NOTHING IS FOREVER
NOTHING TO GAIN
From the fires of hell they rise with powerful guitar riffs, pounding bass lines, and intense drummming to make a permanent scar on the Chicago music scene. With influences such as The Koffin Kats, Mad Sin, Eddie Cochran, and Johnny Cash they’re not here to tell you how to dress, who to be, or what to believe in. They sing of your nightmares and quiet possibly some of your dreams. Lifes to short to worry about money, politics, and religion so fuck all of that and lets have a good time!!
NEBULA
Guitarist Eddie Glass and drummer Ruben Romano formed Nebula in 1997 after breaking away from desert rock pioneers Fu Manchu, eventually recruiting bassist Mark Abshire. This power trio specializes in feedback-drenched heavy rock, incorporating liberal doses of Black Sabbath riffery, psychedelia, and space rock. The band released a number of EPs before moving onto full-length albums like 1999’s To the Center and 2001’s Charged. They’ve mainly distinguished themselves as a very hard-working live unit. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi
NED BROWN
NEEDERS & GIVERS
NEFARIOUS FAT CATS
What do you get when you take punk rock legends from Stiff Little Fingers, Pegboy and Dummy and ask them to play together for charity? A helluva good time! Katie made us do it!
NEIL DIAMOND PHILLIPS
NEKROMANTIX
Never self-serious while far from a joke at the same time, Nekromantix is a musical unearthing of the biggest themes from the greatest works of monster, zombie, vampire, werewolf and b-horror fiction; ripped from literature, comic book pages or classic celluloid. Nekromantix chases a darkly romantic muse with an even darker humor.
The Nekromantix catalog boasts enduring genre classics like the unapologetically hooky yet undeniably fierce “Who Killed the Cheerleader?” and “Gargoyles Over Copenhagen” alongside subversively sentimental cuts like “Haunted Cathouse” and “Subcultural Girl.” There are echoes of rock n’ roll’s greats and punk rock icons alike, all with modern flair.
A Symphony of Wolf Tones & Ghost Notes broadens the Nekromantix legacy with expansive ambition that never sacrifices the trio’s inherent grittiness, furiously stoking and reshaping the flames of the creative vision begun in Denmark with legendary labels like Nervous Records, through the band’s master classes in punk n’ roll albums stateside with Hellcat Records, the label cofounded by Tim Armstrong and Brett Gurewitz.
Armed with his signature coffin bass, chilling baritone, monstrous expressions and ten-stories-tall haircut, Kim Nekroman has earned tremendous respect, admiration and goodwill from a fiercely dedicated legion of hard-partiers, rabble-rousers, well-meaning degenerates, grease monkeys, outlaw bikers, nostalgic tastemakers and forward-thinking punks. It’s a crew of supporters as diverse as the otherwise classic and timeless music the Danish-born California transplant has unleashed as leader of Nekromantix.
Nekroman’s notorious quiff is as instantly recognizable as the coffin bass he’s slapped into submission on nine studio albums, countless worldwide tours and festivals. The quiff, of course, combines the midcentury rebel style of the pompadour and flattop with the punk attitude of New York and Europe from the late 70s. It’s a fitting symbol for the style of music Nekromantix has perfected into an art form, a rollicking psychobilly sound with reverence for the genre’s origins and predecessors, infused with an iconoclastic boundlessness that refuses to abandon the electric catharsis of unadulterated fun.
Return of the Loving Dead (2002) marked a career resurgence and subcultural breakthrough for what was previously a feverishly cherished underground band best known outside of North America, via now legendary records like Curse of the Coffin (1991), Brought Back to Life (1994), Demons Are a Girl’s Best Friend (1996) and their unstoppable debut, Hellbound (1989). The new millennium brought the band to America (at first to tour and eventually, to stay), conjuring into the world new Nekro landmarks in the forms of Dead Girls Don’t Cry (2004), Life is a Grave & I Dig It! (2007) and What Happens in Hell, Stays in Hell (2011), as Nekroman steered the band through shifting lineups and energized shows with bands like Rancid and Reverend Horton Heat.
Nekroman has been joined by skilled guitarist Francisco Mesa for nearly a decade now, with drummer Adam Guerrero bringing a fresh injection of passionate enthusiasm to the band in 2014. A Symphony of Wolf Tones & Ghost Notes is a fertile proving ground for a reenergized lineup that fans of the band have already loved for two years. New songs like “Glow in the Dark,” “War Bats” and “Resting Witch Face” are instant classics, standing mightily alongside the greatest Nekromantix songs enduring in their set list.
There are some bands whose sound, image and front person became synonymous with an entire subculture, whether as originators of a particular style, a crucial innovator among a handful of likeminded artists, or simply as the best embodiment of everything a specific style has to offer. Rock historians may debate who reigns supreme among Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, but there’s no denying they are all heavy metal titans. When someone says “Lemmy” or “Strummer” or “Blondie,” certain feelings are immediately invoked. There’s a palpable energy in the air among hardcore acolytes and culture mavens. It’s a kind of iconic resonance that transcends boundaries.
To their dedicated army of supporters around the world and across every dimension, Nekromantix stands tall among the ghosts in rock n’ roll’s undead cemetery.
The Nekromantix catalog boasts enduring genre classics like the unapologetically hooky yet undeniably fierce “Who Killed the Cheerleader?” and “Gargoyles Over Copenhagen” alongside subversively sentimental cuts like “Haunted Cathouse” and “Subcultural Girl.” There are echoes of rock n’ roll’s greats and punk rock icons alike, all with modern flair.
A Symphony of Wolf Tones & Ghost Notes broadens the Nekromantix legacy with expansive ambition that never sacrifices the trio’s inherent grittiness, furiously stoking and reshaping the flames of the creative vision begun in Denmark with legendary labels like Nervous Records, through the band’s master classes in punk n’ roll albums stateside with Hellcat Records, the label cofounded by Tim Armstrong and Brett Gurewitz.
Armed with his signature coffin bass, chilling baritone, monstrous expressions and ten-stories-tall haircut, Kim Nekroman has earned tremendous respect, admiration and goodwill from a fiercely dedicated legion of hard-partiers, rabble-rousers, well-meaning degenerates, grease monkeys, outlaw bikers, nostalgic tastemakers and forward-thinking punks. It’s a crew of supporters as diverse as the otherwise classic and timeless music the Danish-born California transplant has unleashed as leader of Nekromantix.
Nekroman’s notorious quiff is as instantly recognizable as the coffin bass he’s slapped into submission on nine studio albums, countless worldwide tours and festivals. The quiff, of course, combines the midcentury rebel style of the pompadour and flattop with the punk attitude of New York and Europe from the late 70s. It’s a fitting symbol for the style of music Nekromantix has perfected into an art form, a rollicking psychobilly sound with reverence for the genre’s origins and predecessors, infused with an iconoclastic boundlessness that refuses to abandon the electric catharsis of unadulterated fun.
Return of the Loving Dead (2002) marked a career resurgence and subcultural breakthrough for what was previously a feverishly cherished underground band best known outside of North America, via now legendary records like Curse of the Coffin (1991), Brought Back to Life (1994), Demons Are a Girl’s Best Friend (1996) and their unstoppable debut, Hellbound (1989). The new millennium brought the band to America (at first to tour and eventually, to stay), conjuring into the world new Nekro landmarks in the forms of Dead Girls Don’t Cry (2004), Life is a Grave & I Dig It! (2007) and What Happens in Hell, Stays in Hell (2011), as Nekroman steered the band through shifting lineups and energized shows with bands like Rancid and Reverend Horton Heat.
Nekroman has been joined by skilled guitarist Francisco Mesa for nearly a decade now, with drummer Adam Guerrero bringing a fresh injection of passionate enthusiasm to the band in 2014. A Symphony of Wolf Tones & Ghost Notes is a fertile proving ground for a reenergized lineup that fans of the band have already loved for two years. New songs like “Glow in the Dark,” “War Bats” and “Resting Witch Face” are instant classics, standing mightily alongside the greatest Nekromantix songs enduring in their set list.
There are some bands whose sound, image and front person became synonymous with an entire subculture, whether as originators of a particular style, a crucial innovator among a handful of likeminded artists, or simply as the best embodiment of everything a specific style has to offer. Rock historians may debate who reigns supreme among Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, but there’s no denying they are all heavy metal titans. When someone says “Lemmy” or “Strummer” or “Blondie,” certain feelings are immediately invoked. There’s a palpable energy in the air among hardcore acolytes and culture mavens. It’s a kind of iconic resonance that transcends boundaries.
To their dedicated army of supporters around the world and across every dimension, Nekromantix stands tall among the ghosts in rock n’ roll’s undead cemetery.
NELKEN
NERDLESQUE
NERVE DAMAGE
NETHERFRIENDS
Netherfriends is Shawn Rosenblatt. He is always on tour and releases music like it’s the end of the world. He finished a year long project of writing and recording a song and performing in all 50 states. When he performs live he uses 2 loop pedals and various instruments. He tries his best to dance like James Brown
NEVER AGAIN
NEVERLAND
NEVERMORE
NEW COLONY SIX
NEW COLOSSUS
NEW DUNCAN IMPERIALS
NEW FRONTIERS
NEW GENERATION DUDES
NEW GHOSTS
NEW HIGHWAY CODE
NEW THRILL PARADE
NEW YEARS DAY
Female fronted dark pop/rock. Sounds like My Chemical Romance meets Paramore.
NFC (NO FAT CHICKS)
NGUZO
NICHOLAS TREMULIS
Closing in on 30 years as a recording artist, Nicholas Tremulis of The Nicholas Tremulis Orchestra or NTO as they’re known affectionately in the Chicagoland area, has recorded over 8 albums in his storied career and has played and recorded with trainload of legandary artists from Keith Richards to Billy Corgan and Wilco. Always rocking, surprising and challenging himself, this is one of the must see live artists Chicago has to offer.
NICK -N- BEANS
NICK MOSS BAND
After 30 years in the Blues and based in Chicago, The Nick Moss Band performs across the country & around the world. Look for the NEW Alligator Records re-release with Dennis Gruenling – “Lucky Guy” – now in stores and online!
NICK MOSS & THE FLIPTOPS
Nick Moss has followed his most critically and commercially successful album to date (‘Privileged’) with the release of ‘Here I Am,’ a record already drawing raves from peers and mentors, like renowned bluesman Jimmy Thackery, who has praised this new set for “pushing the evolution of his music” with tunes that are “genuine and intense.”
‘Here I Am’ is bursting with personal growth and the kind of honesty fans have come to expect from Moss, whose unique approach to traditional Chicago blues on five studio records and two live albums resulted in multiple Blues Music Award nominations from the Blues Foundation. Here I Am is the confident statement from Moss the new path he forged on ‘Privileged’ was just the beginning. These 10 new originals combine to create the most diverse album of his career as he pushes his sound, songwriting, and lead guitar work further than ever before.
Moss has given guitar lovers plenty to sink their teeth into with extended songs and solos but there’s more to Here I Am than just great lead playing. Moss and his band again use a foundation of blues, rock, and roots as starting points but take new and unexpected turns on these 10 originals whether it’s the funk-fused jam session of “Caught By Surprise” or the gospel-tinged first single “It’ll Turn Around.”
“It’ll Turn Around” is timely and timeless, offering an uplifting message of hope in tumultuous times that find people struggling to put their life back together after earthquakes and hurricanes against a backdrop of economic turmoil.
Moss is backed on ‘Here I Am’ by keyboard/organist Travis Reed, Michael Ledbetter (guitar/backing vocals), and Patrick Seals (drums). Bass duties on the record were handled by Nik Skilnik and “Stumpy” Hutchkins but it will be Matthew Wilson on bass and backing vocals on the ‘Here I Am tour,’ giving Moss his most versatile lineup yet.
NICOLE GARZA
Nicole’s condensed list of accomplishments are as follows: Recorded with Harry Maslin & Michele Maslin-Vice, Grand Prize winner & 4th in Hip Hop/R&B in the Madison Songwriters Group Contest, Chart topping album titled Nicki G Versatility, 6th place in Wayne Brady’s Hard Rock the House Talent Search, 4th in Chicago Idol, 3rd in the Yamaha Song Contest, Region Idol Runner-Up, Walter E. Smithe Commercial Winner, Rocktstar: Supernova Finalist, the ABC Music Project: The One finalist Major Performances: Star Plaza Theatre, Taste of Chicago Pertrillo Band Shell, Auditorium Theatre, Athenaeum Theatre, Apollo Theatre, Daley Plaza, MGM Grand, Gary & Chicago Air Shows, FOX News, Navy Pier Skyline Stage, United Center, Green Dolphin Street, Arlington Racetrack, Toyota Park, UIC Pavillion, Back-up vocalist for Faith Hill, The Abbey Resort Lake Genvea, Cedar Rapids Country Club, Diversey Yacht Club, & sang with Huey Lewis & The News.
NIGHT KNIGHTS
NIGHTMARE OF YOU
MUNGER
MUNICIPAL WASTE
MURDER BY DEATH
On the surface, Murder By Death is a Bloomington, IN quintet with a wry, ominous name. But behind the geography and moniker is a band of meticulous and literary songwriters matched by a specific brand of brooding, anthem-riding balladry and orchestral indie rock.
Murder By Death’s path began in the early 2000s as most Midwestern college-town groups do, by playing to small crowds at ratty venues and frenzied house parties. While many of their formative-year scene-mates failed to make it much further than campustown’s borders, Murder By Death translated their anonymous beginnings into a 10+ year career founded on a bedrock of five full-length albums, tireless D.I.Y. touring and performing ethics, and, most importantly, a dedicated, cult-like fanbase.
Since the band began in 2001, their audience has blossomed due in part to extended tours alongside similarly hardworking musical kin such as Against Me!, Gaslight Anthem, Lucero, William Elliott Whitmore, Ha Ha Tonka, and others. Through more than 1,000 performances across the United States, Canada and Europe, Murder By Death has gained word-of-mouth devotees and support from the likes of media outlets like SPIN Magazine, who said of the band, “They brawl like Johnny Cash’s cellmates or dreamily swoon like Nick [Cave], stomping saloon floorboards in 4/4 time as grand strings fade into high noon.”
What resonates most with supporters is the band’s energetic, unique, and altogether consistent sound and conceptualized vision. The personnel and ingredients of the group consist of Sarah Balliet’s throaty cello melodies, singer/guitarist Adam Turla’s booming baritone vocals and brawny guitar strumming, drummer Dagan Thogerson and bassist Matt Armstrong’s locked-down, post-punk rhythm section interplay, and Scott Brackett’s (formerly of Okkervil River and Shearwater) multi-instrumentalist bag of tricks (including piano, trumpet, accordion, mandolin, vocals, percussion). The overriding sound is an amalgamation of textures ranging from dark and desolate to upbeat and brightly melodic, all of it landing somewhere under the orchestrated indie rock umbrella.
The other mainstay signature element of Murder By Death’s identity has been built by the overriding concepts behind each individual album. Every successive effort conjures up fresh imaginative and tactile worlds – whether it’s the battle between the Devil and a small Western town (Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them?, 2003), an arid land of death and redemption (In Bocca al Lupo, 2006), or just songs inspired by a retreat into the Tennessee mountains (Good Morning, Magpie, 2010).
On September 25, the band releases their newest full-length and Bloodshot Record’s debut Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon. The album was written throughout 2011 in a basement in southern Indiana, and recorded in winter 2011 in Dallas, TX with producer-in-demand John Congleton (Explosions in the Sky, St Vincent, Black Mountain).
MURLEY SHERTZ
MUSHROOM MURDER MOB
MUSIKANTO
MUSTARD MEN
MUTE
MUTILATORS!
MUTINY WITHIN
MUTUAL DIVORCE
MY ALUMNI
MY BLOODY VALENTINE DANCE PARTY
MY COLD DEAD HAND
MY MY MY
MY VELOURIA
MYSOIREE
MYSTIC
NACHTMYSTIUM
The incorporation of other influences have helped the band create a sound that is unique to them specifically, and will continue to work as an ever-expanding unit with the ultimate goal to create metal music that pushes boundaries and walks into uncharted territories.