MARTHA BERNER

JOHN SCHMITT

ERIC MOELLER

The musical journey of Eric Moeller began at a very early age. Inspired by the death of a family friend, Eric wrote the lyrics to his first song at the age of ten. Ever since then, he has never stopped, and has matured into a talented and inspiring writer and performer. Today, Eric is living in Augusta, Missouri and working hard.

In the past couple years, Eric added a band to his live show. Known as Eric Moeller and the Strummalongs, they are currently playing shows around the St. Louis area and hitting the road when possible. This full band sound is a combination of Bruce Springsteen, the Clash, and current punk acts such as the Bouncing Souls and the Dropkick Murphys.

A new recording has been completed as well. The new full length record is titled ‘Daily Life’ and is due for release July 2010. It features 11 full band tracks as well as 2 solo tracks. The full band songs feature Joey Kotsybar on drums, Eric performing the lead vocal and the rest of the instrumentation, and Bruce Moeller, Nick Falcone, Brian Gunderson and Trey Garrison performing some backing vocals.

Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open. Eric Moeller will surely be heading to your favorite local venue, and putting his music out into the world.

RAMSEN

RAMBOS

DJ BATHROOM (COLDCOCK)

ZATH

GUSHING CLOUD

Howdy! M’name is Gus Kumo, and you can call me Gus. I’ve been makin music since 2004 or so with sampler loopy machine thingamabobs! Somewhere along the line, I met a good pal by the name of Doggy P. Lips (he’s the fella with antennas). We had the idea to join forces and perform for people, with Gushing Cloud music being the backdrop. Since 2007 we’ve been performing our unique brand of electro-funk-dj party-meets-weirdo-performance-art-goodvibes-mayhem for lovely pals across the fine state of Illinois. Along the way we’ve been joined by other friends to enhance the show, friends like Stan, Oedipus C. Dopanopolis, and Uncle Brian. We’d love to perform for you!

ELECTRIC SHEPHERD

“Take the Doors, shake ’em up with a touch of Pink Floyd and throw in some Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and you have the psychedelic rock vibe of Electric Shepherd… “Down the River” sounds like it could have come right out of an intro to a Tarantino flick… This tale told through music carries the listener through a complex multi-layered universe of sound…” -MEUN MAGAZINE

THE HARD WOOD BOYS

What ever happened to all those dudes that were in those local metal bands of your youth? Well, in the case of The Hard Wood Boys they play old timey traditional folk with a twist now. With a few instruments (and some cleaning supplies made into instruments) these four long time friends are bringing you that hot new jug band joint straight from the underground. And by underground I mean rural Illinois. Featuring a washtub bass as well as mandolin, banjo, washboard and guitar The Hard Wood Boys tap into the very earliest American roots music. If the name Alan Lomax means something to you then this is your kind of band.

CELLAR TROUBADOUR

THE BEESON BROTHERS

A culmination of high energy blues, rock and funk music is what The Beeson Brothers bring to the stage. Enjoy deep driving bass lines, powerful drum rhythms, soulful organ & keys and cutting guitar lines with raw blues lyrics. The band thrives off of live performances and has been making itself a regular showcase in the midwest. Based out of Champaign, Illinois the band consists of four brothers that hail from the northern suburbs of Chicago. Ryne Beeson plays guitar and sings lead vocals, Myles Beeson is on drums and percussion, Drew Beeson can be found on keys, guitar, and vocals, and Callan Beeson is on bass, harmonica and vocals. Drawing from many past and modern influences, including genres of world music for their creative inspiration, the brothers have been writing and are preparing to lay down some original tracks in the coming months. Check out the bands website and online sources for more info on the brothers and an updated schedule of shows.

WEST

FREDDIE PHATS

SYKO

CARMEN LEE AND THE TOMORROW RIVER TWO

Described by Rockabilly-Online as pure, original country/rockabilly, it’s hard not to like Carmen Lee and The Tomorrow River Two. With their first album BIG STAR released this August and gigs throughout Wisconsin and Chicago, Carmen Lee and the Tomorrow River Two are starting to become a force in the scene. The rockabilly-country-blues singer has been writing music since she was four years old, and has never stopped since. Although Carmen Lee’s smoky rich voice has been compared to Patsy Cline and Billie Holiday, and her hit song ‘Big Star’ has been compared to an early Johnny Cash, her sound is truly original. Armed with a train-slappin’ upright bass and simple Luther Perkins style guitar leads, Carmen Lee looks the part of a classic rockabilly queen as she pays homage to 50s rockabilly/country roots and the Sun Studio sound. With Carmen Lee you can’t go wrong, her soulful crooning is sure to hit you right in the gut, if not in the heart.

SHAREEF ALI

DAN CARTY MUSIC

OWEN TOO

KARA KULPA

VILLAINS COMPANY

Villains Company is a five piece rock group from Chicago, IL, that blends the slick tones of classic and modern rock with interstellar grooves and harmonious vocals to create a collage of new and eclectic music.

THE LOGAN SQUARES

VISIONAIRE

DRAMA JUNKIES

GEOFF FARINA

Geoff Farina is a professional musician currently living and working in Chicago, the home of Atavistic, Southern Records, Schuba’s Tavern, the Fireside Bowl, and other institutions that patronized Geoff’s bands during the indie-rock heyday of the 1990s. Geoff continues to write original music, release records on small labels, and tour the US, Europe, and Japan as a soloist and with his current band Glorytellers. He also performs the solo guitar arrangements of Mississippi John Hurt, Elizabeth Cotton, Blind Arthur Blake, Sylvester Weaver, Blind Willie Johnson, William Moore, Bayless Rose, Norman Blake, Clarence White, Doc Watson, and other seminal American steel-string guitarists. Geoff performs in the Piedmont, Delta, and flatpicking guitar styles developed in the southeastern United States before WWII, using period instruments from his personal collection of vintage Martin, Gibson, National, and Stella guitars. The Last Kind Words, Geoff’s duo with mandolinist and American & Country Tune Book author Kenneth P.W. Rainey, emulate the Monroe Brothers, the Blue Sky Boys, and other classic guitar/mandolin combos from the 1930s and 1940s. Geoff’s duo with guitarist/songwriter Chris Brokaw recently released a collection of pre-WWII blues, rags, and spirituals called The Angel’s Message To Me.

Geoff teaches music history at DePaul University, where his courses include That High Lonesome Sound: Bluegrass 1936-1972 and What Were The Blues? 1920-1960. He has also taught music history and music theory at Colby College and the University of Maine, and English composition at the University of Massachusetts. Geoff’s own music education includes a BA from Berklee College of Music, an MA from the University of Massachusetts, and private studies with Guggenheim fellow Roswell Rudd and guitar virtuoso Ben Monder.

Geoff is probably best known for the genre-flouting guitar style he developed during his 12 years fronting Boston’s Karate, or as one-half of The Secret Stars, the seminal early-90s duo that circulated home-made cassettes of original songs now covered by the likes of Ida and Death Cab for Cutie. Since the early 90s, he has played on 40 releases, and performed at more than 1000 venues in 20 countries, including the Brussels Botanical Gardens, Denmark’s massive Roskilde Festival, MTV Europe’s Supersonic, and NPR’s Talk of the Nation radio show. More recently Geoff has recorded 3 albums with the Roman punk/folk group Ardecore, and composed original music for Cinamazero’s annual Schermo Sonoro festival in Pordenone. Geoff’s music has also appeared in Staccato Purr of the Exhaust, a film featured in the 1996 Sundance Film Festival, and Andrew Gillis’ 2000 film Security, Colorado, a film produced under the constraints of the Danish Dogme 95 Manifesto. Geoff has collaborated with musicians Michael Zerang, Massimo Pupillo, Dan Littleton, Luther Gray, Frank Rosaly, Nathan McBride, Allan Chase, Taylor Ho Bynum, Rebecca Gates, performance artist Jed Speare, and dancer Alissa Cardone.

FRANK BANG AND THE SECRET STASH

“Frank Bang has a blue soul and a rock and roll heart. He plays that guitar like he was born with it in his hand”  -Tom Marker 93XRT Chicago

Whether it be… Alone and acoustic…. Amped up and rocking with “The Secret Stash” …. Or playing guitar and singing in the All Chicago Blues Band “Cook County Kings”. Frank Bang is devoted to the music of his youth. His heart is pure rock and roll, but his soul screams the blues. Like Mike Bloomfield and many more before him, it was the combination of raw talent, hard work and devotion that earned him respect, and a following, among blues loyalists. Blues guitar master Buddy Guy chose Frank to play blues guitar alongside him on his national and world tours. When you hear him play you will understand why.

For Frank, being on the road with Buddy Guy was an advanced education in the blues, especially in the fields of guitar mastery and showmanship. The experience has not only honed his ability with traditional material to that of a true journeyman, it has strengthened his contemporary guitar presence. As well as opening up Frank to musical influences from Rock to Country, Blues and Soul music. On the road, he has jammed with some of Rock and Roll’s great legends including The Rolling Stones, Carlos Santana, Robert Plant, Jimmy Vaughan, R.E.M. John Mayer, Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews, to name a few. He has performed on the Tonight Show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and numerous European and American television specials, including a documentary on BRAVO and Jules Holland “Live”, for the BBC. His dozens of live radio broadcasts include shows on Mancow, KFOG, KBCO and E Town.

THE SWEETNESS

CALLI DOLLINGER

Calli Dollinger was born in East Texas, the swampy industrial wasteland also responsible for the howls and hisses of the late Janis Joplin.  Described by Time Out Chicago as “the back room ghost of a classic rock chanteuse”, Calli developed her swamp-rock meets psych-pop sound, while growing up in Austin, Texas, and later, as a student at Emerson College, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Calli Dollinger is based in Chicago, IL and will release an EP later this year, produced by the Grammy award winning, Stuart Sikes, who has previously worked with country legend Loretta Lynn, Cat Power, Jack White, and Modest Mouse.

BOB WAYNE

After a long hard run, down the roads across this land. Bob Wayne gathered up some outlaws, and they formed themselves a band. Now every day is different, every player every show. Will you see a bearded lady? Unless you go, you’ll never know. So come one, yeah, come all. When this ho down comes around. Who know’s, you could be an outlaw too! Lettin out that carnie sound.

THE LAWRENCE PETERS OUTFIT

Lawrence Peters is a singer, songwriter, drummer and America’s preeminent electric washboard player, with a musical career spanning twenty-plus years. He was a key player in the Lawrence, Kansas music scene before moving to Chicago in 1992. Since then, he has recorded or performed with dozens of bands, including The Lawrence Peters Outfit, Magnolia Electric Company, Plastic Crimewave Sound, Velcro Lewis Group, The Golden Horse Ranch Band, Eiren Caffall, Mar Caribe, and Tijuana Hercules. Lawrence’s main musical passion is deep-rooted American country music, but he also plays acid punk, swamp rock, Shaker-modern, and Western-pirate-surf music, and somehow gets away with it. In his spare time he volunteers for CHIRP Radio.

JAWS

SVETLANAS

SHIFT

With the future on the horizon, so emerges change. Birth and Death of all things. it is now 2012, and from Chicago comes the punk rock band Shift.

Shift started in early 2011 by Joe Hibbs (Guitar), with later additions being Dan O’Brien (Bass), Mike Miles (Vox), and Dennis Michael (Drums) and right out of the gates recorded our first album in less than 6 months. When you are driving around your Dodge Dart, pop in Shift’s first album “Issues and Addictions” and crank it. You car will be instantly transformed into a Trans-Am going 140 mph….

Un-clear your head and listen to SHIFT.

SCALDING HOT ACID

SUNSPOT

CTA “CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY”

TOWER OF POWER “FUNKLAND”

DEAD PLEASURES

PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY

Persistence Of Memory is an up and coming hard rock band out of the Chicago land area. Singer Jennifer Imparato, Drummer Justin Luebek, Lead Guitarist Dan Bikar, Rhythm Guitarist Grant Forkenbrock, and Bassist Keith Hensley, join musical abilities together to create a dark melodic sound glorified by meaningful lyrics.
With themes of love, loss, and life, POM reaches their audience through their ears and into their hearts. POM has spent their first year together expanding their fan base and touring all over Illinois. Playing over 30 venues in 7 months, professionally recording their 5 song EP, winning the House Of Blues “Battle Of The Bands”, Having a 2 page color article in “Bar Life” magazine, Interviewing on 3 radio stations, and hitting the stage with national acts Adema, Tantric, and Eve To Adam, POM has hit the ground running and they aren’t planning on stopping!
The band is currently working on their first full length album “Minds-Eye” that should be recorded and mastered by Spring 2012.They are also filming their first music video to their hit single “Alone” that should be ready by December 2011.
The members of POM have some big goals set for 2012. Besides the release of their first CD, POM plans on going national and touring in California, Vegas, Texas, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Florida. Lead singer Jeni Imparato comments “We want to show the US that we are here and we are ready to take on the world with rock and roll!”
This highly driven, self-motivated band hopes to get signed by a recognized label before the end of 2012 and jump on a main stage at “Warped Tour” in 2013.
With a strong, goal oriented mindset, powerful music, dedicated members and adoring fans, its no wonder why POM has been making such big leaps in the pursuit of their dreams.

SPACEHOLE

THE JOYRIDERS

Craig, Murdo. Dunsy & Rick, The Joyriders circa 1864

As Rome burned and Nero behaved like Nigel Kennedy at a toga party, one suspects that the cyclonic soundtrack playing in the emperor’s noodle may well have approximated the Joyriders – frenetic, hypnotic, psychotic, pneumatic. HAH! You know the drill. For only the looniest of tunes could accompany the bonfire of the calamities, and who better to bring the noise than Edinburgh’s fiercest and finest, if most feckless of firestarters?

THE WALKING SHADOWS

These songs are a knife in your heart; irrational revolution and crumbling ruins. Gothic-art rock rebels from neo-depression era Chicago: The Walking Shadows. Obsessed with Shakespeare, Ovid, and ex-lovers, the Walking Shadows scream their abashed poetics with a dark mythos that haunts you like doomy guitars and all your favorite demons. Their abrasive verse—“This is not poetry, because you’re not that pretty”—will scare you to uneasiness and move you to sing along.
The band play their collection of horror stories and love songs with high energy and high gain. Craig Winston, the band’s gaunt and towering axe-man, with his brooding bass voice, is already being hailed by bloggers as a guitar hero and captivating front-man. Across the stage he is mirrored by his identical twin and keyboardist, Mark Winston, who rocks and sways with the sound of his synths. John Sturm’s drums thunder with Adam Hubbell’s bass giving the Walking Shadows their tightly knit live sound.
The Shadows have performed throughout the midwest and into New England; in Chicago at Goose Island Brew Pub, Schuba’s, Reggie’s, Elbo Room, Red Line Tap, the Abbey Pub, and Martyrs’; Kitty Cat Klub and Cause in Minneapolis; Cicero’s in St. Louis; Club Garibaldi in Milwaukee; and Tommy Doyle’s in Boston. Craig Was interviewed by Loud Loop Press for their “take five” feature with The Walking Shadows. Chicago music blog “Southside on the town” says the band is “dramatically beautiful within its symphonic-toned metal rock sound.”

SALINE

Saline is an American rock band from the south suburbs of Chicago, IL, who formed in the summer of 2010. Saline is Connie Dizonno as lead vocals, Adam Noreen as lead vocals and rhythm guitarist, Tim Olejnik as lead guitarist, Derrick Mayes as bassist, and Tyler Caprio as the Drummer. Saline is a band of friends who became a family. Writing songs about the ups and downs in life with powerful vocals, melodic guitar and bass lines and strong backbone drums. Saline recently released full length album, “The Day You Came to Me,” featuring Black Heart | Black Lungs and Setting the Pace.

A BLURRED CITY SIGHT

GRACE THE DAMNED

DISTRICT 22

ODONROT

BENEATH THE STARES

PSYCHOPATHIC DAZE

DAVE HILTEBRAD & CHRIS SIEBOLD

THE STRIKERS

THE MOOD

PERSEIDE

SHERWOOD BLUES WORKSHOP