CRUCIFORM INJECTION

Czar

CZAR

Chicago melodic doom cryptic sludge, in the key of ursa minor. Formed in 2009 from the ashes of Acumen Nation. Released 2 LPs and 1 EP on Cracknation Records, toured with Killing Joke in 2013, new album coming fall 2015. “Embraces their terse ugliness and yet they shove a lot of their bleak arrangements into elevating, cathartic pastures… they represent what’s innovative and intrepid in American underground metal.” -BLABBERMOUTH. Welcome to a depthless paradise of terror.

 

D.BESS OF PUBLIC PROPERTY

D.MEEKS & MIKEY STREETZ

D’NICK THE MICROPHONE MISFIT

DARIUS KENNEDY

Darius Kennedy is a native Chicagoan, and comedian. Raised on the South Side of Chicago, and the Northern Suburbs of Lake County, Illinois. He has studied at “Piven Theater”, “Second City Training Center”, and “Chicago Actors Studio”. He has been performing in the Midwest for nearly 20 years, opening and featuring for such notable performers as: Dwayne Kennedy, Hannibal Buress, and Josh Blue. With producing credits for “Entertainment Chicago LIVE”, “COCAINE MURDER JAM”, “Bad N Boozy”, “Neapolitan Comedy at the Store”, and “Night Night LATE Night”. He was recently performing on the “Milwaukee Comedy Festival 2019”. His album “The Ballad of Lonny Krivitz” is streaming on Spotify and ITunes, and was recently seen in the film “Tom Of Your Life” featured on Amazon Prime, iTunes, and at Chicago’s Music Box Theater.

DARRIN JAMES BAND

DARRIN JAMES BAND: THE LOVELY UGLY TRUTH

“Brooklyn singer-songwriter Darrin James touches on Robbie Robertson’s gruff soulfulness, Tom Waits’ vaudevillian menace and Paul Westerberg’s ramshackle charm…” Time Out New York

Much is known about the way music impacts the brain; very little is known about its effect on the heart. That instant, visceral sensation when a song connects is universal; while sincerity and authenticity are intangible qualities, they are always present in the positive listening experience. Darrin James has been a guitarist for 15 years and a songwriter for just under a decade, drawing on his love for blues, soul, country and other roots genres to create songs with a timeless quality. “As a songwriter, I have wanted to combine honest, dark lyrics with old school blues and a fusion of styles, to express the emotions and stories of tragic or flawed characters.” Darrin has succeeded mightily at this aim, his debut album, Thrones of Gold earned a wealth of kudos in the music press – The Deli Magazine had this to say, “The man’s got Joe Henry versatility, a crackerjack studio band and a great sense of craft…from a Lovett/Waits blues into a John Prine diatribe then rocketing off with an Elvis Costello pop gem.” The title track placed in American Songwriter’s Lyric Writing Contest with the lyrics appearing in the Nov/Dec 2006 issue. “Crazy World” was used in the segment of Emmy-nominated reality TV fave The Deadliest Catch in which the crew demonstrate advanced cases of “Bering Sea Dementia.”

The Lovely Ugly Truth is the follow up album, and it’s filled with parables that illustrate moral dilemmas and regret, outlaw stories, murder ballads and even a contemporary protest song that confronts the immigration debate. “I have always loved the saddest songs the best, so that is what I write most often,” explained James, who produced the album and assembled an ensemble of New York’s finest players, including staff from Antibalas, TV on the Radio, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Beirut and Arcade Fire. The tracks were recorded between 2007 and 2009 in numerous studios in New York by Matt Gill, who has worked with bands like Fischerspooner, Aimee Mann, The Raveonettes and Aqualung.

DAVID & GOLIATH

DAWN O’KEEFE WILLIAMS AND THE LUCKY DOGS

DEAD WINTER CARPENTERS

DECIBEL HOGG

DECIBEL HOGG is a “Rock and Roll Mutt” that tests the limits of contemporary song writing and instrumentation. The band is livin’ large, making the most of life, drinking beer and lovin’ whiskey. Decibel Hogg is well known for their extremely tight rhythmic grooves and unique vocal stylings offering a new experimental twist on the rock genre as you know it. Live shows are energy packed aimed to stimulate the entire audio and visual experience. CARPE DIEM SUCKAZ!!

DEICIDE

Twenty years ago, an underground cult movement surfaced in Tampa, Florida that revolutionized the metal world. The pioneers of this burgeoning scene, DEICIDE, are still striking fear into hearts of the masses to this day. Century Media Records are extremely proud to announce a worldwide deal with DEICIDE, one of the founding fathers of death metal and easily one of the most influential and controversial bands ever. With a relentlessly brutal sound and uncompromisingly blasphemous lyrics, DEICIDE helped set the standards for extreme metal and have maintained those standards ever since.

DEICIDE led by original members Glen Benton (vocals, bass) and Steve Asheim (drums) have been busy at Audiohammer Studios with Mark Lewis (Black Dahlia, Chimaira) and are looking at a summer ’09 release. The group have reunited with legendary guitarists Jack Owen (ex-Cannibal Corpse) and Ralph Santolla (Obituary, ex-Iced Earth, Death) and will embark on a two-week European tour in January 2009.

Benton states: “I want to say it is an honor to be an official CM artist. I look forward to working with the fine folks at CM and providing them with our style of metal. I can ensure you that what surfaces will definitely be nothing less than a total bash-your-face-in-from-start-to-finish, bastard. HAIL SATAN!!!!”

Asheim further comments: “I’m happy to be a part of the CM family and look forward to working with them. The new DEICIDE material in the works should be a good way to kick off the new deal. It’s a totally sick new record with a totally sick new label, but the same ol’ sick DEICIDE. See you all in 2009 and hold onto your balls!”

DEICIDE released their groundbreaking self-titled debut in 1990. Recorded at Tampa’s Morrisound Studio (the legendary studio where the band would go on to record all its albums), the vicious debut would soon be hailed as one of the “Top 100 Metal Albums of the 90’s” by England’s metal authority, Terrorizer Magazine. In 1992, DEICIDE followed up their debut with “Legion”, which was an instant success, further establishing their furious musical intensity and vengeful anti-Christian stance. This landmark extreme metal release secured their place at the forefront of the American death metal scene as they rapidly earned a reputation for controversy.

DEICIDE’s appearance and live antics matched the extremity of their music and lyrics. With an inverted cross branded into his forehead, Benton cast himself as the incarnation of pure evil. At shows, he was known to pull such stunts as dousing the crowds with bags full of real animal organs. DEICIDE quickly found themselves banned from clubs, boycotted by magazines, and blacklisted by Christian groups and animal-rights activists. Anti-establishment to the core, DEICIDE embodied the worst fears of the conservative masses, and loved it. Rather than shy away from controversy, DEICIDE provoked it and willingly engaged in it.

DEICIDE stormed ahead into the future, releasing numerous albums engulfed by waves of controversy, as their popularity continued to ferment within the scene. However, it was the 2006 release “The Stench of Redemption” that put the band back on the map as the leaders of the genre. This was their first album to showcase the more melodic leads of guitarists Owen and Santolla which only added to their riotous and enigmatic success. DEICIDE looks forward to taking things to the next level in 2009, promising to deliver the album of their already heralded career.

BAREFOOT FRED

BARREN EARTH

BAT MASTERSON

BEARKAT

BEARKAT, the musical progeny of multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Katy Pearson, is rich with influences of almost every musical idiom.

Born in Columbia, MO, raised in Maryland, Bearkat’s real home is on the road. She will be regularly touring and traveling this great country. With her toes dipped in the traditions of jazz, rock, old-time and the traditional harmony of Bach and the like, Bearkat weaves a new melodic tapestry from old cloth.

Bearkat started back in 2007, releasing her first full length album, “Suitcase Swimmers” in 2008. Now, with 2 albums under her belt (Releasing her EP The Happy in 2010) Bearkat will release her 3rd album, “Houses on a Hill” on September 4th, 2012. This album is truly a labor of love, Pearson and her drummer man/band mate Brian Bringelson playing all of the instruments on the record, which when they counted totaled some ridiculous number of 20 or something! Hunkering down in her parents house for 2 months and then more hunkering back in California, Bearkat and Bringelson have finally completed what feels to be Pearson’s most adventurous record to date.

BELPHEGOR

SUPREME DEATH/ BLACK METAL ART SINCE 1993

BELPHEGOR emerges as one of the most extreme line ups to ever come out of the death black metal scene. The band members themselves describe their hellride as “Supreme Death/ Black Metal Art”

SEYN TODT IN SCHWARTZ

1993: The now legendary demo on Maxi Cd format, BLOODBATH IN PARADISE, is circulated within the underground and earns BELPHEGOR the reputation of an unrepentant, blasting war machine. 1995: The first studio album, THE LAST SUPPER, is released on Lethal Records and is a welcomed collection of infernal hymns for their growing fan base. Following their own path of sin and befitting their ever-evolving anti-religious, anti-life attitude, BELPHEGOR’s logo gets revamped to incorporate two inverted crosses completely surrounded by blood representing the slaughter of Christians and martyrs.
1997: Last Episode Records releases BLUTSABBATH. BELPHEGOR’s sinister reputation continues to gain momentum.

MUSICA INFERNALIA

2000: Stagnation means death! The band spreads their disease once again via NECRODAEMON TERRORSATHAN, logging yet another volume of blasphemy added to The Vatican Library. 2002: BELPHEGOR celebrates their 10th anniversary by capturing a live set with songs played even faster than their original studio recordings on INFERNAL LIVE ORGASM
(released on their own label, Phallelujah Productions).

DIE TOTEN REITEN SCHNELL

2003: Produced at Mastersound Studios, BELPHEGOR cram their high-speed murderous brutality into the 8-track release of LUCIFER INCESTUS, and then tour again throughout Europe. 2005: The band opts to once again to work with Alex Krull at Mastersound to create the morbid GOATREICH – FLESHCULT, and later shredding Europe with the infamous X-Mass Festival and an eighteen dates headliner tour. “We don’t give a fuck about anything and don’t let anyone talk us into doing anything. Only the music counts!”
PEST TEUFEL APOKALYPSE

Produced, mixed, and mastered by Andy Classen at Stage One Studio in Kassel, Germany, and featuring artwork by Seth Siro Anton PESTAPOKALYPSE VI is, on the one hand, a concept album based on The Devil, Pestilence, and The Apocalypse, and on the other, a lesson in infernology. Incorporating unconventional harmonies with dynamic execution and monumentally aggressive vocal work, its multi-language approach (the German verses in “Bluhtsturm Erotika” are taken from the works of Marquis de Sade & Goethe; “Sanctus Perversum” defiles the church’s monopoly on Latin) accurately represents the infernal musical landscape BELPHEGOR comfortably inhabits.

Accept it: our world is necessarily haunted by evil, and when the armies of the dead return with their pestilence to annihilate the living, there will be no better guides while traveling down the fiery road to the endless abyss of Hell than BELPHEGOR.

BONDAGE GOAT ZOMBIE: BDSM & SATHAN 2008

With their seventh Album, suitably titled BONDAGE GOAT ZOMBIE, the Death/ Black Metal institution crushes all their previous releases! A real massacre of pounding Death Metal and majestic, hyper fast Black Metal spread out over nine killer songs full of diabolical possession, and pure darkness! BONDAGE GOAT ZOMBIE is their most mature effort up to day, this time BELPHEGOR have managed to melt ultra blastbeats and heaviness to one union.

The Fleischwerk was once again recorded in three sessions form November 2007 to January 2008 with Andy Classen in the famous Stage One Studios in Kassel/Germany – guarantying a smashing and powerful production.
The concept of the album is inspired by the infamous Marquis De Sade (1740 – 1814), giving the lyrics of the album a blessed touch of Evil. As on the last album, the vocals are held in English, German and Latin.
BONDAGE GOAT ZOMBIE is once again a lesson in violence and a true offering when it comes to crushing Metal with the extra punch in the face.

BELPHEGOR continue to keep the fucking devil and demonic spirit in Metal music alive…

BIG SEAN

BLACK ANVIL

BLACK BERET

Black Milk

BLACK MILK

As one of the most celebrated producers and rappers of his generation of hip-hop artists, Black Milk has conditioned fans and critics to expect the unexpected with each release. Few producers have earned the notoriety and respect he has as a musician, and when that is coupled with commanding talent as an emcee, it’s no surprise that his solo releases are met with exalted anticipation. His forthcoming full-length album If There’s A Hell Below continues Black’s trend of releasing material that maintains his signature sound while pushing it into new territory.

With more than a decade of industry experience and a rich catalog of recordings, Black Milk has transitioned from one of hip-hop’s young rising stars to a veteran with a uniquely well-rounded pedigree. After scoring his first production credit for Slum Village as a teenager in 2002, he eventually worked closely with the group and co-produced much of their two following albums. His self-released, full-length project Sound of the City (2005) led to his first record deal, and he began to gain international attention for the soul-sample driven style on his proper solo debut Popular Demand (2007). Four solo rap albums (Tronic, Album of the Year, No Poison No Paradise and Glitches In The Break), an instrumental album (Synth or Soul), numerous collaboration albums (Caltroit with Bishop Lamont, The Set Up with Fat Ray, Black and Brown with Danny Brown, Random Axe with Sean Price and Guilty Simpson and Burning Stones with Mel), and 2 singles with Jack White later, Black Milk remains one of hip-hop’s most consistent artists.

Bringing his numerous recordings to life with live band Nat Turner, Black Milk has also been recognized as a genuine and poised performer, one of hip-hop and music’s most acclaimed live acts.

BOBBY CONN + MONICA BOU BOU

Bones

BONES

Formed from the ashes of Usurper in ’09, Apocalyptic Warlord (drums), Carcass Chris (guitars) and Jon Necromancer (bass/vox) are coming to bludgeon your brain with their unique brand of 3 chord heavy metal. Not exactly death metal, or punk, or black metal, but a weird hybrid of all forms of LOUD music.

BRANDON ADAMS

BRANDON HARROD

BRIDGET LYONS

BYRON

CAMILLE BROWN

CANADIAN TUXEDO

CARBON TIGERS

Five college students begun writing music in a Chicago basement during the summer of 2009. Over the next year the quintet went on to win AT&T’s Midwest College Battle of the Band and 3rd place at Columbia College Chicago’s Biggest Mouth competition. Over the next few years the band faced member changes along with their van and equipment getting stolen after a show. During this time, the band refined their sound and shared the stage with Cold War Kids, Russian Circles, Maps & Atlases, Chance The Rapper, Maritime, Biffy Clyro, Walk The Moon, and more. During the summer of 2013, Carbon Tigers started recording their third release, The Wars at Home, with Jon Alvin in Crystal Lake, IL. Since the November EP release, the band made a SXSW ’14 appearance with five performances including the Audiotree, Big Picture Media/Glamour Kills, and AEMMP Records showcases, along with several sold-out shows in the midwest. Carbon Tigers is set to perform at multiple festivals throughout the United States and will be hitting the studio again with Zak Jablow (Chance The Rapper, Kids These Days) and Matt Hennessy (Jay-Z, Beyonce) for a Spring 2015 release.

CASA KARMA

CAUTION

CHEERS ELEPHANT

Cheryl And The Dynamics

CHERYL AND THE DYNAMICS

Cheryl and the Dynamics play gritty electric blues and raucous R&B. They play at various venues in Chicago, most notably Buddy Guy’s Legends and the main stage at the House of Blues. They are happy to be returning to Reggie’s to bring their flavor of great Chicago music.

GOOD EVENING

THE ANATOMY OF SOUND

THE VERITABLE RENAISSANCE

The Socialists

THE SOCIALISTS

The Socialists are a sister, brother, sister, father 4 piece band from Chicago. They are called The Socialists because every band member sings and plays every instrument. They learned to play music by playing covers of their favorite bands like The Smiths, Joy Division, and LCD Soundsystem. The Socialists distinctive sound can be heard on their debut EP, Eponymous. They continue to perform locally in many of Chicago’s legendary concert venues.

MIGHT COULD

Might Could started as a duo. Andy Tillotson and Tim McCaskey used their acoustic guitars to survive grad school. They made a home-burned CD with a few songs on it.

Around 2003, they met Aaron Geller, an undergrad chem major at the time. It just so happened he knew an obscure harmony part to a video game song the duo knew, so he joined up and made Might Could a three-guitar band. Andy and Aaron are the main songwriters.

Luis “Gordo” Nasser knew the original duo from the physics department (so now 3 of the members have a PhD in physics), and happily signed on. Might Could happily welcomed Gordo since he is a veteran of several musical projects (like Sonus Umbra and Kurgan’s Bane) and he brought bass and songwriting expertise to Might Could. The full lineup of three guitars and one bass is full, dynamic, and fun to listen to.

We’ve released three critically acclaimed (and more importantly, warmly received) full length albums: The first is called All Intertwined, and it was finished in August of 2005. The second is called Wood Knot, and was finished sometime in 2007. Our latest, Relics from the Wasteland, was released in 2013.

Might Could tries to entertain listeners by creating and performing songs with rhythmically interesting, tight, and neatly interlocking parts. Our music serves as a contrast to guitar albums filled with endless soloing. People have told us our songs seem to draw from influences ranging from heavy metal to progressive rock to jazz, and we’ve been compared to King Crimson, the California Guitar Trio, Steve Morse, Michael Hedges, and Béla Bartók. Our interests are playing live often and writing material that is challenging and rewarding, both for ourselves and our audience.

 

Andy, Tim, and Luis also perform in the band Sonus Umbra.

PAPI JAMON

JUCIFER

– Founded in 1993, Jucifer pioneered the sludge / doom metal duo

– They are one of the earliest heavy two piece bands and even more unusual for playing all-live (no loops, keyboard bass samples or drum machine).

– Jucifer trademarks including their enormous amp rig and unconventional shifting / combining of genres have influenced and inspired many over two decades.

– The band has performed steadily and released albums through the 90’s and 00’s on both major and indie labels as well as recently founding their own Nomadic Fortress label which is distributed by Relapse.

– During the 90’s Jucifer was based in Georgia, but in 2001 moved permanently into their tour vehicle. They have lived entirely on wheels for the 13 years since and have stated that this homeless, nomadic life was undertaken to facilitate playing “as many shows as we possibly can”. Their endless tour typically covers 20 or more countries each year.

– Jucifer shows are known for being extremely heavy and loud, blending elements of sludge, doom, black metal, death metal, thrash, crust, grind, drone, and noise with occasional melodic passages. Performances are ritual and cathartic, and frequently include improvised sections between or even during the songs. The guitar is downtuned to various non-standard tunings, which lends an unexpectedly pleasing quality to the high volume employed.

– Jucifer has expressed distaste for conforming to a genre but has invented names to describe their blend of styles including “deathdrone” “blackcrust” and “grindgaze”.

– Jucifer’s live sound has been compared to Celtic Frost, Melvins, Slayer, Black Sabbath, Necrophagia and Napalm Death, as well as bands of their own generation (Jesus Lizard, Darkthrone, Neurosis, Morbid Angel, Harvey Milk, Electric Wizard, Eyehategod, Acid King) and younger groups Lightning Bolt and Sunn0))).

– Because of their knack for odd compositions and onstage improvisation, some have also likened Jucifer shows to the work of Miles Davis and John Zorn.

– Jucifer’s albums are impressively diverse, though often not representative of their core style. 2010’s ‘Throned In Blood’ album was the first full length to draw almost entirely from this core, but its sparse production (planned to sound “old school” according to the band) fails to do justice to their massive tones live.

– Early work by Jucifer was released on local independent labels prior to 1999’s signing with major label Capricorn Records and subsequently (2006) Relapse Records.

– In 2010 Jucifer founded their own Nomadic Fortress imprint and issued the album ‘Throned In Blood’ via NF with distribution by Relapse, and LP licensed by Alternative Tentacles Records. Jucifer also licensed their ‘Autocannibalist’ EP to Canada’s Choking Hazard Records and contributed songs to a Terrorizer Magazine (England) compilation and to two French comps: ‘Falling Down II’ and ‘Endless DVD’

– In October 2011 the reissued 1994 EP ‘Nadir’ was released for digital download by Grindcore Karaoke, J. Randall of Agoraphobic Nosebleed digital-only label.

– LP version of ‘Nadir’ was released in October 2012 by Mutants of the Monster, the new label run by Christopher “C.T.” Terry of the band Rwake and filmmaker / video editor /metalhead David Hall (Maryland Deathfest The Movie DVD series, vinyl from Rwake, Surachai, Tellusian, and Biipiigwan). Mutants of the Monster is distributed by Sony RED.

– July 17, 2013 saw the release of Jucifer’s eighth studio album ‘за волгой для нас земли нет’ on limited edition CD via their own Nomadic Fortress label and partner Mutants of the Monster. A second CD pressing was issued in November 2013.

– Gatefold double LP of ‘за волгой для нас земли нет’ was also released in November via Alternative Tentacles.

– ‘за волгой для нас земли нет’ made several “best of 2013” lists including iTunes, NPR Music, and artist lists by members of Fuck The Facts, SubRosa and Deafheaven.

– Jucifer’s “20 Years Slaying Ears” tour from January through December 2013 included 32 countries including the band’s first performances in Bosnia, Serbia, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Lithuania and Greece.

– Jucifer is currently recording for a split 7″ on French label Witch Bukkake.

– Jucifer is also in the process of recording for a side project with drummer Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Fantomas, PHILM) and a split with Aaron Deal (Darkest Hour, ex-Salome).

– Jucifer’s endless tour continues with U.S. dates already announced for early 2014 as well as a mainstage appearance at England’s Temples Festival in May alongside Neurosis, Electric Wizard and Clutch.

 

The Aaron Williams Band

THE AARON WILLIAMS BAND

The Aaron Williams Band has completed recording our new album to be released in spring 2014 in Austin during SXSW. We have been ambitiously recording and writing with Grammy producer Johnny K at Groovemaster Studio in our hometown, Chicago. Johnny, having a leading reputation in the music industry works with several reputable bands and musicians. Working with him has been a surreal process creating our new album by utilizing both our experience and passion for making music.

BUNNY’S A SWINE

THE COCKER SPANIELS

LEAF BIRD

MAPMAKER

VOLCANO!

MONDO TOPLESS

FRANCE JEAN-BAPTISTE

JAN JAMES