THE TWILIGHT AND THE SOUND
THE TWIN CATS
THE TWO AGLETS
THE UGLY
THE UMA THURMANS
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD TO CANDYLAND
THE UNDERWATER
THE UNSEEN
The Unseen’s inception dates back to 1993 when Mark, Tripp and Scott met while at school in Boston. Looking for something to do after school and on the weekends the misfits began making noise in their parents’ basements. Influenced by artists such as The Clash, Bad Religion and Sick of it All, the guys began playing their own unique breed of Boston punk.
The bands project turned into a full-time gig in no time. Within only a few years the band had already carved a name for themselves in the local scene with their highly energetic shows and street hustled EPs. Over the course of the next few years the band released a slew of EPs and albums and in 2002 they added drummer Pat Melzard the lineup.
With the release of each album the band’s tour schedule got more intense. In 2004 the group began a whirlwind tour that included dates in Europe, North America, Austraila, Japan and Mexico with fellow punk bands Sick of it All, Suicide Machines, Agnostic Front and Hatebreed among others. Additionally the band has done several full headlining tours across the United States.
In 2005, The Unseen signed to Hellcat Records and released State of Discontent, an aggressively raw album with stains of political discontent. Following the release the group added long time friend and guitarist Jonny for an additional punch to the band’s already hostile sound. After opening for bands such as Tiger Army and Rancid in the US and Europe to support the album, the band launched a full-blown headlining tour of the US.
Unable to stay quiet or immobile after another relentless tour, The Unseen returned to their outpost in Stoughton, Massachusetts with longtime cohort and producer Jim Siegel in late 2006 to record their fifth album, Internal Salvation.
“To me the new album starts right where State of Discontent left off,” explains frontman Mark Unseen. “We are still the unseen still playing real heavy hardcore punk but we are also not afraid to make a pro sounding album or to try something a bit different sometimes. We have always wanted to stay the same band but progress a little each album.”
The Unseen, known for voicing their opinions on social and political matters, give listeners a heavy dose of what’s on their mind with Internal Salvation, featuring songs that deal with problems in the world to the extinction of originality and thought. “Lyrically the album is mainly about not knowing what is going on and feeling like you’re at a point where you don’t know what to do to get ahead,” says Unseen.
THE UPTONS
THE UPWELLING
THE URBANITES
THE USUAL
THE VALLEY GHOSTS
THE VAMATO
THE VAN BUREN BOYS
Chicago Rock n’ Roll / Power Pop!!!
“fun with a capital F”
– Un-Herd Music
“I probably shouldn’t like this as much as I do, but I probably shouldn’t drink so much or eat red meat either. But I will. And I do.”
– Roy Pearl, Pearl Before Swine
“Breathing oily rock n roll heart, these guys are wickedly in tune with each other…”
– Brian Kirst, Horror Society
“Right in line with The Riffs or some Eddie And The Hot Rods loving pre-junkies. Heavy on the pop sensibilities, this is ready for the big time.”
– Robert Collins, Maximum Rock n’ Roll
THE VAN GOGHS
THE VANDALS
THE VANDON ARMS
THE VENETIA FAIR
THE VERONA ACCOUNT
THE VIBRATORS
First wave U.K. Punk Rock since 1976. Still touring and recording.
THE VILLAINS OF VERONA
THE VINDITS
THE WABASH CANNONBALLS
THE WANDERERS
THE WANTON LOOKS
THE WARHAWKS
THE WARNING LABEL
THE WARRIORS
THE WAX INTELLECTUAL
THE WERKS
THE WEST SIDE WINDERS
THE WESTERN
THE WIITALA BROTHERS
THE WOODBOX GANG
THE STATION
THE STATUS
THE STEEPWATER BAND
You should already know these songs. If the old saying about talent equaling success were true, then The Steepwater Band would already be a household name, rubbing shoulders with Aerosmith, Bad Company and other like-minded travelers in our collective Rock ‘n Roll Fantasy. But that’s not how things always work, and this band knows it and still leans into it, smiling, with everything in them, not for brass rings and marquees, but because they must! For them, the music life is a calling and not some stupid costume one puts on to shake loose gold, fame, and groupies. In a land of caricatures, it’s striking to come face-to-face with the real thing.
Something primal lurks in their music, but always wrestling with emotions and stories that are everyday-ready ~ music at once strut-inducing sexy and brass knuckles honest, a sound evolved smartly & patiently through countless gigs, running the bulls whenever and wherever they’ve been welcomed since 1998. AC/DC once said, “If you got the dollar, we got the song / Just wanna boogie woogie all night long,” and The Steepwater Band surely embodies this lip-smacking urge to get some in this mean old world, befitting the group’s Chicago roots and their earthy understanding of crackling city blues.
The abiding, resounding passion inside this band is never in question. Dive into their seemingly endless catalog of songs just about anywhere, and the heart and muscle pumping away inside every track are palpable and present in a most pleasing way. Their sound is like a soundtrack for arm wrestling The Devil and then drinking shots with him ’til sunrise after you’ve pinned him down. Their songs bridge the miles between lovers, throw lines to brothers and sisters in need of some understanding and a spark that makes them shuffle, eyes closed, shaking off the day’s heavy load, ready for another round because the right song by the right band made them feel they had enough fight left in them. That’s the kind of band you’re dealing with here, and they’ll be doing this long after all the pretty boys, package acts, and pretenders have left the stage. – Dennis Cook
THE STEEPWATER BAND IS ~
Jeff Massey ~ lead vocals / guitars
Joe Winters ~ drums / percussion
Eric Saylors ~ guitars / lap steel / backing vocals
Joe Bishop ~ bass / backing vocals.
THE STEREOFIDELICS
Imagine you’re back in time enjoying the groove and virtuosity of a 70’s art-rock band then hurled decades forward, colliding with the energy and intensity of today’s rock scene. Four instruments, two dynamic voices, and a record of relentless touring have earned virtuosic pop-rock duo the StereoFidelics their reputation as a fun, high-energy live act. They perform with a natural passion and synchronicity that is augmented further once the audience realizes the guitar player is also playing bass with his feet or the drummer keeps the beat going while putting down the sticks and shredding the violin. Hard-core touring of the US and calling their van home for much of the year (performing around 225 shows per year) has gained the StereoFidelics a dedicated following around the country.
THE STITCH UP
THE STORY CHANGES
THE STORY OF EVEREST
THE STRAIGHT AS
THE STRANGE PILLS
THE STRANGER
THE STREETERS
THE SUBMARINE RACES
THE SUEDE BROTHERS
The Suede Brothers are a band from Ohio. They formed in 2007 and thrive in a coal room outside of Cleveland.
” The first things you’ll notice are the huge riffs singer/guitarist Dylan Francis punches you with. Rust-belt rock, if indeed a genre, has never been so large. An immediate recent reference that pops to mind is Wolfmother, but the major difference is Suede Brothers’ sound involves no gimmicks and the overall vibe and feeling of throwback power blues is honest and sincere. Francis shreds on his Les Paul and his high-pitched vocals are pulsing with raw energy.
THE SUMMER HIGHLIGHT
THE SUPERVILLAINS
Since the beginning of the year, fans of the Supervillains’ live shows have noticed something different in the band’s personnel department. Long-time bassist (and production wizard) Dan Grundorf has permanently handed over the reins and bass duties to BJ Hall, the band’s long-tenured stage/guitar-tech and bus driver. While Dan’s prowess and stage chops will be missed, fans should be more than satisfied with the new addition of BJ. A talented musician with a lengthy resume in the Central Florida scene, he is most recently recognized as playing with Abandon The Midwest, one of the main support acts for the Supervillains (as well as being signed to their label Rah Rah Rah Records). The Florida natives have been spending the winter months hunkered down in the Sunshine State playing festival dates (Including the inaugural OkeechobeeFest, one of the biggest Florida festivals in recent memory) and prepping songs for a new record (their 9th overall) tentatively slated for a late-2016 release. Gravitating back to their ska-punk roots, fans of the band should be excited for an up-tempo throwback record that showcases the Supervillains’ knack for mixing it up while still including a few staple slow-burn reggae gems. Look for the band to work in some of the new tracks alongside of their fan-favorites as they plow their way across the country in 2016.
THE SWAGGSTAS
THE SWEEPS
The foundation of any band is musical kinship. Within the exposed confines of a trio, this rapport is amplified, leaving an indelible mark on the songs. Glance through rock history and we see this repeatedly; the groundbreaking strut of Cream, the irresistible pop of The Police, the undone roar of Nirvana. Remove any member and the band’s core unravels. For Chicago-based trio, The Sweeps, this affinity is vital. Their core is firmly intact.
Each member of The Sweeps–Bob Dain, Santiago Torres, and Chris Dye (ex-Chin Up Chin Up)–brings a hefty presence to their lean arrangements. Challenging the sonic boundaries of a trio, both Dain and Torres sing with longing, conviction and fury. Dain’s dexterity, equal parts pedal-board and guitar, ranges from a delicate strum to an incandescent wail. Countering Dain, Torres brings a solid bass thump; playing slinky, soul-inflected rumblings along with fractured melodic fuzz. Dye’s hook-heavy drumming supports Dain and Torres, while lending a swaggering rhythmic architecture to the songs. Live, the band explodes with an infectious adrenaline that has ignited their strong Chicago fanbase, propelling them toward building a national audience.
On the band’s full-length debut, Swift Armour (out now), The Sweeps capture a live immediacy, yet further explore and refine their craft. Recorded at Chicago’s Minbal Studio with the help of producer/engineer, Benjamin Balcom, Swift Armour is an emotionally rich and honest evolution for the band. It is a collage of loud guitars and chanting vocal hooks, an intimately pounding cadence, a call to arms. It is a record with a strong sense of place, Chicago to be precise—the historic struggles, the dying and thriving neighborhoods—all inhabit these 13 tracks. From the lush death march of the opening title track to the dark pop hymn “1600cc Engine,” this record is equal parts confession, exultation and vindication: embittered but embracing. Swift Armour is an ode to Chicago: a battle between the harsh and the beautiful.