Fortunate Youth is a collaboration of South Bay Reggae stand-outs. Rising from various bands, they’ve created a phenomenal 7-piece masterpiece bringing more fire to the stage than ever before. Combining rootsy vibes and unique bass lines united with multiple harmonies, boisterous guitar solos, and heavy keys separates Fortunate Youth from every other mainstream Reggae band. With their high energy approach and positive stage presence they provide an unforgettable show to every music fan. Fortunate Youth’s objective is to ensure a performance that leaves you feeling euphoric and curious of what might happen at the next show.
In 2011 they supported Tribal Seeds on their nationwide Tribal Youth Tour to spread their conscious music to the nation. F.Y. linked up The Green, from Hawaii, for a Midwest/Westcoast run before jumping back in the studio to record. They have hit the masses promoting only their 6-song EP titled “Up-Lifted EP” and just released their full-length album, “IRIE STATE OF MIND” on July 1, 2011. Fortunate Youth will also be touring very heavily through 2011 including a Naitonwide CD Release Summer Tour.
Upon Releasing their full-length album they quickly rose to #2 on the iTunes Reggae Charts and also locked in a #13 position on Billboard Top 100 Reggae Albums. Receiving great praise for early success Fortunate Youth strives to spread their interpretation of Reggae music to Music Lovers worldwide.
They have had the honor to share the stage with bands such as Groundation, Toots & The Maytals, The Green, The Wailers, Katchafire, Tribal Seeds, The Expendables, Pepper, Dirty Heads, Natural Vibrations, Tomorrows Bad Seeds and Sashamon.
Chicago’s Eitarnora have been pouring out tiny pools of inspired, improvised Americana since 2009.
Made up of two outstanding young musicians, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Val Dorr and his companion, the classical guitar virtuoso Jon Rosenthal. Rosenthal’s playing is a evocative river of lyrical tranquility, moving constantly in the seemingly thoughtful phrases of a woebegone troubadour, while Dorr simultaneously pushes Rosenthal with a pulsing undercurrent of various instrumentation, while also following him in a gorgeously mournful falsetto lead vocal. Despite their current urban station, this duo seems to be staring intently out the window, painfully yearning for communion with the ancient expanse of our midwestern homeland as it speeds past us at 65mph. Not unlike a more centered take on the post-industrial animist folkways of the Jewelled Antler Collective, who created similar organic fantasy within the seething metropolis of San Francisco. Eitarnora have constructed their own transcendent mythology and musical pathworking which inspire both themselves and the listener along the crooked ways to ones own astral temple, where a certain natural harmony can be realized, no matter what your surroundings may be.
Simultaneously straddling the line between being completely nostalgic and futurist sounding, this product of a single wunderkind takes healthy obsessions with certain influences and filters them through a droning, gloomy spyglass that evokes only the most concrete blues (the emotion not the music) this side of the gray waters of the Atlantic.The live side of the Planning For Burial coin has a split personality where the audience is never sure what they are going to get; the loud version is a droning and noise-y wall of sound while the quiet version is soft and pretty. Both aspects though are exercises in wondrous depression.
Guitarist and composer Luke Polipnick is a modern guitar virtuoso Luke Polipnick is a modern guitar virtuoso and musical polyglot who is gaining a reputation as a fearless improviser and genre-bending composer. His playing encompasses the jazz, blues, and rock and roll traditions, and incorporates elements of Americana and world music with an experimental bent. “Luke Polipnick is one the finest new generation jazz musicians on the scene today. Hip and carryng the torch of tradition, Polipnick blends americana, jazz and contemporary improvisation into a seamless whole.” –Fareed Haque www.lukepolipnick.com
Winner of the 2011 Shure Montreux Jazz Voice competition and a semi-finalist at the 2010 Thelonius Monk International Jazz Voice competition, Sarah’s one of Chicago fastest rising stars. As a musician and singer-songwriter Sarah has made a name for herself in groups all over Chicago in jazz, R&B, funk, gospel, pop, and Brazilian music. Sarah’s band comprises some of Chicago’s premiere talents in Stu Mindeman, Patrick Mulcahy, and Makay McCraven. As Quincy Jones said of her Montreux-winning performance, “The girl can sing!”. www.sarahmarieyoung.com
Once upon a time, two of the classiest young gents from Chicago set out on a daring journey into the mystical land of electronic dance music. The fellows, while known separately as Tsunami & Bobby De Maria have over the years been hard at work, crusading across Chicago and many other neighboring kingdoms such as Miami, San Francisco, Milwaukee, Portland, Detroit, New Orleans, Indianapolis and Seattle. After having a slight drink from the goblet of success, these two young knights have now deemed it necessary to join forces and launch their biggest campaign on the EDM scene to date. Thus, The Kings Of Class are born.
The Kings Of Class have been working together in the electronic dance music scene under the individual aliases of Tsunami & Bobby De Maria for close to 5 years. During this time, they have shared the stage and toured with some of the genre’s biggest acts, co-founded Chicago and Portland based entertainment group “United2Nite”, created the international clothing and music tour brand “House Music Saved My Life” and have released original tracks and remixes on labels such as Hatrax Recordings, Movement Music, Murky Beatz Recordings & Sheeva Records. Keep a lookout for when the Kings Of Class invade your city soon!
Robots on the run was formed in 2010 with two Chicago based djs PDA and Daniel Jay. We have been working on many new records together and are ready to start releasing our music soon. We have been collaborating with many Producers and Singers from all over the country. You can catch some of our music that we give away from free on our sound cloud page. Many of our remixes and bootlegs have been rocking cities from Vegas to LA all the way to New York. They have also been featured in podcasts and been played on the radio all over the country.
“MIX.” A word Daniel Crespo has been familiar with since birth. Born to a Filipino father and Puerto Rican mother, Crespo was raised on the North Side of Chicago with the perfect blend of the Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Otis Redding, salsa and merengue. Upon moving to Miami in the late 90s, Crespo’s love for music grew as he was exposed to all new sounds, including Miami Bass, Reggae and Southern Hip Hop. Each summer, Crespo would return to Chicago, not only his birthplace, but the birthplace of house music, igniting his love for electronic music.
At the age of 23, Crespo has spun alongside some of the biggest names in the industry, including Diplo, Steve Aoki, Tiesto, Avicii and ?uestlove, with multiple performances as an opening act for Wiz Khalifa. He has rocked the mainstage at massive electronic music festivals such as Electric Daisy Carnival and DAYGLOW. His club resume runs deep in venues such as Mansion (Miami),Space (Miami), Wall (Miami), 1OAK (NY) and Aura (Bahamas).
Head deep into production & music composition, Crespo’s style aims to blend the lines between all genres,sending his audience on a journey through the music that has shaped him.
There used to be a time when rap music had b@!!$. A time when rap didn’t fear being politically incorrect; unafraid to challenge the status quo. A time before the glamour of Hollywood stifled the voice of a culture born from the injustice and social inequalities of American society. A time when the rapper took that voice from being the proverbial fallen tree with no one around to hear it, and shared that sound with the world. If the once unapologetically honest culture has lost its voice, then Avian Nalej is breaking the silence.
At just 24 years old, Avian Nalej (born Joshua Najee Muhammad) has the ability to bring balance with words of wisdom coupled with melodic pop & soulful music sensibilities. A native of Chicago, IL, Avian grew up on rhythm & blues and house music that played from the radio of his Mother’s car where he formed an interest in the songs of Michael Jackson and R. Kelly. His tastes in the soul of music grew as he listened to Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway, and Curtis Mayfield. In later years, he immersed himself in the world of rap, largely inspired by poetic rapper Nas and fellow Chicago-bred artists Common, Kanye West, & Lupe Fiasco in which traces of each can be found in Avian’s own music.
Avian likens himself to those he believes are ushering in a new bronze era of Hip Hop, such as Kendrick Lamar or Big K.R.I.T. Avian Nalej, who names mean “Higher Learning”, is bringing soul and social awareness that Chicago is known for from artists like Kanye West & Common, but also the political commentary and edge that came out of the east coast from Ice Cube and Public Enemy in the early 90’s.”
Rise of a Rebel is Avian Nalej’s first independent release, and his first attempt at the genre blending sound that he is progressively defining for himself. Released on November 6, 2012, the project is the lead in to three already self-produced releases to follow. His first single “The Shining” is a short, gritty introduction to the young rapper’s vivid world of self-proclaimed rebellion.
Natureal is a true American hip hop group who’s sound is fresh and ever-changing. The group consist’s of Jay Barz and Ignit Beatz, a blood cousin duo who’s sound was cultivated from streets of chicago. Natureal’s music has been released independantly and to date they have produced five projects including there most recent “Earth Tones”.This blend of hip hop and soulful tunes opened the door for the group and soon they getting radio play and shows around the city of Chicago. Barz and Ignit have made appearances in numerous forms of media, as well as in collaborations with other artists such as GLC, Jay Dilla, Tom Schraeder and His Ego, R. Kelly, Joe Blow The Sample King, 9th Wonder, Eloh Beatz, Sleepy will, and Charlie brown to say a few.
Natureal’s sound can best be described as versatle; while riding the line of hip hop they seem to blend with elements of rock, pop, alternative, electronic and a splash of soul. Priding themselves on breaking barriers, staying original and being true to their creativity, Natureal hey have been performing throughout Chicago and Los Angelas at such venues as: Lincoln Hall,The Double Door, Subteranean, Lilly’s, The ultra violet music festival,The Tour Defat, The Festival at Four Corners and Chicago’s Rib Fest and many more.
Natureal is currently recording their latest project entitled “Everything” which is a blend of futuristic hip hop, pop, Electronic and drum and bass. “Everything” also has “Alternative Rock” influences with collaboration from Tom Schraeder and His Ego.This project is on pace to be their best yet and is sure to brand their stamp of creative originality. In the words of Jay Barz himself “We’re here to share our unique sound and everchanging styles with the world, i just hope the worlds ready”.
Brickwall Vultures are from Chicago. They take pride in their work, their lives, and their country. Brickwall Vultures are putting forth all of their efforts to spread their hymns of shame, regret, hope, and debauchery. They pride themselves on writing music that the average man can relate to, and can find support in.
A manipulation of many genres with its core embedded in rock. You don’t know a band that sounds like them but you know many they remind you of. If one word explained their sound it would be “so intense.”
Felix Reyes is one of those rare people in this world with a natural gift for inspiring the next generation of musicians. He has always approached his music with the highest standard of excellence. His recent successes include penning the title track for Susan Tedeschi’s Grammy Nominated “Wait For Me” album.
He’s also shared the stage with B.B. King on five different occasions, as well assJimmie Vaughan,
Gregg Allman, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, ZuZu Bollin, Little Joe Blue, Sam Lay, Eddie Cleartwater, Susan Tedeschi and the list goes on. And, he was mentor to the late Sean Costello.
Bands he has either led or been a part of over his career include: The Weebads, The Joy Drops, The Maceos, Felix and The Cats, Lotssa Poppa and The Down To Earth Blues Band, the Grady “Fats” Jackson Band and The Sil Austin Band.
Felix has been playing guitar, singing and songwriting professionally for more than 30 years. He hails from Dallas, TX, and over the years has also lived and played in Atlanta and now in the Chicago area. In addition to playing with the band, he produces at his studio, the House of Tone, in Oak Park, IL.
Currently, Felix is with Dave Herrero & The Hero Brothers Band. He’s been collaborating with Dave for a long time. Their first record produced together was “Austin To Chicago” (2008), and they will be officially releasing a new album — Corazón — in 2012, after an exclusive kickoff tour of Europe.
Nikki Hill’s self-titled EP released in June of 2012 created a heavy and sudden international underground buzz that the band has traveled with from state to state and overseas. Those 4 tunes penned by Hill herself, proved that they have an energy that appeals to everyone who is ready to dance, drawing crowds from every avenue at their shows. One club advertisement will call Nikki “The Southern Fireball”, “the new soul sensation”, “amazing R&B shouter”, and even “the new Queen of Rock and Roll”. Moving into 2013 with more songs, more energy, and a desire to play their music for the world, the band is still gaining momentum and appear to have no plans of stopping, as they are continuing to tour all over the United States, Europe and Australia after Hill’s newest debut full length album Here’s Nikki Hill, released in April 2013, helps them spread their message of rock ‘n’ soul to believers and new converts everywhere!
If you haven’t heard of her yet, prepare for your ‘whiplash moment’—you have been warned.
Daniel Hutchens and Eric Carter met each other when they were eight years old. They solidified their early friendship based on a mutual love of baseball, comic books, and rock n roll music. They grew up in West Virginia; much time during their high school years was spent on Skull Run Road, where Eric’s family lived, a few miles outside Ravenswood. The boys recall that road as being the site of their first garage band practices.
After high school, they started getting a little more serious about their blossoming songwriting partnership. Their road wound through Huntington, WV, and eventually on to Athens, GA, which they soon came to call home. They continued to concentrate on their songwriting, and by the early ‘90s they had a catalogue of over 300 compositions. By this time Hutchens and Carter had given their musical collaboration a “band name”: Bloodkin.
People started to notice, and some even started covering some Bloodkin compositions, most notably Widespread Panic, who wound up recording three Bloodkin songs, and who continue to play those and other Bloodkin songs live. Panic’s cover of “Can’t Get High” peaked at #27 on the Billboard AOR charts. Other songs in Panic’s regular rotation are “Makes Sense To Me”, “Henry Parsons Died”, “End Of The Show”, “Who Do You Belong To”, and occasionally “Quarter Tank Of Gasoline”.
Daniel also wound up playing with ex-Velvet Underground member Moe Tucker in the early-to-mid ‘90s; he played on three of her albums and several of her tours.
In 1994 Bloodkin released their first official CD, GOOD LUCK CHARM. The project was produced by Johnny Sandlin (legendary producer of the Allman Brothers, Eddie Hinton, and so many others). Bloodkin recording projects over the years have also featured producers John Keane (R.E.M, Cowboy Junkies, etc.) and David Barbe (Son Volt, Drive By Truckers, etc.). All the while, the Bloodkin boys have continued to play live all over the Southeast and beyond.
The CD releases to date are:
GOOD LUCK CHARM, 1994
CREEPERWEED, 1996
OUT OF STATE PLATES, 1999
ALL DOLLED UP, 2000 (live)
THE BLOODKIN COMMUNITY GOSPEL REHAB, 2001
RAVIN’ BEAUTIES, 2002
LESSER, 2003 (Daniel Hutchens solo)
LAST NIGHT OUT, 2005
LOVESONGS FOR LOSERS, 2006 (Daniel Hutchens solo)
BABY, THEY TOLD US WE WOULD RISE AGAIN, 2009
ONE LONG HUSTLE (5 disc box set) 2012
Going To California is Greg Firak on guitar (Fifth World, Dirty MF and the Smokin’ Sextion, Mano) and Jimmy Cobb (The Snake Oil Salesmen) on vocals. Both are avid Led Zeppelin fans who decided to infiltrate open mics around Chicago and play strictly acoustic Zeppelin songs. The audiences were amazed at how well this duo performed. Firak and Cobb mimic the powerful yet delicate dynamics of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant and can recreate everyone’s favorite Zeppelin songs . The open mics proved to be successful and paid gigs followed, playing Reggie’s Music Joint opening for Mr. Blotto, Reggie’s Roof Top, and Sylvie’s. Going To California also performed these influential songs to a bunch of young aspiring rockers at CampJam 2012. You won’t believe your ears.
THE SUNDRESSES
Imagine what American rock and roll would sound like if the British Invasion never happened. Or, imagine what a punk rock band would sound like if it were 1933. That’s The Sundresses. They’ve taken Rock & Roll to the next level. That level is best described as: FUCK YES.
Lester Jenkins, musically known as Lester Jay, grew up in Bellwood, IL, a small suburb outside of Chicago. At the tender age of five, Lester Jay began singing at New Horizon Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, IL where his late father Lester Jenkins Sr. was pastor, and his mother was choir director. From this upbringing Jay’s passion for music was realized, and a star was born.
Gospel music consumed Lester Jay’s early musical interests until a pivotal moment in high school when a classmate introduced him to the art of secular music. In 2002 Jay began to take his musical career seriously and was introduced to small indie label ILL Entertainment in Melrose Park, IL.
“I was never really into the Chicago rap scene, so it was cool to be exposed to hardcore rap. ILL Ent wasn’t a major label, but they carried themselves like they were. When I first came to the label, the owner had an initiation process and I had to prove myself. He asked the producer to play a beat and I had to freestyle sing over it like a rapper. I did it, and I became part of the label.” -Lester Jay
Lester Jay’s melodic freestyle was so well received by the label that it earned placement on ILL Entertainment’s mixtape “Any Nigga Can Get It Volume One.” Once Jay was officially part of the label, music became his life. Initially, he and the label’s other songstress Ashley B recorded hooks for other artists and with each song recorded, Lester Jay’s passion for music grew deeper. He spent so many countless hours after school recording that he literally began waiting for the label’s in-house producer to finish tracks everyday. Lester Jay began discovering his “studio voice” and was ready record to his own project. In 2004 Jay released his first solo project entitled “The Motions,” however ILL Entertainment dissipated before it ever had its chance.
In 2005 Lester Jay began attending Columbia College Chicago and his journey continued. While at Columbia, Jay learned the fundamental principles of live music, being in a band, booking shows and live performances. Some of his most noteworthy performances occurred while he was in “The Down and Dirty Blues Band,” a student-band comprised of the best performers from a blues class Jay attended. Jay performed at a myriad of events and venues including Buddy Guy’s, Navy Pier, Chicago’s Blues Fest, and the Donald Lawrence showcase of the Arts 2007 but his personal favorites are more intimate venues where he can reach out and touch his audience.
“It’s a lot of shit I done been through/But all that I can do is continue.” – Wax, “Continue”
Continue… is more than just a name for the new album from L.A.-based emcee Wax. It’s a declaration — one that lets everybody know that after a few detours he is excited to move forward to the next phase of his career.
About those detours… After five years fronting and playing guitar for touring act MacGregor from 2000 to 2005, Wax and his twin brother, Herbal T, started posting videos to You Tube. Utilizing Wax’s humor, penchant for infectious hooks and skill at writing, rapping, producing and arranging, the videos made him a rising star on the site. The 30 million plus views on You Tube earned him the dream of every aspiring rapper, a contract with Def Jam in 2011.
It was the culmination of a decade’s worth of work, a decade that had earned him a solid reputation and a devoted fan base. “I feel like I’ve developed a friendship with my fans,” he says of his loyal followers who tune in regularly to hear his weekly podcast, where he opens up about himself about all subjects.
“I think people appreciate I let them in,” he says of why his admirers are so devoted.
It was a seemingly perfect scenario for both Wax and the label, he got to work with industry greats and be home to hip-hop royalty. They brought in an artist that had a built-in following of millions. Unfortunately the relationship didn’t work out.
“Generally as a person I used to be really happy, especially once I didn’t have to work a regular job and I could just do music and be creative,” he says. “Then you just get locked into this box, I started to get depressed and I didn’t really know why and then I started to realize what makes me happy is making the music. Not because it makes money and not because it makes me some kind of superstar, I just like doing it.”
Dropped by Def Jam, it turned out to be the best thing for the artist, who got to continue using the relationships he established there while making the album he wanted to make. With a mix of long-time friends like EOM and people he met through Def Jam like Supa Dups (Eminem), Wax has crafted an eclectic, impressive collection that displays his full range.
The Spanish-tinged viral smash “Rosana” is an engaging hybrid of pop and Mariachi, while the humorously venomous “She Used To Be Mine” features a fast-paced punkish energy. He goes the opposite route with the soulful rhythms of the slow jam “Stupified,” one of four tracks produced by Greg Wells.
Ironically, one of Def Jam’s concerns was the lack of a radio single. But Continue… is laced with them, starting with “Rosana,” whose video has drawn over four million views for its blend of humor, a catchy chorus and a gorgeous woman.
“I wouldn’t have put it on the album but I think just because of people that were attracted from that song we’re gonna put it on there,” he says of the song. “Rosana” is hardly the only radio ready joint on the album though. The exuberant dance energy of “Outta My Mind” screams to be blasted at full volume from headphones, car speakers and stores. Again showing his versatility though, Wax then goes for a down and dirty riff on the intro to the slightly bluesy “Get It In” and on the confessional “Tomorrow” he turns his past partying into a fun sing-along ditty.
The key to the song’s success is the way he can poke fun at himself. “I’ll probably end up living like Rick James in the ‘80s,” he sings at one point. And all of this partying happened. “I take stuff that really happened and I’ll exaggerate it for comic purposes, but it’s all based on stuff that really happened. Funny shit happens to me,” he says.
Wax draws heavily on his love of comedy. “I kind of write from the same way a comedian writes,” he says. “I’m definitely influenced by comedy, even more so now than I was when I was a kid. As far as old-school comedians probably my favorites are Eddie Murphy, I like Chris Rock, I really like Bill Burr, he’s kind of newer, but he’s one of my favorites now.”
There’s no question a great part of Wax’s internet appeal is his ability to infuse humor into everything he does. But this is no novelty act. A gifted musician who started playing guitar at age ten, he found the right people to bring out his musicality on Continue… Among those lending their talents to the album are EOM, Supa Dups (Eminem), King David and Greg Wells (Adele, Katy Perry, Ozzy Osbourne, Aerosmith). The multiple Grammy nominated Wells is one of the producers Wax met through Def Jam, for which Wax is very grateful to his former label.
“They introduced me to some very talented producers, people I wouldn’t have been able to work with without them,” he says. “I give Def Jam credit forever for introducing me to so many people.”
That’s particularly true of Wells, of whom Wax points out, “As far as I know he’s never made a song with any other rapper ever.” Working with the veteran producer Wax learned a great deal.
“When I first started working with Greg Wells me and my manager came to the studio as we always do and the first thing he did is like, ‘Yo, you can’t be here to my manager,’” Wax recalls. “The only people allowed in the room are him, people who are working on the song technically, his engineer obviously has got to be there. Greg is older than me and it comes from experience. One thing I learned from him is if there’s a way that you’re comfortable, fuck everybody else, get into that way.”
There are a lot of lessons that went into Continue… If it’s taken a year longer than expected to get here that’s alright, because Wax isn’t looking for a quick fix or to capitalize on a bit of momentum. As someone who’s wanted to make music since he saw MTV at the age of three, he’s looking at this as something he’ll be doing all his life.
“I don’t want to be somebody who just does one big thing and that’s it,” he says. “Longevity is important because I love what I do. And I will express myself honestly for as long as people will listen.” With Continue… Wax proves unquestionably he has the skills to be around for a very long time.
By infusing 1950’s-inspired rock n’ roll with an edgy, modern twist, Chicago-based foursome, Them Guilty Aces breaks down the barriers of tradition. Featuring stylized, rockabilly undertones and cool, melodic beats, TGA creates a dynamic sound and a unique showcase. With lively favorites, upbeat B-sides of the past, and powerful original tunes, TGA gets the crowd onto the dance floor every time.
Lead Vox/songwriter/guitar/washboard- James “Jim Dandy” Mangrum
Vox/songwriter/guitarist- Rickie Lee Reynolds
Vox/washboard- Sammy B. Seauphine
Lead Guitarist- Arthur Pearson
Drums- Johnnie Bolin
Bass- Micheal Walls
backup drums-Victor Lukenbaugh
Black Oak Arkansas is an American Southern rock band named after the band’s hometown of Black Oak, Arkansas. The band reached the height of its fame in the 1970s with ten charting albums released in that decade. Their style is punctuated by multiple guitar players and the raspy voice and on-stage antics of vocalist Jim “Dandy” Mangrum.
Larry McCray is one of a handful of talented young blues performers leading the genre across boundaries and into the new century. McCray’s savage blues-rock guitar and warm, soulful vocals have drawn attention worldwide. McCray’s hard work paid off when he became the first artist signed by Virgin Records’ blues division – Pointblank Records. In 1990, they released his debut, “Ambition,” which was well received by the U.S. and European press. 1993 saw the release of McCray’s second album, Delta Hurricane, which was recorded in Memphis with the notoriously funky Uptown Horns. The guitarist’s gut wrenching rendition of Warren Haynes’ power ballad, “Soul Shine,” opened many ears to McCray’s talent and diversity. In 1998, Born To Play The Blues moved the story of McCray’s broadly appealing music forward another giant step. Bold, brawny, often dazzling guitar lines are matched with confident, soul-drenched vocals. Understated funk rhythms and crunchy rock riffs meet searing slow blues and booty-bumping shuffles. The year 2000 found the guitarist co-establishing his own independent record company together with Koch, forming Magnolia Records. The release Believe It kicked it off, putting McCray on chart to continue to release albums on his own dime and time, without the business or rules of a pressing-type of label. McCray also sights a career highlight as being honored as the Orville Gibson 2000 Male Blues Guitarist of the Year. “Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, like seven or eight other people were nominated, as well” stated McCray. With Magnolia Records his new home and a young son to raise, McCray was able to pull back into his personal life for a while. McCray keeps busy on the road trying to find the time to write music.
“With a rich Cameroonian background and from on the Southside of Atlanta, emerged the amazing talent of Denzel “ForteBowie” Ayuk. Born in 1990, ForteBowie taught himself to master fruity loops on his laptop and the keys on a piano in his teen years. Then, after being a student of numerous genres, he began to embark on a journey as an artist. Influenced by the styles of artists such as Sade, Phil Collins, Sting, Outkast, and many others, Forte mixes all of his influences with his own flavor and curates works of art.
ForteBowie launched his own brand, 1990, in December 2011 as a way to honor his birth year and the amazing decade of the 90s. A multi-talented musician who can play numerous instruments and is an extraordinary songwriter/producer/vocalist/lyricist. With his talent and stage presence, Forte has been making gaining attention for cities all of the country including Nashville, New York City, and Austin, TX.
After releasing his first project on March 1, 2011, entitled UberEargasms: The Life & Times of David Ruffin Jr., Forte gained some attention from music fans online but not enough to capture the attention of the tastemakers and big media outlets.
By of July 2011, ForteBowie released his Something About #Bowie project through Refined Hype and attracted the likes of Dj Booth.net, The Smoking Section, Ashley Outrageous, The Fader Magazine, and many others. With undeniable records like Ratchet, Impala, and Decatur, the project landed a spot on Live Mixtapes in the Indy section, receiving high ratings from listeners. Something About #Bowie included notable underground artists such as, Aleon Craft, Stanza, and Dave Flyer.
ForteBowie and 1990 LLC are hard at work to bring the people brand new music to rock with in the forthcoming year. Be on the lookout for new projects, more shows and tour dates, and lots more.
Everything that glitters is NOT gold. But rap artist Trinidad James assures listeners that everything that IS GOLD…IS HIS. The Trinidad-bred, hip hop storyteller and “Gold Gang” godfather swiftly emerged from the mines of Underground Atlanta in 2012 with the straight-forward anthem “All Gold Everything.” The swaggering single immediately introduces James’ passion for loyalty, women, style, (his hate of wannabes), and of course GOLD.
South Atlanta’s Trinidad James, was born Nicholas Williams on September 24, 1987. Raised in a single-parent home, he refused to sacrifice his love for his mother or lust for material things; he juggled both legitimate and illegitimate ways of making a living to support both. On his introductory mixtape, Don’t Be S.A.F.E. (Sensitive As Fuck EveryDay), Trinidad James admits “the only souls [soles] I’ve ever loved were my Jordans and my mama.” Focusing his strong business hustle to the development of a popular men’s boutique in the heart of Atlanta, the youngster began making a name for himself before the age of 21.
James’ garb and jewelry are a bit larger-than-life, but his lyrical diary is far from exaggerated—flashing poetic license to mesh his psyche and life experiences to create a hard-hitting music catalog. Introducing innovative styles to the fashion and music industry, the independent trend-setter, Trinidad James, no doubt has the Midas touch.
Musician/Songwriter. Lead singer of Smoking Popes. Worship Leader at Village Church of Barrington IL.
The Hideout Sessions stands as a powerful and highly listenable document of Smoking Popes frontman Josh Caterer stretching out with a new band of accomplished players for a one-night-only, live-to-tape recording. The album is being released by Pravda Records on 12” vinyl LP in gatefold sleeve, CD, as digital download and via streaming platforms on March 26.
On October 28th, 2020, Caterer joined forces with John San Juan (Hushdrops) and John Perrin (NRBQ) to rock out 21st century versions of songs your grandparents used to dance to “back in the day.” They covered a few Popes songs, too. It was an inspired evening of music. The recording took place on stage at the Hideout, one of Chicago’s most beloved intimate music venues. Due to the pandemic, the Hideout’s doors had been closed to the public for several months, and the room had to be empty for this performance, save for the skeleton crew of sound engineers who captured the event. As Josh and his band recorded the album, the entire thing was live-streamed as a ticketed virtual concert.
The result was a high-quality rock show – raw, sweet, honest and cathartic. Harnessing the unique blend of punk energy and Sinatra-style sophistication that has made Caterer’s work with the Smoking Popes so enduring, The Hideout Sessions throws a surprising mix of musical ingredients into the power-pop blender, and what comes out is a truly satisfying and savory sonic experience.
Dan Vapid & the Cheats is an exciting new Chicago punk rock quartet, formed several months after The Methadones’ breakup and fronted by the legendary Dan Vapid of Screeching Weasel, Riverdales, Methadones, Sludgeworth, Noise By Numbers, Mopes and Queers fame. The lineup features Dan Vapid (vocals/guitar), Mike Byrne (ex-Methadones/guitar), Simon Lamb (ex-Screeching Weasel/bass) and Mike Soucy (The Bomb/ex-Methadones/drums). After friends and fans from all over the world urged Vapid, he took to the stage May 27th at Chicago’s Cobra Lounge, performing a variety of songs he wrote in the last 20 years. The crowd had an overwhelmingly positive reaction and Dan Vapid & the Cheats had a ton of fun playing the songs. and have since been planning more shows. Dan Vapid & the Cheats will be recording a full length record in October. The Cheats’ debut album is too fresh for a title, but will be available to the world in 2012. Stay tuned to Dan Vapid & the Cheats’ Facebook page for up-to-date info and while you’re there, become a fan if you haven’t already. You will not want to miss hearing the arsenal of defining anthems we all know and dearly love that only Dan Vapid can deliver, as well as what they have in store.
The Ataris are four friends creating words and music in the basements and dive bars of the world, while young souls pile into the microphone and spill beer into our effects pedals. Honest stories and organic sounds, chock full of heart, sincerity and beautiful mistakes. Played loud and recorded to analog tape.
Sixteen years of traveling the world, several broken down vans and five full length studio albums. The Ataris album “So Long, Astoria” included the tracks “In This Diary” and “The Saddest Song” and sold upwards of 850,000 copies earning the band it’s first gold record.
The Ataris’ singer/songwriter Kristopher Roe released his first full length solo acoustic album “Hang Your Head in Hope” in November 2011.
All songs were recorded in one take, no edits, no overdubs, using vintage 1940’s ribbon microphones and a 1948 Gibson J-45 guitar.
The album contains familiar tracks stripped down as well as a several brand new songs which will later appear on The Ataris forthcoming album “The Graveyard of the Atlantic” in actual full band arrangements.
Hailing from New York, New York, Neighborhood Kids is a band looking to push the boundaries of today’s pop, rock, and electronica. The band has performed alongside Paradise Fears, Conditions, Nathan Ryan + more. With incorporated vibes from alternative, pop and rock genres, they have found a unique sound that could just make them your next favorite band. Fronted by female vocalist Emily Herring and male guitarist/vocalist George Bosotina, they are unlike any other pop band you’ve ever heard. Their first single, “Heartbreakers” has a catchy beat provided by drummer, John Damiano, and bassist, Billy Houlihan; and a melody that will get you off your feet! Their first album Get Dumb is available anywhere music is sold online!
SCIENTIST — featuring Eric Plonka (EX founding member of yakuza) on guitar/vox with guitarist/vocalist Patrick Auclair, drummer Justin Cape , and bassist Mathew Milligan — draw heavily from the Windy City’s long-running tradition of experimental metal. The band members themselves describe their sound as “architectural metal.” Were listeners to ponder this description alongside the band’s sound, they would imagine twisted beams, exposed glass diagonals, and post-apocalyptic concrete blocks with a decaying skyline and crimson horizon in the distance. If SCIENTIST‘s sound is architectural, it is doubtless an experimental edifice. With their second full-length, 10100II00101, the adventurousness the band displayed on their debut album has now gone thoroughly and beautifully haywire adding guest vocalists to the mix venturing away from their mostly instrumental past. 10100II00101 will be released on CD and digitally via the band’s official BandCamp page and on double LP via Hell Comes Home Records at a later date.
The Blank Standard was formed in 2011, bringing together five individuals, dedicated to the cause of making BRUTAL BONE-CRUSHING METAL. Started by guitarists Kevin and Eric, the lineup was completed by Brandon (drums), Matt (bass), and Wade(vocals), each of whom bring their own style and influences to the band. The result is a sound that doesn’t adhere to any one particular genre or subgenre of metal, nor does it attempt to. It’s heavy and it fills body bags, and that’s all that matters. Come feel the power.
PAPER PLANE is melodic guitar work, expressive female vocals, and grohl-esque drums that culminate in a pop grunge exploration of the band’s various idols. The band is often found exploring dark, heavy, lyrical content through the most sincere of sideways smiles.
Anuheake’alaokalokelani Jenkins (Anuhea) was born in December 1985 on the island of Maui in Hawaii.
A self-taught guitarist and song writer, Anuhea began showcasing her talents while boarding at Hawaii’s famous Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu. “We would print out guitar chords to Bob Marley and Jack Johnson songs at school then skip water polo practice to go back to the dorms and jam them. Once I got the basic idea of guitar I then started writing my own songs.” Anuhea enjoyed the spotlight. She was the head anchor for the daily campus-wide news, hosted a variety of TV shows for local television stations, and acted in school musicals.
After attending film school in Orange County California for a year, Anuhea realized she wasn’t heading in the direction she was most passionate about, music. So she abandoned her scholarships and embarked on a soul-searching odyssey to Australia for 3 weeks. She returned to the islands and immediately got into the scene, performing at a local coffee shop. These gigs turned into paid restaurant gigs and she eventually put a band together using friends from around the island.
Anuhea descends from Hawaiian, Chinese, German and Welsh ethnic backgrounds. In 2006 she competed for a crown in the Miss Maui Scholarship Pageant, the preliminary to the Miss Hawaii and Miss America Pageants. Not the pageant-girl cliche by any means, Anuhea embraced the challenge of the pageant and performed an original song “I Just Want You Around” for the talent portion of the competition. She walked away with a trophy for Miss Congeniality and 2nd Runner Up. “I thrive off of challenges. I had hit a point where I was pretty stagnant, and I had some student loans I really wanted to pay off. Plus you see pageants on TV as a kid, and I just always wanted to try to be that girly girl for once in my life.”
Anuhea’s musical and performance skills continued to improved with every performance, and successes came steadily. She took the initiative to market herself as a musician initially acting as her own manager, booking agent, music producer and distributor. Anuhea even took recordings from a live taping for a public radio station and turned them into her first real demo CD “Rough Cuts” which through her myspace page got her discovered by manager / record label co-owner Warren Wyatt.
A naturally gifted songwriter, Anuhea’s word choices are a clever balance of emotions where each song tells a unique story, each story a lesson learned.”I’m influenced highly by R&B and Soul, Hip Hop and Funk, but my instrument is acoustic guitar. I tend to write most of my songs during the craziest parts of my life. I’ll write pages and pages in my notebook in no order then go back with my guitar in my hands and sing the words as lyrics to some chords. That’s how most songs start for me.” Anuhea wants to be a part of a new generation melding the melodic traditions of her island upbringing with modern beats and influences.
Music has been in Anuhea’s family for generations, so it was inevitable that her seeded passions would reflect the same. Anuhea’s father is from the North Shore of Oahu in the surfing culture of Haleiwa. His younger sister, Nalani is a founding member of the most popular female group in the history of Hawaiian Music, Na Leo Pilimehana. Anuhea’s mother, an Oregon native, comes from a musical family as well, her father is a popular country guitarist.
Anuhea has shared the stage with Bruno Mars, Babyface, Al Green, FloRida, Hoobastank and Pepper. She and her band have toured Japan and Guam with the Armed Forces Entertainment Tour for the troops and their families. She had official showcases at South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in Austin Texas in 2009 and 2010. Anuhea headlined the national 2010 Right Love Tour, and the 2010 Surf Roots Tour along with iTunes Best Reggae Album of the Year recipients, The Green.
In April 2010 Anuhea performed alongside Jack Johnson, Ziggy Marley & Taj Mahal at the sold out Kokua Festival at the Waikiki Shell. She went on to win 2 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards (Hawaii’s version of the Grammy’s) for Contemporary Album of the Year and Most Promising Artist. Anuhea continued recording hit radio singles and touring throughout 2010.
In 2011 Anuhea and band performed the Half-Time show at the NFL ProBowl at the Aloha Stadium. In March she went went on a trip to New Zealand as part of the Mana Maoli Collective. Mana Maoli is a non profit organization that brings funds and awareness for Hawaiian charter schools in Hawaii, the Mana Music program, and the Kane Hunamoku voyaging canoe program. The Collective is an all-star band featuring a artists and musicians from Hawaii’s top acts. The lineup included artists like John Cruz, members of Natural Vibrations, Kapena DeLima of the legendary Kapena, percussionist Lopaka Colon, and more. The band and hula dancers represented Hawaii at festivals like Pasifika and WOMAD, and gave workshops and classes throughout the schools of Aotearoa.
In summer 2010 Anuhea hit the road again with artists Mishka and Mat. McHugh of Australia’s The Beautiful Girls on an all-acoustic tour across the US and into Canada. Along the way, Anuhea was writing the songs for her sophomore album. Ever the opportunist, Anuhea saw the opportunity to do something productive during some downtime before soundcheck in New York City. With her manager behind the iPhone video camera, Anuhea walked the streets of New York, her ukulele in hand, lip synching to her newest song “Simple Love Song”. An 8-hour edit on iMovie later… the music video for “Simple Love Song” was created. It has almost 1 million views and became Hawaii’s #1 song of the summer. The tour, the single, and the video were a taste of what was to come with the new album from Hawaii’s sweetheart.
During the recording process, her radio successes in Hawaii caught the attention of Jacob Hemphill, lead singer of the reggae chart toppers SOJA out of Arlington, VA. After a few phone conversations and song writing sessions via skype, their vibes worked together sweetly and Jacob ended up penning a song for Anuhea’s album called “Its Not The Same”. Shortly thereafter, Anuhea went to the East Coast for some serious songwriting with the reggae band. Jacob and Anuhea wrote and recorded a duet titled “Easier” which will be released soon, as well as an Anuhea version the SOJA song “Losing My Mind”. When finding an opening act for their sold-out “Strength to Survive Tour”, of course SOJA chose their new friend Anuhea. The tour started in Hawaii and finished at a sold out House of Blues in San Diego, with Anuhea getting called back on stage to sing “You and Me” with Hemphill and the boys every night.
Her album “For Love” was released on iTunes on Valentines Day, Feb 14th 2012. Amidst the Grammy’s and the Whitney Houston passing, “For Love” still managed to hit the #20 spot on the ultra-competitive Pop Charts on iTunes. Its physical release was on March 13th, and with 5 radio singles in rotation in Hawaii, it quickly became the #1 album in the islands.
The future is bright for this Maui songbird. Anuhea’s determination, passion, optimism and raw talent are the foundations for the success that is to come. “I just feel lucky that I’ve found my dream and am able to pursue it… My main goal as a music-maker is to help people find theirs, whatever it may be.”
Kembe X is a teenage rapper from the South Suburbs of Chicago, who broke onto the scene with his debut mixtape “Self Rule” that was featured on sites such as 2dopeboyz, Illroots and Forbes as well as Impose Magazine. Him, Alex Wiley and his crew The Village have gained recent attention with their hit single “Dollar Please” from their group EP titled “Can I Borrow A Dollar”. Kembe’s sound is clearly rooted in chill, 90s thoughtful hip hop, although he’s shown versatility on tracks such as “Dollar Please”, “Extremely Good”, and “Schemin On The Scoochies”. He loves pizza, cheeseburgers, chicken and salad. Milkshakes are awesome too.
Fetish and Pin-Up Model since 2007, DJ with the Psychobitches Outta Chicago crew and Burlesque Performer based in Chicago but constantly traveling, Check my travel schedule! deannadeadly(@)yahoo.com for bookings!
We are a Country Mid-Western band out of Chicago. We have fought our battles individually and lost, but together we will win the war. Think 3 part Harmisons, teardrops in your whiskey, boozy bellows and old fashioned grit. Admiral Hertztokoff, Major Cannons & Lieutenant Longfellow’s vocals come together as a cocktail of equal parts tradition, emotion and whiskey. Don’t let us fool ya, we make look clean cut on the outside, but deep down we are Dirty Generals and we came to raise hell!!!
Born in Washington, DC and raised in 8 cities across 2 continents, I was a senior at Harvard by the age of 19. I’ve spent the last seven years producing records for a myriad of artists and releasing 2 award-winning albums of my own. I’m also passionate about technology, philanthropy and social media and I’ve been an invited speaker at schools ranging from the Thurgood Marshall Academy in Harlem to the NYU Stern School of Business.
Awards
2011 / Grammy “Best Contemporary R&B Album” Nominee
2010 / Soul Train Music Award “Best New Artist” Nominee
2010 / Harvard AMBLE Vanguard Award
2009 / BET “Best Male R&B Artist” Nominee
2009 / BET “Best New Artist” Nominee
Santiago x The Natural are a collaborative music duo comprised of singer/songwriter/producer Santiago and rapper/songwriter The Natural.
Their innovative upbeat original sound conjures up a range of driving musical elements, from the relentless groove of a Motown dance track, to the distorted rock riffs of the 60’s and everything in between, all the while paired with rich vocal and lyrical arrangements that will keep the listener singing, and the singer listening…
Santiago spent his childhood on the island of Guam and his teenage years in Louisiana, both home to his indigenous tribal affiliations. The Natural was born and raised on the southside of Chicago, growing up in the projects. Though their humble origins began on opposite sides of the world, their fateful paths towards lives in music were destined to merge.
The two first met at the University of Notre Dame dining hall as undergraduates and bonded over a love of hip hop and indie rock. At the time, Santiago was the front man for a five piece rocksteady soul band that had major presence on campus as the recurring battle of the bands champions, The Natural and his band at the time soon dethroned Santiago’s act, proving that he was a viable force to be reckoned with. Soon after, Santiago and The Natural began self-producing and recording mixtapes from Santiago’s converted dorm room recording studio. Experimenting with rock-charged riffs, soul melodies, and a heavy dose of pop sensibility, Santiago sought to usher in the multi-dimensional aspects of hip hop into his future songwriting, via The Natural’s gifted lyricism.
Since their initial meeting eight years ago, the two have made their rounds in the music business as members of separate touring acts, and as solo acts. During their respective exploits each has garnered major label attention, but ultimately continued to travel their own independent paths towards creative control and artistic freedom. As solo artists, there remained an undeniable urge to collaborate, reigniting the synergy of their genre bending musical creations and fostering the necessity of a concrete musical relationship.
During their growth as musicians and songwriters, both simultaneously continued the trajectory of their respective academic interests by obtaining professional graduate degrees, Santiago, a Master of Architecture, and The Natural, a Law Degree. While their academic pursuits have led them to realize the promise of rewarding professional careers, they both acknowledge that it is the pursuit of music that has always been their life force.
In 2011, they made it official, coining the duo, Santiago x The Natural. Their combined musical efforts have catapulted Santiago x The Natural to shared stages with Akon, The Clipse, Wyclef Jean, Lyfe Jennings, Mya, Soldiers of Jah Army, Cake and other notable mainstream artists. Their 2011 iTunes single release, “Warriors,” has received overwhelming positive reviews and continues to be adopted as an arena anthem by professional and collegiate sports teams nationwide.
Santiago x The Natural are poised and ready to be one of your favorite artists of all time.
Growing up as an elite student athlete Nicky has been in the spotlight as a top of the line entertainer at a very young age. After being abducted at the age of 17, he almost lost his life in a 3rd world prison cell; along with his dreams of making it to the NBA stage. Blessed with another shot at life, Nicky continued to pursue knowledge and wisdom and graduated from a prestige College ranking in the top 8% in the country, in 2012.
Learning the In’s and Out’s of global communication, cinematic production , and music production he is now helping other artists build their foundations to make personal dreams reality.
Taking this knowledge to the streets and venues Nicky has performed with names such as Gorilla Zoe in WI, as well as Enutta Butta at the world famous Viper Room in Los Angeles California. Going by the stage name of “The Anonymous” for performing, His music ranges from hip hop to dub step referencing the struggles of life and a positive uplifting message different from those of your mainstream artists.
The Surfaholics formed in 2005 by Brad Yates (The Wanderers, Lights Over Bridgeport), Paul Cullen (The Odyssey, The Shatners, Josh McCormack Band) and John Prestipino (Quarter Turn, The Shatners, Lynxwail) who were all employees of HGS Music (formerly the Highland Guitar Studio). The group was an homage to Paul and Brad’s fascination and love of the sounds of vintage surf recordings. The original
intention was to have a band that was different than most region groups and would be suitable for house parties and sock hops. The original lineup had writing credits by all parties with Brad and John on Guitar and Paul playing drums and composed the first Surfaholics’ original “Gazoo.” John moved on to other projects and Paul and Brad recorded an EP of Christmas songs titled “Happy Birthday to the Big Kahuna” by overdubbing all parts between the two members.
With the desire to play live shows Brad Yates had recruited former Wanderers bassist Aaron Kreke and Corey Lake (The Drubins, Hoosier Daggers) to play drums. The crew started playing surf standards from The Ventures, Dick Dale and Los Straitjackets plus a handful of originals, one of which was a recreation of the Drubin’s song “Don’t Surf on My Turf.” Through the next year the group played various shows opening for local rock, punk, country and psychobilly acts. These shows are often referred to internally as the “party” shows since the crowds were extremely rowdy, caused high amounts of alcohol consumption and usually led to the destruction of personal items. The Halloween of 2007 showed true artist roots when the band took on the name Spookaholics dressed in Misfits attire and covered surf versions of early Misfits songs with guest singer Brad Vanderzee. Shortly after the new year of 2008, the band went on a hiatus due to schedule conflicts.
In 2010 the band regrouped to play a special Christmas holiday beer exchange with revitalized enthusiasm. From this performance the group started working hard on new songs. After a steady year and a half of shows featuring numerous originals, The Surfaholics decided it was time to memorialize their written material and went into the studio Spring of 2012 to record their full length album “Hang Eleven.” The Surfaholics plan release of their album the fall of 2012.
Brian and Duncan first started writing music together in early 1976 with Brian on cheap fuzz guitar and Duncan on Biscuit tins. Brian had a poster of an album by Phil Manzanera called Diamond Head that was released in 1975 and he thought “that would be a good name for the band”, but they needed a singer and auditioned several school chums until someone mentioned they had heard Sean Harris singing Be Bop a Lu La on a coach and so Brian asked Sean to try out and after one song he was asked to join. Colin Kimberley, an friend of Brian’s from junior school completed the line up.
The first demo tape was cut in 1978 in a studio in Kidderminster. This was used to get gigs, and a copy was sent to Geoff Barton at Sounds, who was suitably impressed and put them on his play list, and arranged an interview. Continual gigging set them in good stead. This saw them opening for the likes of ACDC and Iron Maiden.
At the beginning of 1980, the band formed ‘Diamond Head Music’ as a means to putting out their own self financed material. Their first single was ‘Shoot Out The Lights’ backed with ‘Helpless’ on Happy Face Music.
They then recorded what was to become their first album release. Like Led Zeppelin’s fourth album it had no official title and has been referred to as the ‘White Album’, or ‘Lightning To The Nations’. There were initially copies 1000 pressed, which were in a plain white cover. Every copy was signed by one member of the band. This was available only at gigs or by mail order for £3.50 A further pressing of 1000 were done, which had the track listing on it. This contained 7 classic tracks including ‘Am I Evil?’, ‘The Prince’ and ‘Sucking My Love’.
The next single was ‘Sweet and Innocent’ from the White Album, backed with a new track, ‘Streets of Gold’. Two new tracks arrived in 1981 on DHM Records – the double A-side of ‘Waited Too Long’ and ‘Plat It Loud’. The Diamond Lights 12″ EP followed soon after giving us ‘It’s Electric’ and three new tracks, ‘We Won’t Be Back’, ‘Diamond Lights’ and ‘I Don’t Got’.
Later in 1981, the band signed to MCA Records, their first release being the ‘Four Cuts’ EP containing ‘Call Me’, ‘Trick or Treat’, ‘Dead Reckoning’ and a new version of ‘Shoot Out The Lights’. A second single; ‘In The Heat Of The Night’ was released prior to the ‘Borrowed Time’ album.
A double single of this contained live versions of ‘Play It Loud’ and ‘Sweet and Innocent’ recorded at the Zig-Zag Club, together with a 14 minute interview with Tommy Vance recorded in June ’82.
Diamond Head played a magnificent set at the Reading Festival playing new tracks and old. The live version of ‘Sucking My Love’ would later be released as a 12″ with ‘Out Of Phase’, and the whole set 10 years later as part of the BBC sessions series.
Living On….Borrowed Time’ was released in late September 1982, in a lavish gatefold sleeve with stunning artwork courtesy of Rodney Matthews and entered the UK charts at number 24. A 12 date UK tour followed in October and November to promote their new album taking in Birmingham Odeon, Mancheter Apollo and London’s Hammersmith Odeon.
1983 saw the release of the ‘Makin’ Music’ single as a precursor to the album that was also intended to be called ‘Makin’ Music’ but was changed to ‘Canterbury’. During the recording both Dunc and Colin left the band. Colin still plays on some tracks on Canterbury, but was replaced by Merv Goldsworthy, who would later to go on to form FM. Robbie France took up the drum stool. 20,000 copies of the album had pressing faults causing the first track to jump. This consequently affected sales, with it eventually charting at number 32.
‘Out Of Phase’, a second single was released backed with the album track ‘The Kingmaker’. The band played the Donnington Rock Festival in the summer of 1983 and shortly afterwards, keyboard player Josh Phillips-Gorse was added. The band completed a European tour with Black Sabbath in September. Another tour of Odeon sized halls took place in October of that year to promote ‘Canterbury’.
The band were preparing for a fourth LP, ‘Flight East’ in 1984 but were dropped by MCA. When their manager failed to get them a deal at the MIDEM music business convention, the band split.
The original line up got back together to jam through ‘Helpless’ and ‘Am I Evil?’ with Metallica at one of their shows at Birmingham’s NEC.
The following year saw Brian and Sean team up once again as a band with Karl Wilcox and drums and Eddie Chaos on Bass. Playing only new material, the band completed a small tour of UK clubs under the pseudonym ‘Dead Reckoning’.
It was obvious that Diamond Head were now back in business. The band entered the studio to record tracks for an EP entitled ‘Rising Up’. Instead just a 2 track 12″ was released available only at gigs and specialist record shops. ‘Wild On The Streets’ had its origins back in 1978, but had never been completed or recorded. ‘Can’t Help Myself’ completed the single.
Following two further club tours, Chaos was replaced by Pete Vukovic to record the ‘Death and Progress’ album. The album features celebrity guests in the guise of Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine who played on, and mixed the track ”Truckin’. Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi also guests on ‘Starcrossed’, adding a very distinctive solo.
Prior to its release, the band opened a show at Milton Keynes Bowl featuring Megadeth and Metallica on 5th June 1993. The album sold more than 50,000 copies to their ever loyal fan base.
This show was later released as ‘Evil Live’ in 1994 along with extra tracks from the ‘Death and Progress’ sessions. This was to be Diamond Head’s last show for 7 years.
In late 2000, Brian and Sean started working on an acoustic project, reworking some of their back catalogue in an acoustic style with new recruit Floyd Brennan. The trio performed some low key gigs before recording a four track EP and perfoming at the Rock Shield Festival in Burton On Trent.
The acoustic shows had revitalised interest in Diamond Head, and new songs had already started to be written. Early in 2002, an offer to headline the New Jersey Metal Meltdown IV Festival as an electric band was too good a chance to miss. This signified the return of Eddie Moohan and Karl Wilcox. A couple of weeks rehearsal and a short 4 date UK tour warmed the band up for their first trip to American soil. Their headline performance proved a massive success with many US fans getting their first chance to see the band live.
More new material was written and fans got to hear new tracks such as ‘Shine On; and ‘Forever 16’ on another UK club tour in September 2002, and a notable slot at the Derby Bloodstock Festival. At the end of 2002 and the early part of 2003, Diamond Head ventured into the studio to record a new album with Andrew Scarth. Although this album had been completed, Sean’s reluctance to release it as Diamond Head or desire to play live, meant that it never saw the light of day. Determined to continue, the band played a short set at the Wacken festival in 2003 with ex- Tygers of Pan Tang’s Jess Cox on vocals.
2004 heralded a landmark in Diamond Head history as they embarked on a new phase with new singer Nick Tart. The year saw them rehearse and write new material as a revitalised band, and record a new album with Nick, ‘All Will Be Revealed’. The end of the year saw them perform their first gig infront of an invitation only crowd at JBs in Dudley. Harking back to the early days and the ‘do it yourself’ attitude, 1000 self financed copies of their new album were pressed. These quickly sold out at gigs and via their website.
In February 2005, Diamond Head embarked on a massive European tour supporting Megadeth which turned out to be a massive success for the band, impressing long standing fans and picking up younger ones along the way.
2005 proved to be a succesful year for the band. Cargo Records picked up All Will Be Revealed and gave the album a full commercial release allowing a much greater audience than the lucky few who had managed to get a hold of the pre release copies. The year culminated with another short tour and Diamond Head headlining a 25th Anniversary of the NWOBHM at London Astoria in November. The Astoria show was professionally recorded which resulted in a live album, ‘It’s Electric’ and Diamond Head’s first ever official DVD. The DVD was released in August 2006 and features bonus material of interviews and in the studio recording All Will Be Revealed.
Diamond Head released their new album ‘What’s In Your Head?’ on Livewire/Cargo on 30th July 2007 and the band toured the UK and Europe including KIT Festival, Germany, Diamond Head’s first headlining tour of Ireland and Hard Rock Hell.
In December 2007, Diamond Head toured the UK as special guests to Thin Lizzy on their 30th anniversary tour of Live & Dangerous.
In August 2009, Universal records released a triple Diamond Head CD. Titled ‘The MCA years’, it contains re-mastered versions of Borrowed Time, Canterbury and Live at the Reading Festival. The release also includes some bonus material and demos, some of which have previously been unavailable.
This is the first release of Borrowed Time and Canterbury on CD in the UK. The Reading set was previously released on Raw Fruit in 1992, but has long since been deleted and is a much sought after item by Diamond Head fans.
