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 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.
Collectors are a four piece from Chicago, consisting of Michael Mazza (lead vox, rhythm guitar), Kurt Neuswanger (bass, vox), Big Red Prester (drums) and Scott Tuccori (lead guitar, vox). With influences such as Blur, The Replacements and Cheap Trick, their sound is the optimum intersection of indie rock and power pop, delivered with the energy of punk.
As their name alludes, Hellbound Glory is well on their way to proving they are a force to be reckoned with in the country music. Fusing superior song writing and hard living characters with a hard-edged country honky tonk sound. The group is known for its instrumental dexterity, while vivacious frontman Leroy and his compadres are also notorious for their down-home, good-old-boy attitude. This type of attitude and song writing chops, to back it up, have won over fans far and wide. Whether they are playing in front of two hundred or two thousand, Hellbound Glory delivers on their performance and leaves audiences begging for more as they envelop the crowd with Leroy’s powerful story telling and showmanship.
Throughout the mid 2000’s, Hellbound Glory began defining their indie Americana sound, before that was even a genre. They were moderately successful, but they never had a breakthrough hit on the country charts. But the new album “Damaged Goods” is set to change all that. Hellbound Glory knew there was an audience for Real Country and they stuck to their guns writing and recording songs full of grit, character and about problems facing rural America.
Henchmen are doing the dirty work of bringing real rock and roll back to the forefront of todays stale, cookie cutter, music scene. Their sound is as hard hitting and ruthless as their name implies. Drawing from a never ending list of musical influences, Henchmen have created a sound that exudes nothing but pure rock, with no rules or boundaries. …Isn’t that the way rock n roll should be?
If you are interested in groovy, stoner-influenced, progressive and melodic hard rock you probably know about Truckfighters already. “The best band that ever existed” as Josh Homme said in the 2011 “fuzzomentary” Truckfighters. You might also know the story about how Niklas ‘Dango‘ Källgren teamed up with bassist and vocalist Oskar ‘Ozo’ Cedermalm in a worn down rehearsal space in Örebro, Sweden in 2001 and how the first song they ever recorded, Desert Cruiser, since then has gone on to become a desert rock anthem. You probably also know that the band itself has gone on to release five full length albums and played sold out shows on four continents. Truckfighters have become a fundament in the ‘stoner rock/metal’ sub-genre with fans all over the world enjoying the crazy live shows and the fuzzy sounds… After more than 20 years as a band it is safe to say the touring is less frequent than the most intense years of the band. Just as safe as is it to say that the shows will be better than ever and as always with a hell of a fuzzy sound! If you can’t get enough check out Mr.Dango’s other project ENIGMA EXPERIENCE 🤘
Abbi Rajasekhar has been performing music for as long as she can remember. When she first began singing for audiences she was barely strong enough to hold the microphone by herself. Abbi really began writing her own music while she was in highschool and self released her first full length album, Anywhere, when she was 18 years old. Since then she moved to Chicago and has never stopped performing. In 2007 she put out her sophomore full length release, Make Sure. With this album she has toured all over the Midwest and East Coast charming audiences with her unique, soulful voice and relevant, poignant lyrics. The buzzing of crowds across in bars across the country have faded to silence as audiences become wrapped up in the passion of her heartfelt story telling ballads and the intimacy of her performance. In March of 2011, Abbi released a 7 song EP, The Living Room which has been one of the most rewarding projects Abbi has ever worked on. Over the years many of Abbi’s favorite and most memorable performances have been house shows. When fans have become friends and opened up their homes and their living rooms for intimate, truthful nights of music. The Living Room was recorded and produced with these house shows in mind in an attempt to replicate those small wonderful shows. One undeniable quality of any of Abbi’s performances is the joy and gratitude bursting out of her as she sings. She is so thankful for every opportunity to sing and for every new person she gets to meet at her shows that as you watch her performance you are watching her slowly fall in love with everyone in the room. In August of 2011 Abbi is incredibly excited finally be releasing her 3rd full length album, The Young Adult. This album is a huge step for Abbi and she can’t wait for everyone to fill their ears with it.
The Consonance formed in the winter of 2008 in Edmonton, Alberta. There they embraced their disparate influences, recognized their common creative instincts, and agreed to explore music on their own terms.
The strength of The Consonance’s sound is their synergy: their music seems to be denser than only six voices. What results is an inspired blend of impressionist harmonies and sublime grooves: a truly unique sound that defies classification.
After three independent releases, radio appearances across Western Canada, and countless performances spanning the breadth of North America, they’ve defined their creative voice, and they’re putting it to good use. Together, they are Consonance incarnate, and they are much greater than the sum of their parts.
Glen Ellyn’s 3 In Counting stands out in that its star is already on the rise. 3 In Counting is an acoustic rock/pop/jam band from the Chicago suburbs, and since their formation in 2005 has worked hard to gain fans by crafting songs with interesting lyrics, seamless vocals, and well thought out instrumentation.
Hailing from Chicago, IL, Shady Grady & The Nobodies (SGN) play a uniquely diverse brand of funk, blues, and rock. Beginning in a high school band room, guitarist Bill Grady, keyboardist Jack Weisenberger, and drummer Jimmy Walsh would jam late into the night after their high school jazz band rehearsals. After years of improvising in the blues and jazz styles, the three enlisted funk bassist Mike Palma to join them. Their newfound blue-funk sound gave birth to Shady Grady & The Nobodies, the newest and funkiest member of the Chicago music scene.
Convoy is a Chicago based band that plays music described as “Swamp Rock”. The guys are notorious for hang out with the crowd before and after shows.
The band was formed in the fall of 2009. Convoy plays straight ahead rock and roll originals. Some of their influences are: Clutch, Corrosion of Conformity, Pantera, and Black Label Society.
The band is comprised of versatile seasoned musicians. Brian Corbin is the singer, rhythm guitarist, and song writer of Convoy’s original music. Brian grew up in Kentucky and then moved to Chicago when he was a teen. His passion for southern rock is evident when he sings Convoy’s originals. He’s vocals are filled with raw emotion.
Mike Getz is the drummer. Mike is from the Chicago southside area. Mike has been playing drums for over 20 years. Mike is an energetic player and thrives on motivating the crowd. You’ll hear is screams echoing off of the crowd.
Dan Thompson (Big D) is the bassist and backup singer. Big D is also from the Chicago southside area. He has been a playing professional for over 25 years. Big D is a versatile bass player that can run the gamut from Blues to Metal, and industrial music. Big D holds down the bottom end of the group.
Johnny Daniel is the lead guitarist and backup vocals. Johnny grew up on the northside of Chicago. Johnny is a multi-talented musician who plays guitar, bass, keyboard, and sings. He is a walking jukebox. He has an impressive musical history. He is also the producer of Convoy’s albums. He’s leads are memorizing.
David Hayes & the Project is a unique and original rock band based in Chicago. The band is comprised of Midwest musicians who have worked together in multiple projects throughout the years. David Hayes (guitar, keys, & vocals) is a native of Rockford, Illinois and has lived in Chicago for nearly a decade. He is a graduate from Columbia College Chicago who teaches private music lessons, and composes original music in multiple genres. He released his first album “In With the Old” in 2010, and is releasing a twin album “Out With the New” in 2011. The Project includes Graham Burris (bass, vocals), Mike Lim (keys), and Christian Chamberlain (drums). Graham Burris is another Rockford native who performs with multiple bands in Chicago, and has collaborated with Grammy award winner Lupe Fiasco. Michael Lim hails from Detroit, Michigan and is also a graduate of Columbia College Chicago. He also composes original music for his project known as The Lims. Christian Chamberlain is from Morton, Illinois and also keeps a tight beat in multiple bands. He is beginning to start his own drum and bass project as well. Together David Hayes and the Project create a unified progressive sound that keeps the listeners interested.
Sleepy Kitty is more than a band: it’s an all-in multi-media artistic collaboration. After spending the ’90s drumming in Harvey Danger (London/Polygram), and the ’00s in Chicago’s Bound Stems(Flameshovel), Sult heard Brubeck’s voice in her band, Stiletto Attack, and couldn’t shake it. Strictly for fun, they started mashing weird sound experiments into their natural pop instincts, and quickly had a batch of art-cracked, catchy songs. At the same time, they were designing and printing t-shirts and rock posters together. They called it all Sleepy Kitty—and they now run both their band and their print shop out of a formerly abandoned brewery on St. Louis’s Cherokee Street, which has since become the city’s unofficial printers’ row (you can check out their print work at sleepykittyarts.com). After two self-released EPs—Hustlin’ Kets (2007) and What I Learned This Summer (2009)—and some great opening slots for the Dresden Dolls, Chuck Berry, and Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s, Sleepy Kitty caught the ear of Euclid Records’ Joe Schwab. The band’s live show is a whirlwind: Brubeck loops her vocals live, crafting walls of girl-group harmonies above the tube-driven blast of her vintage Super Reverb. Sult plays at the edge of the stage with her—when he can contain himself to his drum throne. Infinity City transmits the power of their live show but reveals their canny control of pop architecture: “Gimme a Chantz!” opens with a theatrical flourish before bounding into a crowd of surging ’90s-era harmonies; garage-cranked “Speaking Politely” makes way for the delicately observed details of city-breakup ode “NYC Really Has It All,” and the Velvets/Fab Four mash note “Seventeen” revels in their influences.
Rocket Miner, formed in February 2011, is original members Larry Hryn and Chip Wortel and Chris Ruffolo tackling the expansive guitar work. Joining them to hold down the rock solid rhythm section is Danny Garcia on drums and TJ Fulfer on bass and Ken Pendola on vocals and samples.
Their first record “Songs for an October Sky” was self released as a demo, before being picked up and re-released by Oxide Tones Records in October 4, 2011. Following that release they embarked on a Midwest/East Coast tour, with performances at some of Chicago’s top venues. The band released their record “Elegy” via Shunu Records in 2014. Rocket Miner has shared the stage with other great bands such as Laberinto, The End of the Ocean, Junius, Trioscapes, the Life and Times, You.may.die.in.the.desert, and many more.
Currently Rocket Miner’s newest release, ‘The Long Goodbye’ is due on on May 4 2018 on Shunu Records. It’s a follow up to their 2014 critically acclaimed ‘Elegy’ LP. The band is looking forward to promoting ‘The Long Goodbye’ with their memorable and bombastic live shows.
Their sound, though hard to define, has been referred to as “punk-blues”, “gutbucket soul”and “explosive stomp and groove”. This high-octane trio from Boston, MA has been touring the country for the past five years, taking their unique form of roots music (influenced by the sounds of the northern Mississippi hill country) to cafes, restaurants, record stores, rock clubs, theatres, festivals and back yard parties, and playing for anyone who will listen. In 2010, they released their first full-length CD, “I Get Blamed For Everything I Do” (Hillgrass Bluebilly Records). Their new album, “Undertow” (also on Hillgrass), will be officially released in March/April 2013.
After toiling away for years on the Northwest side of Chicago, Back Alley Riot busted down the doors of the punk rock scene, when original members, Mike Nakis (vocals/guitar), Matt Jankiewizc (drums), and Danny Starks (guitar/vocals), hooked up with bassist Russell Katzenmaier. Their sound unites blue-collar story telling with stage-shaking power chords, creating punk rock songs with a down-home twist. Back Alley Riot blends punk, rock, and southern boogie with an explosive live show that will leave you breathless and begging for more. With standout tracks like “Gasoline On The Fire” and “Gunfight”, fueled by Russell Katzenmaiers
jaw-dropping bass lines, Danny Starks’ raunchy chord attacks, and Matt Jankiewicz’s relentless drumming, look for Back Alley Riot to cause a ruckus in the rock landscape for years to come.
Well, Carnival is behind us and it’s ’bout time to get crawfish season into full swing, and that means it’s the perfect time to get to dancing with Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes!!! Coming up are some great opportunities to get that done, starting March 2nd with Sketch’s first appearance at Irvin Mayfield’s new I Club in the JW Marriott on Canal Street in the French Quarter. Looking for a party on St. Paddy’s Day? How ’bout JSDN rocking all night long at the Maple Leaf? ‘Nuff said. And make sure you come out to the Tulane Quad for a rockin’ FREE show on March 23rd at 4:30, then it’s off to Key West at the end of the month to rock the Green Parrot one more time before Festival season gets under way…
