Death On Two Wheels makes rock ’n’ roll dangerous again, with slurry-blurry lyrics, half-cocked dreamspeak of portents and regret, and a formidable guitar attack that recalls the nasty duels Allen Collins waged with Gary Rossington before Skynyrd’s final plane ride. Following the same bumpy trail as Kings of Leon, this Atlanta foursome seems to be in pursuit of darker mysteries on the band’s self-released debut. And unlike the Kings, they have more range and a greater reverence for ’70s classic rock, not to mention the eccentric bite of vocalist Trae Vedder. Could he really have been christened with such a propitious rock name? No matter, he has the same grit and red clay in his voice that Chris Robinson had before he got famous and complacent—but there’s something even more disturbing in Vedder’s delivery that almost veers into goth. Especially on a song like “Bobby Havis,” which shudders with psychedelic anxiety. It’s a song so haunting it could’ve been penned in Rose Hill Cemetery next to Duane Allman’s headstone.
– Jaan Uhelszki, Paste Magazine
“Jack come back/bring back with you the America even outsiders loved/ the America of open highways/the America of boundless forests/the America of sunsets by the river-pier/ an America generous of spirit.” – Jack Kerouac, ‘Gentleness’
The American rock n’ roll of the ‘50s and ‘60s ran on raw, unfiltered emotion, and was driven by ardent soul. The muscle cars, steel mechanics, and never ending highways were the image, but the spirit was inherit in the far reaching melodies and layered vocals — the ideal at the heart of American Thunder, Harrison Hudson’s third full-length album. Behind the languishing spacious guitars and the overall smooth vibe there is Hudson himself, sharing the best moments of the American rock radio that lavished his childhood.
Formed in 2005 in Atlanta, GA Harrison Hudson began as a songwriter backed by a band. In 2006 his debut Angel On One Side…And the Other On The Other displayed a dark shade, a monument of Hudson’s life at the time, but by 2008 Harrison Hudson had become a full band, a trio that found a new home in Nashville, TN releasing the no-frills, full volume, Blood, Sweat, and Sweat. As soon as recording was finished Hudson began writing again, 70 songs that would be sliced down to an integral 12 of pop hooks and rock twist free of overbearing romantic gestures, the shape of American Thunder.
In one aspect American Thunder can construed as one love story, one that goes bad as the girl just must leave, but that’s a stretch as even the hyperbole romantic gestures of the more light-hearted songs (Bookstore Girl, Indie Rock N Roll Queen) can’t take the sarcastic cynical voice that lies in the punch line of other tracks (Stay, Fire and Fizzle Part Two). This voice is the grounding point of the album, the reality of relationships brought to the front.
“It’s the kind of thing where you see a beautiful girl and she’s definitely the answer,” Hudson describes the voice. “When she turns out to be just another human being like you, you resent her for it because she’s is not perfect like you expected–and no one is.”
To keep the spirit of the gritty early days of Rock N’ Roll without ending up with a throwback record the band entered a modern studio with Kevin Dailey and Micah Tawlks behind the boards. To jump into an old rock studio of AM radio glory in Nashville would have been easy, but the end album would have been a plastic design. The old idea lost in a chase to recreate.
American Thunder accomplishes the goal. The spirit of the old days of Rock N’ Roll radio have been captured and embraced, not re-manufactured.
The road is family—the disciplining father, the nurturing mother; exist as shadows at each stop to any band betrothed to relentless touring without a safety net. With miles behind and miles ahead, life in a van will change a band; and All Get Out are no exception. From the wasted days stranded, to the desolate moments of doubt, to the nights where immortality stretches through bended notes, two-hundred and fifty shows a year has shaped the band known for their attitude and angst on display through high woven volume into a refined framework fusing gambled moments and glossy catchiness.
“We sound like we’ve been on tour for three years. We’ve been smoking and driving, and we don’t smell too good,” Nathan Hussey, singer and guitarist, defining the coming of age sound on their full-length debut, The Season.
In 2007 the foursome from Charleston, SC found themselves with two EPs, stumbling into regular weekend tours of the South. Soon three days became a month and a month became six. A play-anywhere-for-anyone ethic kept All Get Out on tour for three years. A loyal fan base that has been equally enamored and entertained with their big ditch, bigger valley sound has grown with them, anticipating when the band would enter the studio again.
Acting as a centerpiece to an album with running themes, the title track for The Season puts all the moments that have shaped the members square into the light. “While touring is fun and a dream, there were times where all of us wanted a wall to punch and cry and wished we were home, or had a home.” Hussey explains. Writing in the moment, truly unfiltered, each verse displays specific moments of disarray the band found themselves in: broken friendships, fights, and empty wallets. In the end The Season is about moving past it all so you can keep on driving.
Just as All Get Out accidentally ended up spending the formidable part of their ‘20s counting mile markers, so did The Season unintentionally transform itself into a pop record when the band began tracking with producer Matt Malpass (Lydia, Copeland). Still visceral and soul-bearing as before, The Season stretches All Get Out into the frequencies beyond reactionary abrasions.
Rather than discard older material that dated back to 2007, when a much younger All Get Out wore relationship dirt all over each melody, the songs were kept for nostalgia, giving everyone a chance to hear how the band grew. Songs like My Friends, Son of Mine, Don’t Let Me Go and Girl Gun display an innocence, but the rest of the album shows a band aware that the horizon holds more than can be comprehended. Even Hussey has taken himself out as the protagonist of each song, changing his voice into a character that meanders in, saying “hello”, as the much bigger story unfolds.
“It’s a book on the history of our band,” Hussey says of album. “Now we start another Season.
Malt Liquor plays unstylish trash rock without regard to trends or excessive persperation. Founded in 2012, the group pounds out primitive, fuzzed-out anthems featuring the bashing and crashing of Jake Pope (ex-Swampass), the thudding bearded-ness of Cliff Strangler (Soy City Stranglers) and the speaker-wrecking chords/tongue out of cheek lyrics of Tommy Rue (ex- Swampass, Spankwagon). The hip shimmy/shake garage punk emenating from the band bucks against pretention and over-analysis. For Malt Liquor, music drives feet and hips. Rock and roll does not judge or analyze the group and they graciously return this favor. This mutual respect results in frenetic live shows around the greater Midwest and a sonority that challenges the limits of magnetic tape. Their debut 7 inch record will be available in August 2013 on Cavetone Records.
Jake Pope slips into a musical coma and weaves tribal beats and sweaty, tasteful fills into the mix on his drums that will make ya stand up, shake your ass and say “Whoooo!”
All this time, these three were playing in different projects and going to see and lose their minds to each others bands. Finally, one day it clicked and they jammed together. Nothing ever made more sense. Malt Liquor was born and it was home.
The boys just laid down 3 tracks on tape for upcoming 7″ releases on Cavetone Records and are planning to be back in the studio before year end to record their first full-length LP. Catch ’em on the road this summer in the Midwest and rock the fuck out!
So how does a kid from the Back of The Yards neighborhood in Chicago go on a television show, more so, a television show about cooking? It’s simple really, I have a huge passion for food, that’s it. Growing up I didn’t like school. That sounds funny from a person who worked so hard to get his education, but really I hated school. I hated listening to adults, I hated sitting still, I hated the whole idea of it. I didn’t like the confinement of the classroom. I have and always will be a person who stares. I would constantly stare out of our windows. I wanted to be out there with my hands in the dirt, creating something, feeling and almost fumbling my way through life. So what does that have to do with food? Well it’s easy, I used to skip school a lot. We aren’t talking about high school either. I mean I missed school a lot way back in fourth grade, fifth grade, and sixth grade. I would find any excuse to stay home. My stomach hurts, I have a headache, I can’t concentrate, my leprechaun died, our dog is missing, just anything to get out of school. I would miss school and watch WTTW. For those of you that grew up in Chicago in the 80’s you know about WTTW it is a Chicago public broadcast station. Funny thing about WTTW after the kids educational programming, but before the BBC news hour at 3:00 pm there were nothing but cooking shows. It was great. I would stay home watch Jeff Smith, Graham Kerr, Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Ming Tsai, Martin Yan and the like cook. I admired the way they moved I wanted to emulate what they were doing so I started cooking. Fast forward some years and here I am. Coming off of an amazing experience and hoping to share my feelings about food, my recipes, and my inner workings with our From Fire To Table family. You will hear me say we a lot, and I mean it.
CORMORANT
Cormorant is an American progressive metal band from San Francisco, California, formed in 2007. The group consists of bassist and vocalist Arthur von Nagel, guitarists Nick Cohon and Matt Solis, and drummer Brennan Kunkel. Since its inception, Cormorant has remained intentionally and notably independent, despite reportedly being offered a number of record deals. Cormorant has eluded a specific genre label by incorporating elements of many different styles of music. While somewhat rooted in black metal, the group has been known to incorporate jazz, progressive rock, death metal and folk elements to its music, among others.
The band released their sophomore full-length album Dwellings on December 6, 2011 to critical and universal praise from both critics and fans alike. Highly influential sites such as npr.com, yahoo.com and about.com all listed Dwellings in their end of year favorites list, with NPR citing it as the number one metal album of 2011. “Dwellings is, far and away, the best metal record of 2011: an emotionally and musically complex album which wrestles with our desperate and sometimes violent attempts to secure a place in history.”, says NPR’s Lars Gotrich.
While Heaven Wept is an epic doom metal band based in Dale City, Virginia, USA. The primary writer and overall engine of the band is main man Tom Phillips. Their melodic, classically influenced style could be compared to bands such as Solitude Aeturnus and Solstice (the latter of which Tom Phillips is a former member); however, 2003’s acclaimed Of Empires Forlorn saw the band branching out into a variety of metal and progressive styles. This trend continues on their 2009 album, Vast Oceans Lachrymose.
While Heaven Wept’s lyrics have traditionally dealt with sorrowful matters, namely, personal loss and despondency.
Primordial is a Pagan Folk Black Metal band founded in 1987 from County Dublin. They play a unique style of Pagan an History metal, which can best be described as a blend of black and folk metal with strong influences from their Irish roots. Their music and lyrics deal with cultural heritage, struggle, Celtic.
Primordial started out as a black metal band with some folk influences with their 1993 demo Dark Romanticism and 1995 debut album Imrama. With the 1998 album A Journey’s End, Primordial underwent a strong stylistic change and delivered an album that was more original, personal and darker than anything they had done before. The different musical influences become more intertwined than ever before.
Full time students at University of Iowa, and Northern Iowa, though always sidetracked by our music ambitions. We all reside from the small town of Clinton, Iowa. Currently we are working on demos, and picking up gigs. We are influenced by: Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes, The Black Keys, Surfer Blood, Tapes ‘n Tapes, and The Vaccines. We would consider ourselves Indie Rock with a touch of pop. Differenciating ourselves from other bands is important to us, but we still want to bring you that Rock n Roll feel that we all love (or once loved).
Filled with drunkenness, long nights and debauchery; Whitman’s Weekends is precisely reminiscent of what its title suggests, a whole lot of fun.
The 11-track record features topics ranging from weekend flings (“NW Thurman,”” Manchester by the Sea”), the struggles of touring(“Dead Dog Days”, “Light it Up”) and the joys of drinking and carousing with friends, both close and lost(“Barstools”, “Day Drink Pt. 1 & 2”). Just in case there was any question, Whitman proves they’ve done their rock n’ roll due diligence with influences ranging from The Replacements, Elvis Costello & the Attractions, Wilco and The Hold Steady. All the while, the album never loses touch with the band’s core aesthetic and keeps everything up-beat and energetic; while keeping the listener constantly engaged through singing along, keeping a cold beer in their hand and getting the odd desire to give out sweaty high-fives.
Weekends was recorded by Whitman, produced and mixed by David Dreesen, and Mastered by Bob Weston and was released on Sonora Records on April 17, 2012.
” Los is from Liberty Heights and Garrison in Baltimore, Maryland, a city known for hustlers who get it in the streets. The city has been well publicized on shows like “The Wire” and “The Corner”. Now Baltimore has another conduit to catapult the city to national visibility. The real name of Baltimore rapper Los is Carlos Coleman. LOS has been on his grind since 1999 and showed his hunger in the battles he dominated. He solidified himself in the streets and then signed with Da Bloc in 2001 which fueled his momentum and drastic increase in star power. Da Bloc proved to be the label that could propel LOS to the heights of star status. However, due to a tumultuous time, LOS had to put things on hold while Da Bloc took a hiatus to restructure the company. During that time, the company did not release music or host any events. However, in ‘07-‘08, with back to back mix cd releases, historic events, and endless performances, LOS and Da Bloc made more of an impact on the music industry than prior years!
HATTER’S RIDDLE
Hatter’s Riddle is a “Rock and Roll Mutt”. What started off as LNHRR 10 years ago it turned into a band called Decibel Hogg. Decibel Hogg quickly made it’s mark on the Chicago scene playing a lot of major venues and being branded Chicago’s BEST Original band by The Chicago Rocker Magazine. Decibel Hogg morphed into what is now Hatter’s Riddle. This band has found it’s line up, chemistry and muse. The band has come together and they are livin’ large, making the most of life, drinking beer and lovin’ whiskey. Hatter’s Riddle is well known for their tight rhythmic grooves and unique vocal stylings offering a new experimental twist on the rock genre as you know it. Live shows are energy packed aimed to stimulate the entire audio and visual experience. CARPE DIEM SUCKAZ!!
EVERYMEN
In 2009 the good Reverend Tymmi was introduced to Capt Bobo who was raising hell with Viva Le Vox in the closest part of the country you can get to hell, South Florida. The two quickly became close friends with many shared musical interests. Soon after they met, Capt Bobo departed from Viva Le Vox for reasons including hard drugs and self destruction on his part. After robbing the Reverend repeatedly Bobo decided to put down the needle life and the two held themselves up in a house with a yellow porch for over six days to write a song consisting of three chords. Unable to play guitar like the two had originally envisioned a bass was snuck out of a family members house which the Reverend began to slap away on keeping his “off time ways”. A neighbor of the yellow porch who was threatening the two’s lives daily, for making unlistenable noise finally gave up on getting them to keep quiet and instead embraced them joining on as the Jersey Devil. It was at this point another retired member of Viva Le Vox joined the newly forming band under the alias Jake De La Uke. The four piece decided on the name Everymen due to the suggestion by the Jersey Devil with its meaning coming from old folklore plays. The four piece stumbled around town playing to no one until Bobo was introduced by a mutal friend, Lady Misery, to a man who was traveling through from New York on his way to a better life after a skirmish with a shotgun. The Shot Gun Jew then picked up two broom sticks and a stolen snare drum and the original band was completed.
The deadly twosome consisting of Henry Berger from the band S.S. Web and Mason “Damn” Tinsley from Rickett Pass. Sing whiskey fueled song about all the obvious things wrong with the world, as well as all the irony. Henry come from the great state of Wi while Mason shoots over from the lovely town known as Detroit. We team up to play the songs from both of the bands last album a little slower and a little sexier. It might appear to be more comedy at times than just a concert but hell you came for a show!
Cokegoat was founded in Chicago during the summer of 2011. A tight knit group of six members feature three riff pregnant guitars that present a strong and progressive idea of what heavy music is. Combined with three very different voices, including a strong female presence, textural synths, dark bong rattling bass lines and adrenalized drums all define Cokegoat. With equal parts heavy, progressive, and beer, 2013 saw the release of the debut album “Vessel.” Invisible Oranges stated, “there is plenty to bang your head to, but the extra elements add texture and give the band an edge.” Open minds allow Cokegoat to push the boundaries of what is considered massive music as they re-enter the studio in early 2015.
Stacks hails from Chicago’s East Side and first hit the studio as a Sophomore in high school as part of a sociology project. While he fell in love with making music that day, it is no coincidence that he ended up in the music game. As a relative of Kilo & Wildstyle of Chicago’s breakthrough 90’s rap group Crucial Conflict and relative of Tone-Capone & G-no of Chi-townz Finest, Stacks says, “Music is in my blood. I work so hard on a consistent basis its becoming easy. I’ll outwork or go bar for bar with anybody.” Releasing his first mixtape, Sincerely Yours, in February 2012, Stacks has a big year ahead of him in 2012.
KOOL A.D. is an American syncretic multimedia artist whose primary medium is the music industry. His projects include BOY CRISIS, DAS RACIST, PARTY ANIMAL & KOOL A.D.
QUEER FEST AMERICA
QUEER FEST AMERICA TO BENEFIT HOMELESS LGBTQ YOUTH
Thursday, July 12, 2012 – Chicago,IL – Queer Fest America, will present a multimedia showcase to benefit El Rescate Independent Transitional Living for Homeless and HIV/AIDS Youth on Sunday, July 22, 2012 at Reggie’s Rock Club, 2105 S. State St., Chicago, Illinois, from 4pm until 9pm. Headlining via Skype are national LGBTQ musician/comedian Jonny McGovern and hip hop artists Elephant. Performing live will be New York City dance-pop artist, Matt Ryanz along with local entertainment. International LGBTQ activist also known as, Ziggy 2000, from Stardust * The David Bowie Tribute Band, Lair Scott, and comedian, Patty Vaccarella, will host and perform.
Chicago bands, When Flying Feels Like Falling, Spherical Banana will be featured along with Lars von Keitz and Julie Herrmann. Other acts include comedians, Thomas Bottoms, Patty Vaccarella, Marc Peurye, Kate Cullen and Darren Marshall.
“We’ll be projecting Jonny and Elephant’s videos on the big screen and then suddenly, they will appear live on Skype” says concert promoter, Lair Scott. “This is a new concept in live entertainment where the talent is able to interact with their fans on a personal level and also have live entertainment along with the event.”
Director for El Rescate, Lourdes Lugo, states “Our mission toward youth is from the streets to the future. We wish to thank Queer Fest America for bringing their poignant message through music and toward a crucial social service needed through-out our nation.” El Rescate opened their doors on March 8, 2012 and is the only shelter of its kind in the Midwest.
Jonny McGovern’s latest release, The Gayest of All Time, which has produced five new smash video hits including Texting on the Dance Floor, Dickmatized and Sexy Nerd now, has millions of viewers. McGovern has starred in The Big Gay Sketch Showon LOGO and his character, The Gay Pimp, was developed to empower LGBTQ kids.The Gayest of All Timeis available on ITunes and Amazon.com.
Elephant’s single, “Queer Nation”, has become the anthem, banned from MTV for its provocative lyrics, for activists around the globe. Their latest single, The Let Goand other tunes can be found on Itunes.
Cover charge is $20.00 and 21 and under (accompanied by an adult) is $10.00 at the door.
El Abuso is a heavy psych rock band from Austin TX, infusing elements of Blues and Latin music with distorted riffs and tribal drums. Lead singer and guitarist, Adrian Acosta has written,recorded and produced music with Novy Mir, Barin Darnew, Bens Jazz Kit, Black Gravity ,Nicole Halleen and has been on multiple tours around the U.S.
Little Barrie are a three-piece band from beeston, nottinghamshire in the uk. They have recently relocated to london. The band consists of Barrie Cadogan (guitar and vocals), Virgil Howe (drums) and Lewis Wharton (bass). Their music has been described as stripped-down soul-infused blues rock ‘n’ roll. They released their debut album We Are Little Barrie in February 2005 on which many of the vocals were provided by their now ex-drummer Wayne Fulwood. A follow up studio album, Stand Your Ground, was released in early 2007.
Painter, muralist, designer, documentarian, radio host, and musician, Pugs Atomz embodies the essence of a true renaissance figure in Hip Hop culture. His art and music have been featured in movies, sporting events, Tv shows, video games, and change in his community. He has casted a wide-reaching influence, venturing across the globe several times over, he paints, performs, and shares his insights with audiences worldwide.
Presently, he channels his creativity designing for his own label, USUWE 93, alongside collaborations with various brands. Engaged in public art initiatives with DCASE, the Englewood Arts Collective (which he is a co-founder), CPAG, and the Muralsrus crew nationwide, Pugs draws inspiration from his roots in Englewood, where the vibrant performances on the Green Line train and the captivating murals and graffiti art of his Chicago neighborhood ignited his passion.
In the essence of ‘Eric B. and Rakim’ and ‘Gang Starr.’ they define their style as classical hardcore Hip Hop. Mr. Green’s heart pounding beats blend perfectly with Pace’s gravelly yet smooth flow creating a flawless result. Within days of dropping their first single, they were already in the radio rotation of many profound DJ’s such as DJ Premier, DJ Eclipse and DJ Tony Touch.
Their song ’Children Sing’ is considered to be an underground smash. With a dynamic live show that involves both improvisation as well as crowd participation they are true performers. The debut album “The only color that matters is green” is available now.
EARTHEN is a Chicago based metal band which seeks to provide a range of listeners with quality music inspired by life experiences and the voice of nature which resonates within us all…
Earthen was born of “The Narthex Projeckt”, a creation brought into being in 2003 by Mike Le Gros. Originally a female fronted band, after experimenting with various different sounds and a plethora of members who came and went, Earthen has finally evolved into the sort of musical experience that it is today. With Mother Nature being the ever present driving force in all of our lives, she is often reflected in both the imagery and music that Earthen produces. Each member provides his or her own unique addition to the sound whether it be the soul-churning guitars, the storm of drums, the powerful emotion of the keyboards, the lilting accent of the flute, the thunder of bass or the haunting melody of the male vocals. Together they coalesce to form a voice that has been forgotten by humankind for far too long. You can hear us in the wolf’s mournful howl or in the night wind as it whispers through the ghostly trees. We are here to remind you of the fate that binds us all. We are Earthen.
Like the earth itself, this band was a natural evolution, an unforeseen sequence that brought it to what is known today both music and vision. From the years of its simple beginnings it was allowed to become what it became, a natural succession, an organic advancement that transcended the musical influences of all those who have contributed to create something greater than ourselves.
Origin to purpose, Earthen grew forth on the ideas in observance of the seasons change, the rise and fall of man, and finally, the reminder of the fate that binds us all. Each song then carried the haunting tones of nature and time, concepts of fragile years fueling the theme of how sacred both were.
“Nothing is certain except for present and uncertain change.” – EARTHEN
Houston’s Venomous Maximus gurgles with the sounds of proto-metal gods Pentagram and Blue Cheer as well as new-school leaders like High on Fire. The headspace of this band falls somewhere between a Alejandro Jodorowsky film and a New Orleans voodoo den. Hail Satan and pass the chicken feet.
JELLO BIAFRA AND THE GUANTANAMO SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Inspired by Iggy Pop’s 60Th birthday gig at the Warfield in San Francisco, Biafra laid plans for his own 50Th birthday party and finally decided it was time to start a band of his own. Ten years before he had been attempting the same thing with the likes of guitarist Ralph Spight (Victims Family,Freak Accident,Hellworms) and drummer Jon Weiss (Sharkbait,Horsey). They had also previously worked with basist Billy Gould (Faith No More) who was tapped for the new group. After cramming rehearsal for a month the four piece band known as Jello Biafra and the Axis Of Merry Evildoers took the stage in a sold-out two night stand at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall and subsequently spent the next 9 months in rehearsal for an album project. Before entering the studio, guitarist Kimo Ball (Freak Accident,Carneyball Johnson,Mol Triffid,Griddle) was recruited and the resulting twin guitar attack took the groups sound to new, noisier heights.
The quintet now known as Jello Biafra and The Guantanamo School of Medicine began recording tracks for the upcoming LP/CD entitled “The Audacity Of Hype”(Alternative Tentacles Records) slated for release in October 2009, produced by Biafra and engineered by Hip Hop legend and long time Jello co-conspirator Matt Kelley (Hieroglyphics,Tupac,Digital Underground,Victims Family) at Prairie Sun Recording in Cotati,CA and San Francisco’s Hyde Street Studios.
For the past five years, Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine have been ripping the faces off audiences throughout the Americas and Europe with a live show that gives a nod to the Dead Kennedy’s frontman’s past and updates his vision into the 21st century with a truckload of new material that leaves no question that this is not nostalgia.
Now, in 2013, Ralph Spight, Kimo Ball, Bass God Larry Boothroyd (Victims Family) and drummer Paul Della Pelle (Helios Creed, Nik Turner’s Space Ritual, and Philly HC legends Ruin) provide a hellacious backing track to Biafra’s more relevant than ever take on corruption, corporate McMedia making pop stars out of small-time crooks to shield the big ones, tabloid pop stars to lobotomize everyone else, our never-ending foreign-policy disasters, those lovely “End Times” believers, and much, much more.
Their fourth release and second full length, “White People and the Damage Done,” to be released in April 2013 on Alternative Tentacles, finally brings the road tested line-up to the studio with Biafra penning the ultimate treatise on the “Age of Austerity” and who’s really responsible for it.
In the twenty years that followed the demise of the Dead Kennedy’s, Biafra has devoted himself to activism,spoken word tours, collaborations with musicians as diverse as Mojo Nixon, No Means No, DOA, Reverend Horton Heat, Melvins, formed Lard with Ministry’s Al Jorgenson and many other musical projects, released more than 400 records (and counting!) on his Alternative Tentacles Records label, amassed the Library of Congress of Punk Rock and Exotica record collections, performed as a DJ, acted in several movies and ran for the Green Party nomination for President of the United States. Twice.
Truly an original, no matter your opinion of him and his work, no one can doubt his punk rock bona fides. If you’re at a punk show (or any kind of show for that matter) in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, he is there. In the front row. He’s a huge fan and supporter of all things punk.
Italy’s brutal/symphonic horde, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, have returned with their definitive epic masterpiece Agony. With only two releases under their belts, Oracles (2009) and the Mafia EP (2010), FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE have already become one of the most talked about bands in the underground. Their unique blend of technical death metal with a symphonic elements have quickly made them a favorite with fans and critics alike. Now, after a slew of successful tours in Europe and the US, the band have unleashed their defining moment in the form of Agony!
Awaken the Empire’s fusing of Alternative and Electronica quickly found them an audience in Los Angeles, where singer Damien Lawson founded the band in 2009. Known for their intense high-energy performances, the band’s contrasting sounds of Epic Alternative rock, with Infectious Electro-Dance is a beautifully chaotic blend of Artistic honesty and Rock Intensity.
Formed late August of 2008, My Ticket Home has become a strong staple in the Columbus music scene. Their first release of “Above The Great City” in 2009 fueled their rise to being the top unsigned band in central Ohio. They caught the attention of Rise Records, and in 2010 they released their EP The Opportunity To Be with the label. They released their debut album, To Create a Cure was released in 2012.
Singer/Guitarist · Nov 2006 to present a beautiful wizard rock band singing songs inpsired by and/or based on events in the Harry Potter novels, mostly from the perspective of Justin Finch-Fletchley, an underappreciated member of Dumbledore’s Army and a member of the down-trodden Hufflepuff House. My patronus is a slice of cheese pizza.
Junior Astronomers. A consistency in disorder breathes into existence a quintet bound to the loud and impulsive. Gritty and jangled on some occasions, then mangled and diverting in others. The only thing planned is the outburst itself. A hypnotic trance is created through guitars painted heavy and a rhythm section bound for movement, but beneath the distortions and muddled screams Junior Astronomers seek to achieve more than just reactions from onlookers; the band itself tries to document the human experience. “Music needs to sound like human beings, like it’s alive,” frontman Terrence Richard declares. “A lot of people want to make sad shit all the time–that’s one part of life but it’s not all life. There’s fun, there’s happiness, there’s sadness.” On stage the mess of humanity is embraced through a livid live show—devoid of controlled manipulation each night’s set stumbles onto new devices. Passion bleeds over lofty construction making sure the songs themselves are the frame. The rest is unhinged and never over thought. “If something is forced it feels like a job,” the band echoes. Continually on the move since forming in 2007, with only two EPs to their name, Junior Astronomers have toured and shared stages with the likes of Harvard, The Weeks, Dignan, Color Revolt, Des Ark, and Polvo. Poised to not take a break in the near future the North Carolina natives bring with them a promise, there is an elemental energy that lies in-between art and craft.
THE WEEKS
The Weeks are an indie rock band from Mississippi whose cathartic output of songs stems from the same root: their geography and disadvantaged youth. Beginning In March of 2006, The Weeks, ages ranging between 14 and 16 years, formed as a 5-piece band. In 2008 they signed with a local MS-based indie label Esperanza Plantation, releasing their first album, Comeback Cadillac followed with Rumspringa EP in 2009. The band ultimately became a tight 4 piece band with twins Cyle (vox) and Cain Barnes (drums), Sam Williams (Guitar) and Damien Bone (bass). Perhaps best described as “Delta Rats,” The Weeks have truth and soul in everything they do, and in the midst of their thrashing, thoughtful, manic pop thrills, they never lose sight of the songs. Cyle, as the band’s lyricist, writes about what he knows and is often autobiographical. Their music, arranged by Sam Williams, conveys the attitude and emotion that the band utilizes to punctuate their experiences, frame the impact of their surroundings and pointedly references their life in the South. This is equally true in their live show where attitude and amplitude are nuanced and ever present.
The Weeks recently signed to the KOL’s Serpents & Snakes imprint where they will release their first track on July 3rd, entitled “The House We Grew Up In,” to be followed by the anticipated EP, Gutter Gaunt Gangster on September 25th. A full-length album is scheduled for spring of 2013.
The Olivia Tremor Control originated in Louisiana around 1988 as the trio of W. Cullen Hart, Bill Doss, and Jeff Mangum. They ended up in Athens, Georgia around 1992 and recorded the “California Demise” EP which they released themselves on seven-inch vinyl. After a while Jeff Mangum left to focus on his band Neutral Milk Hotel, and another Louisiana native, John Fernandes joined the group to play bass, clarinet, and violin, and they recorded the prelude to their first album called “The Giant Day” EP. Soon the band convinced Eric Harris, who had played with Bill in Chocolate USA, to move to Athens to join the band as drummer, thereminist, electronics expert and recording engineer. In 1996, their debut double album “Music from the Unrealized Film Script, Dusk at Cubist Castle” was assembled, from years of 4-track tapes, in the Denver-based studio of childhood friend Robert Schneider. After it’s release, Peter Erchick, who had grown up with Eric in New Jersey, and also played in Chocolate USA, joined the group to play organ and piano. They then exhaustively toured North America, Europe and Japan opening for the Super Furry Animals, Beck, Stereolab, R.E.M. and Derek Bailey, as well as many tours with Elephant 6 comrades Neutral Milk Hotel, the Music Tapes, the Apples, Elf Power, etc. Following the tours for their 1999 album, “Black Foliage: Animation Music”, the band went on hiatus to focus on various projects. They did some reunion shows in 2005 starting with an invitation from the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival and ending with a joyful noise at the Orange Twin conservation community. 6 years on, they are back in action, working on new recordings and putting together a live show.
Pitchfork Review: Earlier this year, sample-abstractionist crooner and former Pearls and Brass drummer Daughn Gibson released his self-titled debut LP on White Denim, the label run by Pissed Jeans’ Matt Korvette. On June 5, Gibson will release a 7″ with these two new songs, “Lite Me Up” and “The Mark of a Man”, via Dull Knife.
We’re a bit different than your average electronic band. We happen to like using as many EDM genres as possible. Honestly, when was the last time a band played a House track live? Our point exactly. The project started earlier this year when Chris contacted Tandrea about starting a band different than anyone else out there. Ever since then, the band has been taking over. And we are JUST getting started.
Blue Dream is a rock & roll experiment from Chicago, Illinois; containing Danny Awisha on drums, Anthony Cook on guitar, Jimmy Russell on bass, & Justin Sanetra on guitar/vocals. Inspired by the elements of psychedelia, Blue Dream has been described as, “A calm euphoria wrapped in an energetic noise rock exterior, a feeling of intensity delivered in a laid back fashion” (Paste Magazine). In December 2017, the band released their first 7″ single thru Chicago label Treehouse Records. This was quickly followed by a vinyl release of their first album, Volume Won, by European label Kozmik Artifactz in January 2018. And in September of 2018 the band wrapped up the year by releasing their second album, Volume Blue. “Neo-Psych-Mit-Der-Funky-Grooves cut chic enough to be urbane but fuzzed out enough to make the freakouts more than just a come on. I’ll take the dream-tone shimmer any day in a kind of self-aware reflection of British folk, but the dense roll that immediately follows re-imagines grunge as more than just an influence from 3 popular bands and something that could genuinely move forward from the perspective of a new generation” (The Obelisk).
Combining the sound of Thin Lizzy, Hawkwind, and Lynyrd Skynyrd with – somehow – just a few average dudes out there to return music to the people that appreciate it, Gypsyhawk is a band’s band, a fan’s band…and a god damn rock band when rock and roll needs it most. In a time when music is shoveled down your throat, Gypsyhawk backs up the walk (and mabye a little swagger) with rock. The band’s first show in their hometown of Pasadena, Calif. yielded an enthusiastic and devoted crowd, showing the promise Gypsyhawk holds in the palm of their hands…well, as soon as this next solo is done. Then they’ll have a free hand…. Turn down the lights and turn up the tunes indeed.
Georgia born Ink & Jow puts the Soul in “Soul Music”. Bringing comparisons from Erykah Badu to Maroon 5, to Lauryn Hill & John Mayor Vintage Nation brings back that moment you first fell in love, with music. Ink, (Atia Boggs) from Columbus, Georgia & Jow, (Joseph Davis) from Brunswick, Georgia both believe that every song & performance should be a nothing short of a #RandomLovefest. Known for their great live show they’ve done concerts in front of thousands including Atlanta’s very own “Sweet Auburn Music Festival”, One Music Festival & Heritage Arts Festival. Most recently we completed our GA College Tour (Spelman, CAU, Morehouse, Ga Southern, Ga Tech, Ga State, & UGA). We’ve also performed in South Carolina & Chicago, IL turning everyday ppl into die hard Vintage Nation fans. Our lead single “Brokenhearted Hero” debuted #1 on Indiecharts.com. We’ve been featured on WSB-TV (Channel 2 News), “ATL Live”, “223 The Kickback” & “The VIP Hideaway” (Comcast Networks), & coming up on Oprah’s “Own” Network. Each show leaving new fans who can testify to Vintage Nation being the next great thing in music & in the world
Sterling Witt grew up on a farm in rural Missouri. At 15 Sterling was writing songs and playing guitar. “From the start I was obsessed with songwriting. I have this overwhelming urge to explore my abilities. Pushing myself to the edge is what it’s all about. I’m always looking for my breaking point to see how far I can go. Finding out where that is and figuring out how to go further. For me that’s what being an artist is. Exploring the unknown.”
“Simply Elton” is a tribute to the excitement, energy and magical costuming of the one and only Sir Elton John. Brian Harris brings a rocking and rolling, over-the-top piano style to the fore along with his Elton-styled vocals, channeling them into a performance that does justice to the rock & roll legend. Backing Simply Elton is the fabulous TCE Band, providing over-the-top rock & roll energy and excitement!
Between melodic synths, wailing guitars, bass trunking percussion and smooth but haunting vocals, Kid Sid manages to craft a sound that is refreshing and unexpected. With inspiration from ‘80s artists like Prince and Tears for Fears, and production value compared to those such as The Weeknd and Frank Ocean, it is unfair to label Kid Sid as just another R&B artist. Instead, Kid Sid’s social awareness and dramatic performance lend to a fusion of indie pop, rock, R&B, and electronica that is sonically simplistic and conceptually complex.
Ed Harris, also known as Edamame, is a Chicago-based DJ and music producer from Winfield, Illinois. In February of 2012 he released his full length album Greenhouse which features a wonderful blend of chillout glitch-hop and the great outdoors.
Spacepop Dreamgaze from New Zealand. Think Casio keyboards, washy guitars and atmospheric synths. The Blueness will be shoegazing across America to release their new album “Ravendah Dream”. Singer John White has played twice before in Chicago as a solo artist and is looking forward to pulling out the stops with his gaggle of blue beings.
The Steakouts are a horn driven ska punk band from Rochester, NY that are looking to make a name for themselves as a fun live band that has something for everyone. Starting in 2009, the Steakouts pull influences from a variety of genres including jazz, punk rock, rock steady, and all forms of ska to produce a fun and exciting brand of original music. The band releases a new EP each year and will be touring the summer of 2012 to promote the latest release “Gather Round For Some Culture.”
Lexington Field is an American Fiddle Rock band from San Diego, CA. Formed in 2009, they have played hundreds of shows and released a 5-song EP The Streets of Dover (2010) and an all-original, full-length album called Old Dirt Road (2011). Joining New Folk Records in October of 2011, Lexington Field has just released their new EP, Poor Troubled Life in March 2012. Lexington Field embraces the best of North American musical elements such as rock, punk, country, and folk and adds a fiddle, tunes of their Irish heritage, and influences from bands such as the Young Dubliners, Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, and Great Big Sea. They have combined this unique sound with a high-energy live show, to give their fans an amazing musical experience.
Dear Creek and the Barefoot Wanderers’ popularity is growing quickly. They are a folk/indie band influenced by blues, jazz and rock and fostered by the heart of the Appalachian music tradition. Their live shows are passionate, energetic, sincere and always a blast, complete with diverse instrumentation like a washboard, banjo, mandolin, melodica, the Appalachian dulcimer and three part harmonies. All members of the band are students at Shenandoah University, an established and growing music conservatory on the East Coast. They have received raving reviews from around the country.
The WhiteWall Gentlemen pride themselves in serotonin inducing music and raw, high-energy performances no matter the stage or venue. Initially formed with Eric Irvin, Nick Woodhouse, and Mackenzie Williams, the Gents began fusing their own influences into an eclectic blend of soul, southern rock, blues, and funk. When an opportunity to take over Nashville’s OceanWay studio for one day arose in the Spring of 2010, the Gentlemen sought to lay down the foundation for what may be a future musical faction. They quickly realized that their chemistry, passion, and love for sonic adventures had led them to build a house of feel good tunes. With the addition of Keith Perez’s pocket, thundering bass, the loose jams between friends suited up, shirt and tie, into the The WhiteWall Gentlemen’s sultry blues-rock lifestyle.
The idea that ‘rock is dead’ is almost as old as the genre itself. It might have been a disenchanted music critic who said that or maybe it’s a failing industry that lacks the vision needed to push the genre forward that’s to blame. However, rock music, good rock music, is most certainly alive and well. Opium Symphony counts themselves among a growing population of independent rock bands who are not afraid to employ a little production on their recordings, love big hooks and big drums and wear their “rock” like a gold sheriff’s badge on their chests. They have shared the stage with household names such as Gin Blossoms, Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction and Paul Crook (Anthrax, Meatloaf, Sebastian Bach).
Duwayne Burnside was born in the late sixties in Senatobia, Mississippi and grew up hearing his father, R.L. Burnside, and family, as well as neighbors play music; guitar driven Mississippi hill country blues. Along with his family and neighbors, the radio was another influence on Duwayne’s evolving style. He picked up the guitar before he was old enough to hold it himself. Growing up, he played guitar behind his father, but more so backing local club owner Junior Kimbrough and the Soul Blues Boys. And with Memphis, Tennessee being as close as it was, Duwayne began playing and sitting in with seasoned and well known musicians that frequented town, such as Little Jimmy King, Albert King, B.B. King, Bobby Blue Band, and others. Duwayne BurnsideDuwayne was also playing in R.L. Burnside’s family band Sound Machine Groove, which combined the hill country sound with the soul and R&B that was pouring out of Memphis at the time. Between the two styles and his growing experience, Duwayne became an outstanding rhythm player with the ability to blend with all styles of music and any musician. While playing rhythm Duwayne was also paying attention to all other parts being played, and stepped up to fit in anywhere he was needed whether it was drums, bass or guitar. Duwayne’s leads began to undeniably sound fused with Albert King and the heavy soul feel that came from earlier playing experiences. Duwayne recorded some with his father and the Sound Machine Groove on High Tone and Fat Possum Records before moving to Memphis and opening his own club, Burnside Kitchen and Grill near Highway 61. He booked the shows, cooked the food, sold the beer and played weekly. In 2001, Duwayne sat in with the North Mississippi All Stars for the first time in Birmingham, AL. It was the missing link of sorts. His rhythm and leads were so perfectly played and placed that on could have never known that was his first show with the band. From then on he toured 250 days a year with the band and recorded with the All Stars on their third record Polaris and was also featured on two E.P.’s. In the beginning of 2004, Duwayne felt the need to pull in the reins again and settle back in at home for awhile opening another club, Burnside Blues Cafe, and forming a new band with a few old friends. The result is a heavy continuation of hill country and soul blues fusion that makes you thankful this music is still being made. ..
“Roostersocks were Chicago’s premiere jazz B3 organ combo of the early 60’s, but as rock n roll caught on they found themselves with fewer gigs. Destitute, they hobbled to Guitar Center and purchased sheet music for the likes of the White Stripes, the Dead Kennedys, The Police, Foo Fighters, Boston, Nine Inch Nails and others. However they failed to listen to recordings of these artists….”
D. Bess is a one-man band who loops all his licks live. Born and raised on Oahu, the roots of his Hawaiian upbringing can be heard in his original mix of reggae, ska, blues, folk, hip-hop and dance funk. No pre-recordings, no laptops: just pure D. Funk, recorded and rocked live. Get you some.
“Bess dazzles as a one-man band, writing, playing and singing everything into an ambitious, genre-tripping groove-athon… a shape-shifting hybrid of dub, hip-hop, ska, reggae, funk and classic early ’70s soul.” – No Depression
“D. Bess (as he’’s known on stage) creates his unique tunes from the ground up as he builds the music on itself tier by tier using a stage’s worth of pedals and instruments. The labor-intensive results set an emotive backdrop for high times, low times and the unyielding roller coaster in between, creating positive pieces of poetry and winding loops for the listener to dissect.” – Flagstaff LIVE
Ed Anderson and Scott Tipping have been making music and mayhem together since the late ’90s, when they hosted an open mic featuring drunken jazz artists, angry poets and puppeteers. Ed moved on to found roots rock trio Backyard Tire Fire in 2001. Through the 2000s, the band toured relentlessly, recording 5 albums and 2 EPs. Scott went on to become a mainstay of the Chicago music scene, playing and touring with bands like Mighty Blue Kings, Peter Himmelman, The Steak House Mints and Dayna Malow. Their paths crossed again in 2008 when Ed asked Scott to join Backyard Tire Fire on tour to round out the band’s sound. BTF’s album Good To Be, produced by Steve Berlin, saw them touring the country, headlining shows and opening for the likes of Los Lobos, Buddy Guy, ZZ Top and Cracker. In back alleys, dank hotel rooms and a van that at least once tried to kill its masters, a new music partnership was formed, and when Backyard Tire Fire decided to take a break from touring, Scott and Ed chose to bring together some of their favorite Chicago musicians to work on new songs: Steve Gillis (drums), Scott Stevenson (keys and vocals) and Matt Thompson (bass). The new project features songs by both Ed and Scott, staying true to the rock-and-roll tradition of BTF while transitioning into a more dynamic, harmony-oriented sound.
Alex Robert Felten was born from the mud and the clay in the not-so-distant future province of Glen Ellyn, Illinois. The singer/songwriter grew out of the indie/ alt-rock outfit known as REPLICA REPUBLIC where he did wield a fire-red telecaster and contributed in the song writing process. As REPLICA REPUBLIC dissolved in 2010 Felten was forced to forge his own path. Today, with guitar in hand a head full of original tunes he is conquering the Mid-West one city at a time. Felten’s music is derived from americana, folk, country and blues, writing in the style of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Robert Earl Keen, Bruce Springsteen and Ryan Bingham. When absent from the stage Felten enjoys older women, imported cigarettes, aged whiskey and sleepwalking.
