rock style of the ’70′s, updated and amped up for the modern day. The band has been non-stop road warriors since the release of their debut album in February 2013 on Ripple Music successfully invading the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Europe playing either on festival stages, night clubs, or outdoors under the sun at motorcycle parties.
THE HIT N RUN BAND
Chicagos own rock and roll blues band
LIVING TERROR
Chicago-area metallers Phil Kurasz (of Lasting Vengeance), Andrew Whitfield (ex-Clad in Darkness, ex-Ghost of Mendea), Rob Whitworth (ex-Reprobation, ex-Blutige Nacht), and Josh Lloyd (ex-Deficit) formed Living Terror in late 2014 for one purpose: to carry the banner of true, old-school, aggressive metal throughout the Midwest.