Gentleman Speaker

GENTLEMAN SPEAKER

Playing at the intersection of indie rock and folk and hailing from Saint Paul, MN, Gentlemen Speaker released a self-titled album in 2019 and a sophomore album “The Well Between Continents” in fall of 2021. They’ve hit the road with their contingent of Tim Brecht – Lead Vocals, Guitar, Adam Fekete – Vocals, Guitar, Brian Nanoff – Bass, and Don Lavis – Drums.

8-bit crEEps

8-BIT CREEPS

A psych-wave quartet in a polygamist marriage with new-wave synths, fuzzed out guitars and big beats. New sounds from old circuits for your daily bread and circus. Released a new album “Dress For The Future” on 8/5 with lead singles “Madness” and “Graveyard Thinker.”

RICK KING’S ROYAL HUSTLE

Southside Chicago Native Rick King has played drum set for KoKo Taylor, Buddy Guy, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, B.B. King and many more touring globally.

A founding member of the funk-soul-jam band Lubriphonic, he played and produced five records with the band.

These days Rick steps out from behind the drum set to front his own band on Vocals and Percussion.

The seven piece band with horn section plays feel good soul music inspired by his former employers with flavors of Chicago Blues, Memphis Soul, New Orleans Funk and Kingston Reggae.

SSG KOBE

Colorfully stylish while pulling in intimate emotions and a delirious slew of inspiration from across generations, SSGKobe echoes the mystifying energy of the internet. Since creating his first songs five years ago, the Louisiana-born artist has unloaded bangers that vacillate between sullen and ecstatic, creating an Auto-Tune-drenched soundtrack for peers who process triumph and heartbreak by posting unfiltered captions on Instagram. In doing so, he’s cultivated a growing legion of fans—listeners, critics, and fellow artists as diverse as his influences.

Ko began to break out with “WYD,” a 2019 track that laced luxurious flexes and casual gunplay with artful randomness. He’s replicated that mix of refinement and hyperactivity with “MIA,” a song that lets loose exasperated yelps amid a tale of drug use, newfound wealth, and reluctant love. It evokes his mission to inspire listeners to find comfort in their identity but also to enjoy themselves. “I want my fans to be themselves and have fun,” says Ko, who, at 17, is preparing for not only a world in which he can play for those fans IRL, but his senior year of high school.

Raised in Centerville, Louisiana, SSGKobe’s road to musicianship wasn’t straightforward, but it felt inevitable. In many ways, it starts with a computer. Having jumped onto an HP desktop for the first time at just 3 years old, SSGKobe—whose name is derived from his Kobe Bryant fandom and a love of the Dragon Ball manga franchise—was born to be a star.

Because his friends weren’t always close by, he’d spend hours online, playing Flash games and listening to an endless stream of music, which would lead him to the sounds of Lil Wayne, local favorite Kevin Gates, and Chief Keef. Seeing Keef’s free-wheeling approach planted seeds of inspiration, and he soon realized that the web offered him a way out into the real world. “I think I really grasped that power. Knowing I could use the internet for anything,” remembers Ko.

SSGKobe began with a video game-focused YouTube channel that got a decent amount of subscribers, but his long game was music. For his first forays, he’d memorize Weezy lyrics and rap them to classmates. But soon enough, he was ready to try the real thing. Using a dancehall beat he got from a friend he met on Instagram, Ko wrote his first song in 2016. In order to record it, he waited until his mom was in the shower to use the voice memos app on her iPhone. He was too shy to show his friends the resulting song, which he presciently titled “Important,” but he did upload it to SoundCloud, and enough people listened to convince him the dream was viable.

By 2019, the secret was out, and by the time he dropped off his M3 project and songs like “WYD,” SSGKobe was on his way to stardom. After collaborating with Brockhampton for their album Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine, he dropped “Calabasas,” an exuberant cut that became his biggest to date and featured a visual directed by Cole Bennett. All of which helped solidify his place as a one-of-one rap talent destined to move from web buzz to true fame.

Looking ahead, SSGKobe’s dreaming big. He hopes to make the best album possible and, eventually, become the best artist of his generation—no big deal. While his profile is rising and his abilities are only growing sharper, he knows he has higher plateaus to surmount, bigger goals to fulfill, and more untold sounds to explore. “I still think I’m just starting,” says Ko.

MYTYME JAZZY ZSOUL FUNK

MINKA

Son Rompe Pera

SON ROMPE PERA

Born and raised in Naucalpan, the deep outskirts of Mexico City, the Gama brothers and their band Son Rompe Pera have thrashed through all preconceived notions of what a marimba-centered band is, and have rendered the instrument inseparable from their punk ethos. Their shows have become home to the now-infamous marimba mosh pit across the globe, joining intergenerational audiences in moments of essential release and community around their hard-hitting, forward-thinking, unrelenting punk-infused cumbias. With two critically-acclaimed records under their belt, and hundreds of shows on some of the world’s most prestigious stages to a rapidly growing audience, the band consistently proves their boundlessness as far as where they can take the genre, standing vehemently by the fact that traditions are meant to be both honored, broken, and built again.

Son Rompe Pera is responsible for developing and coining the now-global genre ‘Cumbia Punk’- one rooted in their history which is steeped in deep-hearted rebellion. The Gama brothers began playing and performing the marimba when they were kids alongside their father, Batuco, at weddings, quinceañeras, and birthday parties on weekends to help generate income for the family. Teenagers being teenagers, the brothers rejected the notably un-cool and tourist-shop-bound instrument out of embarrassment, turning instead to punk. They spent some time playing in punk and psychobilly bands, but the instrument’s hold proved strong and they came back to it eventually, taking punk with them this time. They started to put their own punk twists on traditional cumbia songs, a wildly danceable fusion that’s come to unite global audiences in sweaty, respectful mayhem.

In 2016 the brothers’ father, Batuco, responsible for introducing them to the marimba and also for naming the band, was killed in an act of local violence. After that, the brothers nearly gave up on music all together, though a chance meeting with the legendary Chilean cumbia group Chico Trujillo in 2017 kept that from happening, and eventually resulted in the recording of their first studio album. The band spent 4 months in Chile recording and playing, reigniting a flame that would eventually become impossible to extinguish.

Batuco, their debut album named after their father, was released in 2020 via ZZK Records. When a pandemic rocked the world shortly after, the band naturally took what most of the world considered an obligation to stop as an opportunity to keep going. They breathed life into spaces that were left lifeless, popping up regularly for socially distanced performances in Mexico City’s Parque Mexico, fostering a sense of community when such a thing felt nearly impossible.

Throughout 2021 and 2022, when the world began to spin again, the boys hit the road, playing almost nonstop, including multiple dates in California with the legendary Panteon Rococo, at Los Angeles’ Levitt Pavilion, the famed Lincoln Center in New York City and on countless stages across the U.S. and Europe, as well as an absolutely earth-shattering performance on the mainstage of Vive Latino in 2022, one of the most important festivals in Latin America. Their audience expanded at light speed, and the demand for their infectious live experience grew stronger by the minute. In the beginning of 2022, the band began their next chapter. They headed to Bogota, Colombia, the birthplace of Cumbia, where they would spend a week recording their second album at Mambo Negro studio under the guidance of Mario Galeano (Frente Cumbiero, Ondátropica, and Las Pirañas). The album, named Chimborazo after a street the brothers live on, flips the script on their first album (which was all covers), delivering 12 original tracks and flying much closer to what the world has come to know of the band’s wild shows. It features collaborations from Macha, La Perla, Gil Gutierrez, among many others, and seamlessly blends Cumbia, tropical dance beats, hard-hitting punk, psychedelic guitars, traditional Mexican and Colombian rhythms, horns, and a pinch of dub and hip hop.

Chimborazo was released in March of 2023 via AYA/ZZK to acclaim from the likes of NPR, Billboard, AP, WNYC, KCRW, Songlines, and The Wire, who claimed that the album ‘steps with rough, full throttle cumbias dominated by the ribcage rattle of the marimba, while surf punk skeletons shake their way out of the closet’. The band, naturally, hit the ground running, with multiple tours in the U.S. and Mexico including stops at SXSW, Treefort Festival, Punk Rock Bowling, and their biggest hometown show yet- a sold-out date at the legendary Lunario theater just in the first half of the year. They’ve been on a seemingly endless tour since- stopping at some of Europe’s most prestigious festivals including Roskilde, Paleo, Rio Babel, and beyond, as well as countless stages across the U.S. and Latin America, continuing to take marimba punk to unheard-of heights, defying the confines that traditional music is often relegated to, playing, screaming, and singing in devotion to possibility, in honor of legacy, and focused on a future that is limitless, genre-bending, collaborative, loud, and for everyone.

DJ J SMOOTH

TYRIQ AND THE SOULFUL ONES

TYRIQ is a African-American Chicago-based Vocalist/Musician and Actor. He’s worked with the likes of 2x Grammy Awarding producer “Keith Harris” as his musical director for the #faceforwardproject here in Chicago, has opened for Local Chicago Artist “Erthe St. James” at city winery, and has recently been apart of the gospel choir called “music in the key of Chicago”. As a Performer, TYRIQ has performed at various Main places and stages such as Reggies Rock Club, City Winery, The 28th African Caribbean Jerk,Seafood, and Vegan Festival, Second City, Culture “live”, Next Showcase stages,Persona, and Lollapalooza. As well as local stages like Day21, Door 10, Aces Cafe, and many more. As an actor, he has performed in a D2 project play called U&I and devised piece for the People of Color project at Columbia Colleg Chicago. TYRIQ Also has 2 singles currently out called Nostalgic Mind ft. Charlie-Curtis Beard (prod. Jack Kapson and Charlie-Curtis Beard) and Love Reigns (prod. Jack Kapson). TYRIQ’s main music genres are Jazz,Gospel, Blues, Funk, R&B and currently plays the Alto Saxophone and the Piano. With a Focus in Vocal Performance and Minor in Acting, He truly values growth, love, passion, longevity, stability, acknowledgement, and teaching others.

Canyyn

CANYYN

( Pronounced Canyon) A power trio.
Heavy Stoner Doom Jams, Blistering Solos, Tight Grooves, Iommic Hendrixian Sonic Walls layered with Howlin Vocals from 3 Cavemen in Chicago. Debut Record Out Fall 2021.

PEN-15

“Hailing from parts unknown to any rational human being, PEN-15 is live, improvisational, interpretations of conceptual chaos. PEN-15 combines a mixture of early analog synth worship, with a lot of hard pounding beats, and blasting new synths for a batter that will leave you breathless.
PEN-15 will be coming in your earholes. Can you handle the magic?”
Riot Act

RIOT ACT

(Playing Riot “Fire Down Under” in full)

Riot Act features former Riot guitarist Rick Ventura, Don Chaffin-vocals, Paul Ranieri-bass, Claudio Galinski-drums. Riot Act is hard driving Rock-n-Roll! The band made their live debut January 2020 at the Heavy Metal Hall of Fame Gala. Their strong performance made a lasting impression on host Eddie Trunk. Catch it on Amazon Prime!

Riot Act tragically lost founding member Lou Kouvaris as the band was about to release an EP and embark on a European tour.After a few dark months and facing a world in quarantine, the band decided to go on, releasing a tribute video of the early Riot classic “Overdrive”. The band was ready to rock again!

Currently working on a new album and video, Riot Act ushers in a new era in hard driving rock! Stay tuned!

COURT CAU$T

DAPPA

DAP DeBarge
“Thanks for Nothin 2” Out Now

Westside Boogie

WESTSIDE BOOGIE

Boogie got his start in music after joining a church choir at the urging of his mother. He soon started writing lyrics and crafting melodies, and later enrolled in Long Beach City College to study recording. With his debut mixtape Thirst 48 arriving in June 2014, Boogie had his breakthrough with The Reach—a 2015 mixtape that spawned the Jahlil Beats-produced “Oh My,” whose viral success cemented him as one of the most refreshingly honest new voices emerging from the West Coast. Releasing Thirst 48 Pt. II in 2016, Boogie found his raw, unfiltered lyricism earning praise from artists like Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, and Eminem, who signed him to Shady Records in October 2017.

Pour Choices

POUR CHOICES

Rooted in an amalgamation of punk, bluegrass, and folk, “Pour Choices” is the musical equivalent of a rant against capitalism by a drunken philosophy undergrad with a desk job. One part drinking anthems, one part millennial woes, two parts no idea what the fuck we are doing.

Clear Coat

CLEAR COAT

Chicago post-pre-punk quartet. Full length album out now. Featuring 10 high energy tracks carrying on the tradition of raw but catchy Chicago punk.

Nicole Kezdy of provides backing vocals on several tracks.

Nora Marks

NORA MARKS

Not a punk band from Chicago

Tyme Machines

THE TYME MACHINES

4 Piece power pop band based out of Chicago, IL. Think rockin’ catchy tunes, infectious guitars and vocals. Light hearted fun lyrics and an upbeat exciting live show.

Matt Derda & The High Watts

MATT DERDA & THE HIGH WATTS

Matt Derda & The High Watts, a Folk Rock group from the Chicago area, combines storytelling with resonant melodies.

Blending Rock N Roll riffs with Eastern Kentucky roots, they’ve created a unique sound that captures the essence of Johnny Cash’s Nashville and the grit of rock acts like The Replacements.

THE RUSTIX

TAL WILKENFELD

TAL WILKENFELD

Tal Wilkenfeld is an Australian singer, songwriter, bassist, and guitarist. She has performed with artists including Jeff Beck, Prince, Eric Clapton, Herbie Hancock, and Mick Jagger. In 2008, Wilkenfeld was voted “The Year’s Most Exciting New Player” by Bass Player magazine readers’ choice poll.

Beastii

BEASTII

Occult rockers from another galaxy elaborating on the sacred sciences of punk & rock ‘n’ roll

JASON BLAKE OF AZIOLA CRY

Jason Blake is a Warr Guitarist from Chicago, Illinois. The Warr Guitar is a twelve-string instrument incorporating the range of a guitar and bass. It is played by tapping the strings, a technique known as touchstyle guitar.

Blake plays with the progressive metal trio, Aziola Cry (Sensory Records), Backward Sky Falling, and releases music under his own name (Wayfarer Records).

The Snozzberries

THE SNOZZBERRIES

The Snozzberries are a hi-energy psychedelic rock band based in Asheville, NC. Since their formation in fall of 2017, The Snozzberries have quickly gained notoriety for their electrifying live performances where melodic songcraft is interwoven with wild improvisation and technical wizardry.

Their infectious grooves have taken storm across the region, with 2019 highlights including Sweetwater 420 Festival, Resonance Music & Arts Festival, Warren Haynes Xmas Jam-By-Day, Dark Star’s Pisgah Jubilee, and many more. The Snozzberries hosted official afterparties for The Disco Biscuits, Lotus and Papadosio. The band also tours extensively, mesmerizing audiences across the states with their esoteric fusion of old-school rock with modern psychedelia.

Em Brown

EM BROWN

Nationally Touring Comedian from Chicago Em Brown, has been seen on TruTV Laff Mobbs Laff Tracks, WIndy City LIve ,LOL NETWORK, Just For Laughs Montreal, EMPIRE on FOX, NETFLIX, THE CHI, ABFF Comedy Wings Semi finalist.

MESSER CHUPS

The brainchild of Oleg Gitarkin/Guitaracula of St. Petersburg, Russia, Messer Chups was conceived in 1998 as a side project to his prime output Ein Messer Für Frau Müller. A guitarist extraordinare, he took his love of 50’s rockabilly and 60’s surf, wrapped it up in the sounds of the all-night inner-city grind-house and added the trashiest ingredient to the mix – himself. The Chups got into full swing with arrival of Zombierella – a bass player with the looks of a vintage pin-up model. The duo became the core of a band that, through various incarnations, would welcome many other talented collaborators. The group’s albums never fail to amuse, oozing musical cocktails that range from the electronic exotica of the band’s early work, Miss Libido and Crazy Price ( Ipecac), to the exotic surf of Hyena Safari and Zombie Shopping. The fact that they are the hottest band around is beside the point. Live they are simply beautiful: guitars drenched in reverb, snippets of horror movies and burlesque acts on the screen, bass and drums pumping a steady backbeat to their nocturnal emission…MC and their fans had their heads shrunk by late-night b-movies. Take any good old Dracula, throw in some Orgy of the Dead and Dance of the Damned, blend it with the surf beats of The Ventures and the like and you are not even close, but you are on your way. This is the sort of music you would expect to hear coming from a car abandoned in a graveyard at midnight during a real-life Twighlight Zone.

Today's Children

TODAY’S CHILDREN

Today’s Children is the recording project of Nick Arger. The band’s roots can be traced to the DIY scene of Urbana, Illinois. The band consisted of Nick, Robert Audino, Cameron Kern, and Alex McAfee, all of whom were students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The boys started playing together in September 2018 after Nick started teaching the group some of his original songs. The band started to grow a small following by playing local house parties, bars, and clubs, and eventually they found their way up to Chicago, playing to escalating crowd sizes at Subterranean in Wicker Park, Safari Lounge in Rogers Park, and The Curragh in Edison Park for a benefit concert. Upon returning back to Urbana, the group booked two radio appearances, one for WEFT in Champaign, and the other for WPGU, the University of Illinois student-run radio station. After performing for 3 nights at The Canopy Club in Urbana towards the end of April, Nick, Cameron, and Alex graduated from the University and played one final show together at the Tonic Room in Chicago. After graduation, the band members are all in different locations, with Nick working in Chicago, Cameron and Rob still in Champaign, and Alex in his hometown of Peoria, IL. Now with a new lineup consisting of Nick, Derek Rice, Jake Kay, and Alex O’Malley, the band hopes to continue to grow its fanbase by playing shows all across the country and to steadily release new songs. As the primary songwriter, Nick has been steadily writing material for the band’s streaming debut. The first single, “Things You Wish,” was released on Friday, August 7, 2020.

 

Ur Mom

UR MOM

Rock band from Park Ridge, IL

MIKE REEB

SPARKLE CARCASS

CHAI TULANI

CHAI TULANI

Influenced by the style and swagger of hip-hop as well as the soulfulness of R&B and singer-songwriters like Bob Marley and Tracy Chapman, soul hop is a new genre of music unlike any you’ve heard before.

But soul hop as a genre is fairly new and Tulani, who began working full time as a musician two years ago, had a long journey toward the sense of purpose he now feels in his work.

Tulani was born in Kenya and came to the United States at age 4. His mother is Kenyan but his father is from Chicago, so his family eventually moved here. Tulani grew up in the Roseland neighborhood before moving to the south suburbs at 15

Music has been a passion of Tulani’s for most of his life. His father was a percussionist and Tulani largely grew up listening to music from the Congo. Tulani’s parents wanted him to play piano to acquire a variety of music-making skills beyond guitar or voice. Tulani took the leap to a full-time music career in 2014 at 19, after receiving approval from his parents. He’s now 24. “I hate doing the same thing every day, but I do like the adventure of being an artist,’ he said. His diverse musical and cultural background led Tulani to create soul hop, a name that came to him a year into his career.

“I would often get the question, ‘How would you describe your music?’ And I had the hardest time describing to people what it was,” Tulani said. “It made me want to make up a name for it instead of having that generic answer in which I kind of rap or kind of sing.” He calls it Soul Hop. (Chicago Tribune)

Caveman Cult

CAVEMAN CULT

mr.phylzzz

MR.PHYLZZZ

One really weird guy named mr.phylzzz, say F l YZZZ. Still cant tell if hes dead or alive.

Ty Riggs

TY RIGGS

Known for his edgy and unorthodox style, Chicago native Ty Riggs has no problem putting you in his shoes and giving you a tour through his hilarious world. From politics to relationships, he has something to say about it all. He is one of the original Martin Luther Kings of Comedy and can be seen all over the city killing the stage with his unmistakable hair and voice.

CHLOE MATONIS

CHLOE MATONIS

leader of the Grassroots Movement to Revive in-Person Pickup Culture

TIM LEFEBVRE & NATE SMITH

Throughout his wide-ranging career, Tim Lefebvre has amassed a reputation for being one of the world’s most innovative bassists. The Foxboro-native’s creative playing style is an addictive blend of jazz improvisation, rock undertones, and electronic grooves that can be heard on his appearances on over 150 recordings, ranging from Grammy award-winning albums such as David Bowie’s Blackstar to the soundtracks of classic films such as The Departed. From 2013 to 2018, Lefebvre was the bassist of the dynamic blues rock ensemble Tedeschi Trucks Band, and he can be heard on their three most recent releases, Let Me Get By (2016), Live From The Fox Oakland (2017), and Signs (2019). Before joining the group, he worked with artists such as Uri Caine, Chris Botti, and Leni Stern. Now based in Los Angeles, Lefebvre is currently the bassist for numerous groups, most notably with jazz-fusion guitarist Wayne Krantz, improvisational free-jazz group Whose Hat Is This?, and his Blackstar bandmate Donny McCaslin. He has recently performed with Chris Potter, Jon Batiste and Stay Human on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Empire of the Sun, Carole King, Ben Platt, Knower, and Matisyahu as well. Lefebvre is also the producer for a diverse range of projects, which includes singer-songwriter Rachel Eckroth’s When It Falls (2018), The Garden (2021) and XXXX by Wollny Parisien Lefebvre Lillinger

For nearly two decades, Nate Smith has been a key piece in reinvigorating the international music scene with his visceral, instinctive, and deep-rooted style of drumming. He holds a diverse and ample résumé — which includes work with esteemed jazz leading lights such as Pat Metheny, Dave Holland, Chris Potter, José James, John Patitucci, Ravi Coltrane, and Somi among many others. His 2x GRAMMY-nominated debut album, KINFOLK: Postcards from Everywhere, sees Smith fusing his original modern jazz compositions with R&B, pop, and hip-hop. He’s also ventured into the pop/rock world with recent collaborations with Vulfpeck spinoff band The Fearless Flyers, Brittany Howard (of Alabama Shakes) and performances with songwriters Emily King and Van Hunt. In recent years, through a series of viral videos, he has emerged as one of the most influential and popular drummers of his generation. His videos have been viewed millions of times and have inspired countless musicians and fans. In September of 2018, he released his first ever solo drumset album Pocket Change.

ED SCHRADER’S MUSIC BEAT

On Riddles, Music Beat begins their new life. Working steadily for two years in the apartment studio of close friend, electronic-pop maestro Dan Deacon, three evolving musicians pushed through an intense period of personal tumult and found purpose in the sounds they were committing to record. The result: a polished and passionate masterpiece of nuanced alt-rock.

MELT-BANANA

MELT-BANANA is a band based in Tokyo JAPAN.
Members are YAKO and AGATA.
Some people say they are noise band, some people say they are so-called no wave band, some people say they are hardcore band, some people say their music is like roller coaster in an amusement park… It is hard to categorize their music, but basecally they are rock band with a spice of punk taste.The easiest way to find out is to listen to their music and you will find out.

THE SMITHS “THE QUEEN IS DEAD”

The Queen Is Dead is the third studio album by English rock band The Smiths. Released on 16 June 1986 in the United Kingdom by Rough Trade Records, and on 23 June 1986 in the US by Sire Records, it spent 22 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number two.

Stolen Sun

STOLEN SUN

Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, Stolen Sun blends elements of metalcore and hardcore to create a truly unique sound that is both aggressively energetic and chaotic. FFO: Every Time I Die, Slipknot, Norma Jean, & Stray from the Path. Chaos, dissonance , and mayhem are what we strive for. Stolen Sun is Anthony Ofenloch (vocals), Cooper Kleinke (guitar), Michael Krupp (guitar), Dakota Newman (bass), and Bobby Dalheim (Drums). More Money Riffs Per Capita.

green druid photo

GREEN DRUID

The cosmic death lingers ever closer, looming in the back of all of our minds, channeled through our amps, drums and guitars. Playing these riffs is a form of life affirmation to us. To remind us that we are still alive and we have the power to wield our pain through the catalyst of our instruments.

 

Let It Be

THE BEATLES “LET IT BE”

Let It Be is the twelfth and final studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on 8 May 1970, almost a month after the group’s break-up, in tandem with the documentary of the same name.

STAR2

Asian-American singer, songwriter, rapper

IKE RHEIN

“Summer Breeze” OUT NOW🏝🏝

PLANET BOOTY

Somewhere between sermon and strip tease…old school funk and dj dance club… sincerity and innuendo… lies Planet Booty. Live shows leave unexpecting audiences soaked in sweat and inspired as Planet Booty’s unrelenting energy and sexual positivity infuse their explicit, highly charged dance anthems and occasional heartfelt ballad. Their ability to transform any venue into an inclusive, sexually charged safe space catalyzed by a never ending fountain of showmanship has earned them a fiercely dedicated, cult-like fan base across North America and Europe, and opening spots for Lizzo, Big Freedia, Ninja Sex Party, Sisqo, Peaches, K Flay, Capital Cities, TWRP, Escort, and Turquoise Jeep.

Planet Booty’s core trio — Dylan Charles Germick, Josh Cantero and Rob Gwin — combine multiple live instruments and electronics into a mixtape of pop, R&B, 90’s house, 70’s funk and classic hip-hop that might have been made by your strangely attractive high school gym coach. Their fourth full-length album “YES”, released in September 2021 and featuring an all-star cast of national and Bay Area musicians, is Planet Booty’s most mature and articulate delivery of their unique brand of irreverent west coast party funk preaching body positivity and acceptance.

Esculis

ESCULIS

An exciting rock band from the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago, with a full length album!

Dead Languages

DEAD LANGUAGES

Music that gets heavy sometimes.

Jeremy Sutton: Guitars | Ben Emricsson: Guitars | Tom Mazur: Drums

Black Flak

BLACK FLAK

Post-Rock,
Progressive Alternative
Experimental Story Telling Through Walls of Sound.

Tiny Wars

TINY WARS

The New Wave of Pittsburgh Heavy Pop.

Sue – vocals & synth
Abby – guitar & vocals
Aaron – bass
Rocko – guitar
Dennis – drums

Gilded Cages

GILDED CAGES

Alternative rock music from Rockford Illinois.

Screamer

SCREAMER

Forged in steel in the dark woods of rural Sweden, Screamer flies their banner high! With their feet firmly planted in the deep traditions of Heavy Metal, Screamer never lose sight of what’s really important; good tunes, good brew and good times! ‘Cause with Screamer every night is Friday night and every Friday night deserves to be a party!

As ruthless Swedish peasants, the band grew up on meat and potatoes on their plates, and that’s what’s blazing out of your speakers when putting on any of the Screamer albums. That’s why Screamer never strays far from the proven sound of roaring guitars and pounding drums that works equally well in the war pit in front of stage as when blasting through your stereo. In their music you can hear the classic foundations laid down by the hard rocking heroes of old. With a combination of straight-forward choruses of the likes of Dio, guitar works in the style of ‘Maiden or ‘Lizzy on speed and the pounding beat of Judas Priest, Screamer has carved out their very own essence of heavy metal that stands the test of time.

With their latest album the songwriting has become even more focused and hard hitting. For the first time the band has been able to build on the last release with an intact set of members. This has really allowed them to build on their strengths and grow as a song writing unit. And, also for the first time, they’ve been working with an external producer, Gustav Hjortsjö from Bullet, who has really helped hone every song to be the best that they can be. Whether it’s the brutal Halo, the sing along friendly Out of the Dark or the anthem-like title track Highway of Heroes, all songs truly carry their own weight and together they fulfill the bands goal and war cry for this album; “All hits, no fillers”!

This also goes hand in hand with Screamers continuous efforts to play their music for all and everyone who dares hear it. So far those efforts have had them playing on countless stages in North America, Japan and of course all around Europe! To this date Screamer been on tour with Bullet (2012 and 2018), Striker (2013), Evil Invaders (2013), Night Demon (2018), Satan (2019), RAM (2019) and many others. They’ve also played festivals such as Headbangers Open Air (2013), Rock Hard (2014), Summer Breeze (2014), Muskelrock (2012, 2014, 2017 and 2019) and Bang Your Head (2019). And this is only mentioning a tiny portion of everything and everywhere they’ve played, by now they have well over 300 shows under their belt. And rest assured that whenever and wherever Screamer plays, they always deliver an energetic show and a good time!

Still, they are not done yet by a long shot! Having previously released the albums Adrenaline Distractions (2011), Phoenix (2013) and Hell Machine (2017) on High Roller Records they have now decided to switch to The Sign Records for the latest album to get the ball rolling even faster!

So grab a cold one, crank the stereo to eleven and join Screamer on an epic journey down the Highway of Heroes!

Screamer is:

Andreas Wikström – Vocals
Anton Fingal – Guitar
Dejan Rosić – Guitar
Fredrik Svensson Carlström – Bass
Henrik Petersson – Drums

Hell Fire

HELL FIRE

From San Francisco, California. Hell Fire pulls influences like the twin guitars and soaring vocals of New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement of the late 1970s combined with the speed and intensity of the early 1980s Thrash Metal Scene

Was & When

WAS & WHEN

FERNANDO ROSA

Fernando Rosa has gathered his extensive musical knowledge and research for the launch of his new Project ALIVE: taking to the live stage his own versions of hit songs alongside a trio including Jamiroquai’s drummer Derrick McKenzie.

Born and raised in the suburbs of São Paulo, he learned to play at the age of 8, beginning his professional career as a 14-year-old. An artist who remains truly authentic, Fernando plays whatever he feels like playing. A clever researcher, he goes beyond music. During the pandemic, he began producing dozens of videos for his social media pages, all of which are as simple and creative as they are powerful and revolutionary.

Just him, his bass and a camera travel through the universe of classics from Black, Funk and Disco Music.

Mateyko

MATEYKO

From John Coltrane to Flying Lotus, Mateyko Jazwinski blends an incredibly wide variety of influences into his music. Mateyko has played in prominent venues such as SFJAZZ, has appeared on ABC 7 Chicago’s Windy City Live, and hosted a 10-week residency at Andy’s Jazz Club. Mateyko has also performed at several charity events for Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and the Children’s Heart Foundation. 

Born with the heart condition Tetralogy of Fallot, he could not engage in contact sports with other children while growing up in a sports-heavy community. Music gave him an outlet to express himself and connect with other people. Mateyko’s dedicated passion for upright & electric bass, composition, and performance provide a sense of escape and exploration to those around him. Mateyko is currently pursuing B.M. at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He studies with Matt Brewer, Scott Pingel, and Sharay Reed.

The Band Royale

THE BAND ROYALE

The Band Royale was born out of love for big guitar riffs, an appreciation for the finer things, and a mutual obsession with science fiction. And they are able to sneak these things into their sound without scaring off the opposite sex.

Since it’s release on New Years Day, …As Long As The Money Lasted has sold in over 59 countries worldwide and featured in SPIN, Consequence of Sound, AV Club, NYLON, Chicago Tribune, Modern Drummer, Bass Player Magazine & more.

Brothers Joel, Nate, and Zach Bauman grew up in the working-class town of Kalamazoo, MI, each with an immediate passion for music (passed down from their parents — their mother, a music teacher and their father, a school principal). At an early age, their shared obsessions with music, sports, and culture made the pursuit of playing in a band together an obvious choice. Once they moved to Chicago, they teamed up to make the heaviest music they could that would inspire some serious baby-making.

Our music will always be free because your money is not why we do this. The Band Royale’s goal is to redefine what being a “successful” band means in the New Music Industry, and using the Internet and social media to put our music in people’s hands whether or not they’re in the same hemisphere we are. The world is a smaller place than it used to be, and the “old ways” of promoting your band simply don’t matter to us.

PHOELIX

theMIND

Born Zarif Wilder, theMIND is an alternative R&B and hip-hop artist from Philadelphia. He began writing music when he was 9, as a means to cope with being in and out of different foster homes; eventually, he was taken in by a teacher, who supported Wilder’s dreams of pursuing a music career. He moved to Chicago to study music business at Columbia College in 2007, and subsequently forming the production group @THEMpeople the following year with 4 other friends. Though a Philly native, Chicago has adopted Wilder. Since moving here, the singer has worked with a handful of notable Chicago artists, including G- Herbo, Mick Jenkins, Noname, and Chance the Rapper and so many more. As theMIND, Wilder released his latest tape Summer Camp in 2016, and recently released the single “Miss Communication” with Soulection producer @Da-P, via Zane Lowe. Wilder’s forthcoming project “Don’t Let It Go To Your Head” is out now.

Little Dipper

LITTLE DIPPER

Little Dipper (stylized “little dipper” because I mean what year is this c’mon) is the latest project from musical human being Ilan Haskel.

BACKGROUND CHARACTER

BACKGROUND CHARACTER

420th Wave Ska from Chicago

The Best Band In the World™

It’s Just a Prank, Bro