Heathen is an American thrash metal band originating from the San Francisco Bay Area, active from 1984 to 1993 and again from 2001 onwards. Despite never achieving commercial success, the band is often credited – alongside Exodus, Testament, Forbidden, Death Angel and Vio-Lence – as one of the leaders of the Bay Area thrash metal scene of the mid-to-late 1980s, and they have gone through several line-up changes, leaving guitarist Lee Altus as the only constant member. To date, Heathen has released three studio albums: Breaking the Silence (1987), Victims of Deception (1991) and The Evolution of Chaos (2009). The band is currently signed with Nuclear Blast Records and recently completed work on the follow up to The Evolution of Chaos.
The Detroit group The Hounds Below draw elements from their eclectic ’90s upbringing and old school love affair with 50’s rock n’ roll to arrive at a satisfying synthesis of rock and pop. Vocalist Jason Stollsteimer, bassist Jesse Shepherd-Bates, drummer Griffin Bastian and guitarist Skye Thrasher were born out of an assortment of bands from the suburbs of Detroit. The group got its touring start on the mid west bar circuit doing opening slot for bands like Airborne Toxic Event, BRMC, The Horrors, The Like, The Heavy and Fountains of Wayne. In the same year the band pressed 500 copies of a single on its own label, Intheact Records. The A-side was a Orbisonish ballad the other a Johnny Cash sounding burner hinting at their rock n’ roll tastes. Shortly after, they released an EP full of songs reminiscent of Modest Mouse, Jeff Buckley, The Smiths, Pixies and even Elvis. Since the release the band has been touring the US/Canada and are currently recording their first full length album before venturing to the UK/Euro in May 2012.
Mitch Mead’s songs are equal parts heartbreak and humor, misery and mirth, sci-fi and fantasy. And each one is roughly 25% alcohol by volume. This Michigan-born, Chicago-based singer/songwriter wields an energetic and highly literate brand of folk rock that is as much melancholy as it is euphoria. Call it what you will, this is folk music that refuses to sit down.
TADASHI
THE EARTH IS A MAN
GLORY SEASON
ROMANCING THE ANGELS
IGNITION
ABSTRACTION
CRUICKSHANK
THE ELEVATOR INCIDENT
PISS PISS PISS MOAN MOAN MOAN
LECHUGUILLAS
YELLOW THIEF
SNACKS
ANAL CUNT
EYE GOUGER
PAUCITIES
NOCTURNAL TORMENT
MORBID OBESITY
REAGAN YOUTH
REAGAN YOUTH, A BAND THAT STARTED BACK IN 1980 WHEN RONALD REAGAN WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT, THEY WANTED TO EXPOSE REAGAN AND HIS REPUBLICAN PARTY’S FASCIST TENDENCIES, THE EVILS OF SOCIETY AND EXPOSING THE HYPOCRISY OF THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT WITH MUSIC THAT ROCKED THE URGENCY OF THE MESSAGE. The band is playing again after reforming with a new solid line up consisting of original guitarist Paul Cripple, bassist Tibbie X, drummer Stig Whisper and the only vocalist who can deliver the words of truth and anarchy the way Dave Insurgent once did, Trey Oswald.
Bleed for the Fallen (BFTF) has been molded over nearly a decade of hard work, struggle, and perseverance. Comprised of members who all came from different musical backgrounds and tastes. They bring rock, punk, blues, and above all else metal.
Chicago born and raised, Phillip Morris has been described as “one of the ultimate word smiths of hip-hop”
The mixture of Phillip’s unique voice, complex rhyme schemes, anomalous subject matter, coherent freestyles, and comprehensibility has forced the underground hip-hop community to abruptly take notice. Along the way, he began collaborating with members of Chicago’s Tomorrow Music Orchestra. Bassist/Composer Matthew Golombisky, Drummer Quin Kirchner, Cellist Lilianna Zofia, and Violinis…
NY Waste- “a nod to the underground 60s rock steady beat”
Windy City Rock- “great for fans of rock and roll”
Babysue- “Cool heavy pop/rock”
The Diemakers are a dynamic power trio in the tradition of Cream that deliver gritty rock-n-roll with scalding guitar riffs and infectious melodies. The Diemakers’ first release, Assault All Your Senses, was recorded by the legendary sound engineer Jim Diamond of Ghetto Recorders studio in Detroit, Michigan. Bands such as The White Stripes, The Sights, and The Ponys have recorded with Diamond. For the past decade, Dominic Harris (guitarist/singer/songwriter) and Jay Harnish (bass) have been playing in bands that have rocked renowned stages throughout the Midwest. The trio is completed by their new drummer, Sharon Harris.
Alternative Groove Rock band from Chicago. Kaleidoscope blends many different styles to give you just what you want to hear.
KILLMEDIA
MIKE MAIMONE
Mutts frontman Mike Maimone “goes from zero to a hundred quicker than most,” according to Daytrotter. Choose Chicago says, “He plays the piano with his feet. He swills whiskey between songs. He shouts and howls. He is an unstoppable music force.” Vern Hester of the Windy City Times adds, “The man has the keyboard style of Fats Waller and Jerry Lee Lewis combined, and a vocal style that clearly recalls Tom Waits and Warren Zevon.”
Maimone has averaged over 100 tour dates each year since 2007, primarily with his band Mutts and as a solo artist, as well as on keyboards for Company of Thieves and Los Colognes. He has opened for Imagine Dragons, Weezer, OK Go, Blues Traveler, and The Hold Steady among others, played Lollapalooza, Sasquatch, Riot Fest, Last Call with Carson Daly, and at notable venues across the country, from The Fillmore in San Francisco, to Emo’s in Austin, to the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York.
Maimone released his solo debut LP Open Mic Nights, Empty Bottle Mornings in 2008. Going on to form Mutts with bassist Bob Buckstaff in 2009, Maimone has subsequently written and self-released 4 more albums and 4 EPs. In 2017 Mutts were named to WXRT’s Local Anesthetic Best-of list for the second time. The most recent LP from Mutts, Fuel Yer Delusion vol. 4, is their fourth consecutive album to chart on the CMJ Top 200. More Mutts music is on the way in 2018, as well as a follow-up solo release featuring his new brass band.
Mike Maimone endorses Lewitt microphones and Nord keyboards, performing at the latter’s NAMM exhibition in 2018.
