Kinda like a rapper more like a MC… Pugs Atomz arrived a Leo in Pittsburgh PA., son of a radio host and a painter. His love of hip hop developed when his family moved to Chicago; during grade school he would see graffiti on the trains and in his neighborhood of Englewood, these trains also would have rap groups and singers performing for spare change. The leader in him was born in high school, when a few friends thought his idea to be a Nacrobat was a great thing to be. Fast-forward a few years and Nacrobats (90 members strong) encompassed everything he wanted and had learned watching the structure and moves of Zulu Nation, Chi Rock, Lo Lifes, and Dem Dare. Breakers, Graf writers, DJs, Poets, Promoters, MCs all under his umbrella spanning Saulk Village IL., to Chicago IL., to Rockford IL.. At this time his parents would have people like Oscar Brown Jr in his living room performing “Signifying Monkey” and various poets and visual artists of the time schooling him to give him a sense of culture and balance.
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….”
