AK OF DO OR DIE

AKASHA

Akasha: the best of reggae grooves and rich vocal harmonies. Stylistically, Akasha sounds like they stepped out of a 1972 session at Studio One. Their reggae is powerfully authentic but also is accessible to the contemporary ear. Akasha’s distinct approach is refreshing and earnest. They are courageously trailblazing a path for a new generation to receive the gifts of the Jamaican musical canon. The Akasha sound gives birth to an unmistakable variety of heavy, raw grooves reminiscent of The Skatalites, The Maytals, Desmond Dekker and The Wailers.

Jump Up Records & Specialized UK present
“One Heart” Marley tribute 7″ release party
proceeds to benefit Teenage Cancer Trust
New record coming out is a charity for a 45 featuring
THE SKATALITES
AKASHA featuring Charley Organaire
DJ Chuck Wren
Al Scorch

AL SCORCH

Grafting literate, character-driven song craft and Mid-American roots with a post-punk DIY attitude, Chicago-based songwriter, performer and instrumentalist Al Scorch charts a new musical topography with a five-string banjo.

AL’S PASTOR

Al pastor is a taco consisting of pork, cilantro, and pineapple. Al’s Pastor, on the other hand, is a rock band—one that took its name from the group’s dietary mainstay at Allende in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Not easily stuffed into a single genre, the quartet blends vintage-y pop with adventurous, often dark forays into instrumental post-rock. Wailing guitar solos, nimble drum work, pretty piano melodies and propulsive bass are go-to ingredients in a quirky and diverse catalog.

Founded at DePaul University in 2006, Al’s Pastor started as Alex Lemon on guitar, Chris “Blue” Tomke on drums, and Chris Noth on bass. The group recorded its debut EP, The Conundrum, two years later as a mostly-instrumental trio. Singer Zeb Allen came onboard in the winter of 2009, bringing piano and songwriting chops with him. The band is currently putting the finishing touches on its sophomore release, Another Dusty Day, which was recorded and mixed at Buena Park’s I.V. Labs. “After more than a year of hard work, we are extremely excited to get these songs out there. It’s been a long time coming and this album really feels like a big step forward for the band,” says Noth. With the new album due out in April–the first full-length studio offering from the band–Al’s Pastor is excited for a big year of shows and is ready to please hungry fans in Chicago and beyond.

Alcest

ALCEST

Music from another world.

Alcest was founded in the year 2000 by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Neige (aka. Stéphane Paut) and later joined by drummer Winterhalter (Jean Deflandre) in 2009.

Labeled as post metal/shoegaze or “blackgaze”, Alcest were the pioneers within this genre, crafting a unique sound based on musical opposites from their very first EP “Le Secret” (2005), and thru their full length releases “Souvenirs D’Un Autre Monde” (2007), “Écailles De Lune” (2010) and “Les Voyages De L’Ame” (2012). In 2014 their fourth album “Shelter” was released, marking the band’s departure from the more metal sound, in favor of dream-pop aesthetics, surprising and somewhat challenging their fan base.

In retrospective, the album opened new doors for Alcest, bringing them an audience from different horizons and a positive sense of unpredictability as musicians.

ALEX LUDOVICO

ACIDIC ASSAULT

ACROSS FIVE APRILS

Across Five Aprils’ name borrowed from the late Irene Hunt Novel based around the United States civil war, proves to have a style and showmanship of a not so civil nature. Beginning with the release of “A Tragedy in Progress” in May of 2003 on Indianola Records, Across Five Aprils hit the East Coast by storm to support their freshman full length release. After a few road bumps, member alterations and a lot of records sold of the now 2nd best selling Indianola Records release to date, Across Five Aprils has spent the last year and a half touring country in support of their second release on Indianola, an EP entitled “Living in the Moment”.

On July 11, 2006, Across Five Aprils released their second full-length album, entitled “Collapse”, also from Indianola Records. Picking up mainly where “A Tragedy In Progress” left off more than the “Living In The Moment” EP, Collapse is a hard-hitting album still full of the angst that has defined Across Five Aprils.

ACT OF DESTRUCTION

In 2007 the idea began to manifest physically. The two brothers instigated several public performances with a drum machine. Quickly drawing attention, Glenn Mendoza was discovered by way of the internet. Bringing Ed Ingram into the team, Mendoza allowed the group to engage in weekly Sonic Destruction of much larger audiences, including support on sold out performances at The Pearl Room, legendary for providing the greater Chicagoland area with an elite Metal experience.

At this point the band began to closer observe their reality. This allowed them to lead entire audiences to complete Aural Satisfaction at once, stated by some fans to be, “Bringing the glory back to Metal!”

Experiencing 200 live performances by early 2010, including multiple encounters with “Chicago’s Finest” for various noise complaints and power outages, ACT OF DESTRUCTION™ began working on their yet unreleased debut full length: ‘EXTINCTION’. Ed Ingram had left the band to pursue personal goals, making way for Keith Pedziewiatr to join for a brief period. Writing was completed and drums were tracked in Summer of 2010.

As work progressed, both Mendoza and Pedziewiatr left the band in search of personal aspirations. During that time, ACT OF DESTRUCTION™ signed an exclusive deal with the ‘Scariest Man in America’ Hart D. Fisher and the American Horrors network for use of a re-recorded demo track, “Die”, for theme song and promotional purposes.

Pushing forward to bring this Music to as many people as possible, John and Nigel Bravo completed the album. Early 2012 witnessed a handful of live performances featuring Will Lange, cousin to the Bravos, filling in on Drums, and Alex Baggio, now a permanent Guitarist.

In 2014, on recommendation from a Chicago metal veteran, Jason Caruana was contacted and quickly became a permanent member of the band. Final mixing and mastering of ‘Extinction’ was completed during the summer at Lo-Tech Laboratories. ‘Extinction’ was released publicly on February 6th 2015 in Chicago and is now available at every live performance!

Will your city be next to lie upon the Path Of Destruction?

ADAM BLACK

Adam Fitz

ADAM FITZ

Adam Fitz plays and sings soulful songs. Hailing from Chicago, Fitz recently brought his rootsy originals and uniquely spuncovers to the Pittsburgh Area. Fitz has a full-bodied rasp filled with authenticity and depth, that lends to itself to energetic and passionate performances. An earnest storyteller and soul shouter, Fitz moonlights as a father of two and a school teacher.

ADMIRAL OF BLACK

Admiral of Black is influenced by the decades of great rock, metal, and blues music that predates them. Located just outside the great city of Chicago, AOB pummel you with a destructive double guitar tone, thunderous rhythm section, ferocious vocals, and searing guitar solos. They’ve been called “motorized southern metal” “grimy desert rock” “meat and potatoes metal” and “metal as hell” And where has this gotten Admiral of Black? …Opening slots for: Black Label Society, Baroness, Karma to Burn, Black Stone Cherry, Priestess, US Christmas, The Dwarves…2011 brings a new album “Blood & Fire” along with the goal of more touring, living in the van, and destroying everything in their path.

ADRIAN BOURGEOIS

AERIAS & THE CLYDE PROJECT

A Chicago born and bred emcee. Singer/songwriter. A wild guitarist. A random lyricist. Managed by Aria Movement and ambassador to Chicago Tribe b-boy crew.

Rapping and battling on Chicago’s Hip Hop scene since the age of 14 has given him a fearless stage presence. Songs are one thing, but live, Aerias goes all out. Every show is “the last show”.

Currently in Chicago and promoting his current EP “What Doesn’t Kill You” (An homage to getting up when beaten and bloodied by Life) he’ll hit the road to finally do what he’s been wanting to., lighting hearts on fire one by one and city by city, word by word.

If a revolver has 6 bullets…Aerias is the 7th one. He’s the last spitter in Chicago Tribe. From battle hardened emcee to aggressively passionate punk, he’ll do anything to rock a show. From live guitar solos to live acapellas and freestyles that are actually freestyles (cmon now). He’ll steal hearts to make em stronger and he’ll yell things others wouldn’t even think of whispering.

On his 2nd album, he wants to surpass his 1st album, “Running Blindfolded”, by being much much louder. Hungry, loud, random, spontaneous, weird, skilled, fiery and grinning at anything that doubts him, keep your ears and minds open and check the streets of the Chi, you’ll feel him sooner or later.

“I’m gonna rock your world. But I’ll start with your heart first!”

AETIOLOGY

AFTER THE FIGHT

“Composed of 4 married dudes from Chicago and the surrounding burbs…ATF is a melodic punk band with a strange fascination for old TV show theme songs. Never to be taken seriously, and not hardcore since 2004, After the Fight has been a steady institution for all those drunken bar patrons out there who wish it was still 1996.”

A SEGMENT DONE BY THE LEGENDARY TRAXSTER

A SUMMIT ABOVE

A WHISKEY A DANCE A FIGHT AND A KISS GOODNIGHT

A Wilhelm Scream

A WILHELM SCREAM

The most exhilarating punk rock is meant to be played at the outer limits of what is technically possible, right? It is according to A Wilhelm Scream.

The far from cliche Quintet, outta New Bedford, Massachusetts, not only front the wave of melodic/hardcore, but also bring the pace, the party, the riffs and the harmonies to continually change the face and revitalize a genre desperately requiring an engaging and powerful performance.

If what you’re looking for is music from an honest place, then you’ve found it in A Wilhelm Scream.  Avoiding bandwagons and bucking trends for nearly two decades, with several releases on Nitro Records, Paper + Plastick and No Idea, they have been nothing, if not prolific. Despite operating just below the radar, A Wilhelm Scream have carved out a reputation as one of the best live bands around, bolstered by their staggeringly rich albums of ultra-technical melodic punk rock firestorms.

AARON WILLIAMS & THE HOODOO

ABAKUS

ABE FROMAN AND THE LINKS

Abigail Williams

ABIGAIL WILLIAMS

Abigail Williams returns with their boldest and most diverse offering to date.

“Walk Beyond the Dark” summarizes the band’s previous experiments into one defining statement.

The album deftly wields the forces of light and dark in skilled measure. Icy guitars and bleak atmospheres encircle. String accompaniments burst into rapture. Powerful guitars shift between slithering rhythms and all-out assaults.

The grandiosity of the band’s debut album arrives via intricate string accompaniments. The raw fury of their sophomore effort pummels. A sense of space and clarity evokes the band’s third album. And the gritty darkness and progressive oddity evoke the fourth.

“Walk Beyond the Dark” melds all previous efforts into an undeniable force, elevating the result to the next level.

Abigail Williams take their rightful crown as the lords of American black metal.

The melancholic futility of despair. Surrender to the mysterious void.

ABK

Abstract Artimus

ABSTRACT ARTIMUS

Abstract Artimus continues to tread thru the swamps of Rock and Roll rebellion whilst building a fan base of true Rock and Roll believers…

ABYSMAL DAWN

Hailing from Los Angeles CA, ABYSMAL DAWN plays an aggressive mix of modern death metal. The band seamlessly blends the hooks and technicality of early 90’s American death metal, with atmosphere, melody and the brutality of their contemporaries.

ABYSMAL DAWN was formed by Charles Elliott (guitars/vocals), Jamie Boulanger (guitars), and Terry Barajas (drums) who circulated a three song demo in winter 2004. The demo garnered some attention for the band within the underground metal press circuit as well as helped them score gigs alongside Exodus, 3 Inches of Blood, Hate Eternal, Into Eternity, Aborted, and more.

In November ‘05, the band began work on what would become their first proper full-length From Ashes with engineer John Haddad (Intronaut, Eyes of Fire, Phobia). The resulting nine songs paid special attention to not only brutality, but song craft as well and earned the band a remarkable international press response for a debut album. On the strength of From Ashes, they earned their first U.S. tour, a five-week juggernaut alongside Six Feet Under and Decapitated and played as support throughout their home state with the likes of Suffocation, Emperor, Immortal, Goatwhore, Decrepit Birth, and more.

In 2007, ABYSMAL DAWN played a handful of festivals (LA Murderfest, Gathering of the Sick, Burning Star Metal Fest, and more) but most of the band’s time we devoted to writing and rehearsing new material for their follow-up to From Ashes. By November, ABYSMAL DAWN had entered Haddad’s new studio to begin the next full-length.

ABYSMAL DAWN spent the next three-months in and out of the studio crafting Programmed To Consume. One by one, track by track, the pieces of this record came together, including brand new artwork once again from Par Olofsson.

In February 2008, ABYSMAL DAWN signed a deal with Relapse Records, making Programmed To Consume the band’s label debut. ABYSMAL DAWN will unleash this virulent strain of modern death metal on May 13th (May 19th internationally). The band’s metallic assault thunders with all the hallmarks of death metal’s finest traits, and prove that ABYSMAL DAWN is an explosive new force in American death metal.

ACCORDIONS