Dirty Rotten Imbeciles (also known as D.R.I.) are a United States hardcore punk/thrashcore/crossover thrash band that formed in Houston, Texas, in 1982. The band currently comprises founding members, vocalist Kurt Brecht and guitarist Spike Cassidy, as well as drummer Rob Rampy and bassist Harald Oimoen.
D.R.I. never gained a mainstream audience, but the integration of their hardcore punk roots with thrash metal influences was a stylistic catalyst for their contemporaries —most notably Suicidal Tendencies, Corrosion of Conformity, and Stormtroopers of Death— alongside whom they are considered pioneers of what would later be called “crossover thrash.” This subgenre was also coined from their 1987 album Crossover.
With over ten years on the DIY indie rock circuit, Driftless Pony Club has harnessed the power of YouTube to expose their angular, 90s styled indie rock to a diverse and widespread fanbase totally outside of the mainstream music industry. Through his quirky Youtube videos, lead singer Craig Benzine (AKA Wheezy Waiter) has amassed over 350,000 subscribers and pulled in fans from all corners of the world. The Chicago-based crew (Craig Benzine, Matt Weber, Sam Grant, and Nate Bartley) has packed venues in cities across the United States with more shows and more cities in the works.
Influenced by bands like The Pixies, Weezer, and most notably Modest Mouse, Driftless Pony Club has released three full length LPs and an EP. Their most recent album (released on DFTBA records), Buckminster, drew inspiration from the life and works of visionary architect, Buckminster Fuller yet ” . . somehow manages to rock despite its nerdy genesis.”
Droids Attack laid it’s first groove down in the small utility room of singer/guitarist, Brad Van’s, legendary vintage arcade, Aftershock Retrogames back in the fall of 2000. Brad, and drummer, Tony Brungraber, had met at a video game resale shop years earlier, and had started jamming shortly thereafter. By this they time had finally found a bassist, Nate Bush, to join them, so everything was in place. They began writing songs, and focused on developing a sound for what was intended to be their long term project. Once a full set’s worth of material was amassed, the band was off trying to land as many shows as it could. As fate would have it their first show was booked by then Crustacean Records representative, and future Droids Attack bassist, Darwin Sampson. It was a chance meeting that would help shape the group’s progression in several ways. Darwin enjoyed the band’s set that night, and saw potential enough to convince him they were a project worth adding to Crustacean’s expansive roster. Their debut album, “All Your Chicks Are Belong To Us” was released in 2004.
The gears started shifting, and before you knew it Droid Attack became recognized as one of the best live shows around Madison. “All Your Chicks” was met with great acclaim, earning the band some excellent press, and a Madison Area Music Award for best punk album of 2004. Moving forward, Droids continued writing and expanding on their sound, getting more epic in scope and feel with their 2006 Crustacean Records release, “Fatal/Error.” This album saw the group traveling outside of their Midwestern territory as the road beckoned them forth, most notably to Toronto for North By North East, and a Crustacean Records showcase in Austin at South By South West. Shortly thereafter, another independent label, Round 13 Records, took interest in the band and a split twelve inch record entitled “Thee 1987 Inch,” was released with new label mates, Imperial Battlesnake, on the flip side in 2008.
As the band stayed busy on the road touring steadily in support of their Round 13 release, Crustacean Records clamped down on it’s Midwestern focus with the hopes of branching off into more national territory, kicking out releases from acts like Killdozer, Off With Their Heads, Peelander Z, The Giraffes, and The Soviettes. Thankfully, the label continued to see value in their relationship with Droids Attack, and agreed to put out the band’s third full length album, “Must Destroy” in 2010. A music video was released for their song, “The Great Wall Of ‘Gina,” and a buzz began, earning Must Destroy steady airplay on independent radio, and favorable reviews on metal blogs and international publications such as Outburn, Decibel, and Giant Robot. This exposure opened up more opportunities, and the band was invited to play some heavy gigs, opening up for national acts like High On Fire, Torche, Floor, Priestess, and performing at the nation’s largest independent music festival, Riot Fest. It was at this time that the group decided if it was to ever move forward from here, they had to go big or go home. They decided to take a shot, and began writing material for their fourth album, “Sci-Fi Or Die,” intent on giving it their best possible performance, and producing the best sounding recording they had ever achieved. Once enough new material was amassed, they began the process of demo recording.
Many challenges presented themselves to the band during this period of time, which culminated in a parting of the ways with Nate Bush in the midst of their demo sessions. It was a difficult hurdle to overcome, but in an effort to keep the project working steadily toward their goal, the band recruited Crustacean label mate, Dennis Ponozzo, bassist from Below The Sound, to fill in. The re-formed group hit the practice space, and before too long the band was back on it’s feet. The demo sessions were revisited, and the band resumed their busy road schedule completing several regional, and national tours over the course of a year. By then, the group felt confident in their performance, and ready to begin the final recording sessions for “Sci-Fi Or Die.” The process of seeking a studio and engineer to take on the final project had begun. But alas, it was not meant to be. Dennis could no longer afford to spend the time it would take to commit to seeing everything through, and had to step aside. Once again the project was stalled at a crossroads, but Brad had another capable person in mind.
Darwin Sampson, no longer affiliated with Crustacean Records, was now running his own venue in Madison, WI, The Frequency, and maintaining an active role in the local music scene handling bass duties for several bands in the area. A call was made, the invitation to join Droids was enthusiastically accepted, and it was evident from the very first jam session that this line up was a solid match. After familiarizing himself with the entire Droids Attack catalog, it was time to take another look at “Sci-Fi Or Die.” Once again, the demo sessions were dusted off and pulled down from the shelf. After everything was completed to their satisfaction, Droids Attack booked time with Mark Whitcomb at DNA Studios to record and mix the final “Sci-Fi Or Die” sessions. Once everything was a wrap, Roger Lian at Masterdisk put the finishing touches on it, and after much consideration the band was satisfied that they had achieved everything they had initially set out to accomplish. “Sci-Fi Or Die” is to be released on the independent Midwestern label, Riff Reaper Records, on February 26th, 2016.
Formed in the Fall of 2008 on Chicago’s South Side, Drop Steady is a six-piece band hailing from across the United States and the carribean. Inspired by the traditional roots music of Jamaica, Drop Steady blends the sounds of reggae, ska, soca, dub and soul into a sonic cocktail guaranteed to awaken even the heaviest of dancing feet.
Combining a fresh diversity of musical talent, Drop Steady has already graced some of Chicago’s biggest stages, as well as being declared the winner of Harry Caray’s Battle Of The Bands 2009. Known for their raw on-stage energy and explosive live performances, Drop Steady captivates audiences with their soulful melodies, intricate harmonies, and powerful, driving riddims.
Drop Steady’s goal is pure and simple – MAKE ‘EM DANCE
Chicago’s own Dropped Once sets the bar with their trademark blend of reggae and rock. Their deep reaching bass lines, robust horns, and tasteful keys are topped with razor-sharp leads and unmistakable vocals that sell thousands of songs worldwide. Showcasing a lineup of 8 standout musicians, Dropped Once has built a sound that seamlessly fuses old world beats of the Caribbean with raw grooves of modern rock. Their innovative, original songs will drive crowds to dance, and a diverse selection of covers will hit home with fans of everyone from Bob Marley and Sublime to Radiohead and Pink Floyd.
Dorian Anthony Alexander Tajbakhsh, better known as Dorian Taj, is a guitarist and singer/songwriter from Chicago, IL. He made his first records with the hardcore punk band Articles of Faith, whom he joined just prior to the recording of their first album, “Give Thanks” produced by Bob Mould. Afterwards, he played in the local noise band, End Result, appearing on their lone release, a 12″ EP called “Ward” released on Steve Albini’s Ruthless label.. He later formed a rock band called “Wait For Light”. After living in Los Angeles for a time, the band returned to Chicago to record the debut Album at Phil Bonnet’s Solid Sound.After a European tour Wait For Light disbanded. D.T. eventually began performing with a band under his own name, the longest being the the Aaron Bakker, Tom Atteberry, Alex Moore/Danny Severson incarnation. Releasing the Puppet Record(Joe Irizarry, John Hiler sessions), The Tobacco Record(The Dave Trumfio sessions) , and The Hating Game(Dan Dietrick, Ed Tinley, Jeff Boyd sessions).The current band which features Anthony Rubino-guitar, justin Loftus-bass and Danny Severson-drums have finished the new album “Giant” which is now released (2014.)
Doug Stanhope is a stand-up comic. Has been since 1990.
His material ranges from true-life graphic perversion to volatile social criticism. Doug is vulgar, opinionated, brutally honest and shockingly uninhibited and is certainly not for everybody. He started his career in Las Vegas doing jack-off jokes for free drinks. Not much has changed, save for the mullet.
Doug has built a wide-ranging television resume of dubious achievement. He hosted The Man Show on Comedy Central as well as the ubiquitous pseudo-porn for the sexually crippled, “Girls Gone Wild”, both solely and shamelessly for financial gain. He has appeared on “The Howard Stern Show”, “Comedy Central Presents”, “Premium Blend”, NBC’s “Late Friday”, “Spy TV” BBC’s “Floor Show Live” while on ecstasy and wrote, produced and starred in Fox’s “Invasion of the Hidden Cameras” and has even popped up on “Fox News with Greta Van Sustern” and “The Jerry Springer Show”. In 2010, he was the Voice of America on the BBC’s “Charlie Brooker’s Newswipe”.
None of it compares to seeing him live; Doug is a two-time winner of Time Out New York’s “Best Comedy Performance of the Year”.
He’s appeared at multiple major comedy festivals including Montreal Just For Laughs, Aspen US Comedy Arts, Chicago Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Scotland, where he won the Strathmore Press Award for Best Act of the Fringe in his debut year.
Selected by both Variety and the Hollywood Reporter as one of the Top Ten Comics To Watch, Doug has released four CDs and three DVDs including “No Refunds” on Showtime in 2008.
Thomas ‘DJ Slugo’ Kendricks was born on Chicago’s South Side. With 20 plus years in the game, he is one of the original creators of a music style commonly known as ghetto house or more recently regarded as juke. Deriving from old school house, it is steeped with nuances from ghetto life traditions and descriptions. In 1992, he released his first truly professional mix tape, Ghetto Mix Part III. This tape landed in the hands of Ray Barney, CEO of the infamous Chicago-based Dance Mania label, resulting in a long stream of releases there, and affording DJ Slugo the freedom to form his own outlet, Subterranean Playhouse. Stepping to his own beat, he has remained a tireless staple of the genre he helped shape.
