ILLVILLE VANGUARD is a Chicago based music group that’s all about creating new ideas. ILLVILLE created a sound that is unique and can’t be compared to anything else. Led by Gabriel Alston, ILLVILLE is known for providing a high energy atmosphere that’s fun, free, emotional and exciting. Their musical sound is heavily shaped by Jazz, Gospel, Funk, Jazz Fusion, Hip-Hop, Latin and Neo Soul. Having a wide range of musical influences places ILLVILLE’s sound in a category of its own. ILLVILLE is second to none and will always leave listeners satisfied and craving for the next ILLVILLE experience.
Justn is a Chicago raised, Los Angeles based pianist and singer-songwriter. Known for his soulful vocals and jazz-inspired piano, Justn is taking the industry by storm. Only last year, he performed keys and backing vocals on Bas’ Milky Way world tour, the Milk Down Under Tour and A$AP Ferg’s Floor Seats Tour. In between, you might have seen him live at Dreamville Fest, Osheaga Fest, and Day N Vegas. Justn’s highly anticipated R&B/Neo-Soul debut EP is set to release end of year.
What happens when several of the finest musicians in Chicago are “Pandemic Bored”? They become a kick-ass David Bowie tribute band. SuperCreeps formed in the COVID Summer of 2020, when venues were closed and musicians had lots of time on their hands. Skid Marks, Robin Crawford, Bill Hartwig, Taylor Morse and Rich Poston were all quite aware that idle hands can become the devil’s playthings. With the devil on the doorstep, this cadre of talented misfits channeled all their creative energy into a formidable Bowie tribute. SuperCreeps… Coming soon to a venue near you!
Space Mafia hails from the Windy City of Chicago, Illinois. While only getting their start in 2016, they have quickly caught traction with single releases such as “Black Haze”, “Baby Goodbye” and “Miss Lady” which was selected as one of Alternative Nation’s “Top 10 Rock Songs of 2018” alongside such artists as Chris Cornell, Nine Inch Nails, The Smashing Pumpkins, Alice In Chains and other high caliber well-known artists. In July of 2019, Space Mafia released their debut EP, “Waves”, featuring a more diverse, developed sound and bangers like “Black Cat Cometh”, “San Francisco” and “Roses & Wine”. For Halloween 2020, in the midst of a pandemic, the band released a timely single, “Horror Movie”, recorded remotely at the guys’ individual home studios. The single was featured on Chicago Sound Check’s “2020 Year in Review”. With a high energy show featuring heavy psychedelic rock guitars, slamming drums, funky bass lines and big melodic hooks, they have already solidified their status as one of the most promising up and coming bands of the newest wave of rock and roll.
We are Backroom. Were a 3 piece band from Aurora Illinois. We make emo music for bastards like ourselves. From the depths of the midwest you will find us writing, preforming, recording, and producing all of are own music.
Fiona Garrity, Robbie Green, and Noah Sulsby are the only 3 members of Backroom. Fiona plays guitar and vocals. Noah plays bass. And Robbie plays drums. In their home town of aurora Illinois, while still in high school.
Fiona, Robbie, and their previous member Alex started jamming and writing music together around May of 2020. A year later the 3 of them slowly started to release demos and play gigs. November 2021 rolls around and Alex quits.
Noah then stepped in and became our new bassist. Backroom is not dead. And it never will be till we say so. (December 19th 2021 First Ep may or may not be released)
Nick Muilaert is a Chicago-born singer/songwriter who takes his inspiration from folk artists, old and new, such as Fleet Foxes, My Morning Jacket, Nick Drake, and many more. Nick’s music deals with many coming of age topics like self-discovery, apathy, and romance while utilizing a DIY/lo-fi approach to creating music. Performing with his talented backing band, Muilaert & The Society , Nick, and the band constantly reinvent themselves on stage, which in return creates a unique live performance every time.
Cxpital is a 3-piece Indie/Alternative Rock band from the region of Northwest Indiana, USA. The band is composed of Region natives, drummer Benji Grimler, and lead guitarist Tyler Maximoff; while accompanied by vocalist and rhythm guitarist/bassist Lucie Ashmore, originally from Greystones, Ireland.
After meeting and forming in 2017 under the name WAVES, Ashmore and Maximoff independently recorded and released a 4-track EP titled After // Thoughts, a collection of songs inspired by the lyrical and musical techniques of alternative rock band Pvris. About a year later, the two were introduced to Benji and continued from there as a 3-piece.
Influences range from old-school Coldplay, to the current indie sounds of Paramore, with everything from The Maine, The Aces, Pvris and The Strokes also thrown into the mix.
The iconic, genre-bending powerhouse trio is back, led by visionary guitarist Wayne Krantz and featuring drummer Keith Carlock (Steely Dan, Sting, John Mayer) and bassist Tim Lefebvre (Tedeschi Trucks Band, David Bowie).
The album is composed of the rawest, heaviest, heart-pounding and gut-wrenchingly groovy material to ever come out of NYC. Branching out in new directions from their previous hip hop influenced sound, Rebelmatic has evolved into a hybrid of punk, hardcore, and aggressive funk all their own.
Formerly known as Pentagram, but they changed their name in May 2012 out of respect for the famous doom metal band Pentagram.
Pentagram was formed in 1985 by Anton Reisseneger (lead guitar/vocals) and Juan Pablo Uribe (bass). Inspired by bands like Venom, Slayer, and Possessed, they started their own brand of extreme metal in a time and place where the genre was in its very first steps.
With a couple of originals and some covers, Pentagram debuted as a trio on December 28, 1985 with Eduardo Topelberg from the band Chronos on session drums. The first gigs were disastrous mainly because of the little experience of the band and the lousy conditions in which they gigged.
Next year, they hired drummer Marcelo Ulloa, with whom they played exactly one gig. By then they had three original tunes ready and after hiring Topelberg as a permanent drummer they recorded their first demo on the first month of 1987 at Nacofon Studios with a very tight budget. Reisenneger did vocals and played bass and guitar, while Uribe played second guitar. The demo started spreading through the international underground tape trading circuit and people started taking notice. Next month Reisenneger traveled to Brazil with a friend, invited by Max Cavalera (Sepultura). Some label in Rio de Janeiro offered Anton a record contract, to which he accepted, but then never heard again from them.
Psychic record label since 2003. Tubular in shape. Reminiscent of bloodbeak sausage but without the aftertaste of turpentine and cider. Recommended for raising punk vibrations.
The label was started in 2003 by Darius Hurley and Jon Babbin. The following bands have all appeared in our catalog M.O.T.O., The Effigies, Vee Dee, Functional Blackouts, Young Governor, Kim Phuc, The Young, Canadian Rifle, Pedestrians, Out With a Bang, Hotlips messiah, New Black, Phenoms, Mushuganas, Terrible Two’s, Manhandlers, Holy Shit!, Bear Proof Suit, Useless Children, The Young, Mannequin Men, The Runs, Army of Jesus, Shoot it Up, Pink Reason, The Yolks, Claw Toe, The Krunchies, Tyrades, Baseball Furies, The Ponys, Twat Vibe, Kill the Hippies, FNU Ronnies, The Gravetones, Curtains, Sick Jump, Flying Trichecos, Rotten Fruits, Catburglars, Phantom three, Hot Machines, Busy Kids, The Dirges, White Outs, White Load, and I Attack.
Vulgar Commons is an Indie Punk band based in Chicago. They began gigging at house parties under the name The Vagrants and gained a cult following. However, when things started to take off, their lead guitarist moved to Berlin, forcing them into a hiatus. But during the pandemic, the guys realized that they had to keep playing music to stay sane, and began rehearsing again regularly (and safely). The three remaining members changed their name to Vulgar Commons and were fortunate enough to start booking gigs at hallmark Chicago venues like Beat Kitchen and the Golden Dagger (formerly the Tonic Room) once live music started up again.
The band draws from a wide range of musical backgrounds, but, to avoid sounding like someone writing a Pitchfork article, let’s just say that their overall sound is Misfits meets The Strokes with a little Interpol thrown in. The guys play with a raw passion, which reflects their profound love of and gratitude for the Chicago Music scene, and they’re unbelievably stoked to be part of the best music scene in the U.S. once again.
The Pete Ellman Big Band (PEBB) was formed in 2009 after Pete retired from the Illinois Air National Guard after 20 years of service. Since then, the band has played regularly in the Chicagoland Western suburbs at locations such as Mullen’s in Lisle and Fitzgerald’s in Oak Park. They regularly invite student jazz ensembles to join them and will provide guest clinicians. This is a way to get these budding musicians into a real world environment playing the music they love in addition to an auditorium in front of parents or classmates.
Additionally, the PEBB has hosted numerous fundraisers at their events to help raise money (and food / toys) for local non-profits such as Loaves & Fishes, Toys for Tots, Kids Matter, Kidz Cabaret, Youth Symphony of DuPage, Naperville Educational Foundation, Gil Ellman Memorial Fund, and more! To Pete, it is all about giving back to the community to help kids, in general, and also to give kids an opportunity to participate in the arts.
Pete has worked full time at Ellman’s Music Center since 1985, having worked in nearly every position in the company, from repairman to outside sales representative to purchasing agent to janitor. With that kind of overall experience, he has a uniquely complete vision on how to run the business.
Pete continues to play professionally and has performed with nationally known artists such as Wayne Newton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aretha Franklin, Bob Newhart, Chicago Sinfonietta, and many more. Being a trumpet player, Pete’s favorite artist to date has been world renowned trumpeter Wayne Bergeron.
Pete attended DePaul University and majored in Music Performance. Peter attends many industry specific and financial seminars including NASMD, NAPBIRT, and NAMM. He sits on the board of the Naperville Municipal Band.
Alfonzo Jones’ love of music started in church, watching and imitating every move and sound of the drummer at the age of 3. Once Alfonzo’s mother and grandmother grew tired of finding damaged pots and pans, they placed a drum set in front of him and he has been banging away at his future ever since. Everyday, Alfonzo played along with tapes and videos and watched every drummer he encountered intently in order to learn. From there, Alfonzo was not only playing drums at school, but also the church he grew up in, Liberty Temple.
While in high school, under the tutelage of Phillip Crews, he gathered a wide range of influences including Dennis Chambers, Tony Williams, Carter Beauford, Elvin Jones, and Jimmy Cobb. In 2002, with Alfonzo as the drummer, his high school was chosen as one of the top 15 best high school bands by the Essentially Ellington Jazz Band Competition, garnering opportunities to study with Wynton Marsalis, Herlin Riley and other members of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. In 2012, Alfonzo was selected as one of the top 10 drummers in the country for the Roland V-Drums drumoff contest, and has participated and progressed far in other national drum competitions.
Throughout his career, Alfonzo has worked in several genres, and has shared the stage with established artists and musicians such as Wynton Marsalis, Brian Courtney Wilson, James Fortune, Vicki Winans, Wycleff Gordon, Orbert Davis, Martha Munizzi, Tye Tribbett, Kierra Sheard, Pinqy Ring and more. Aside from playing at Liberty Temple Full Gospel Church, Alfonzo can be seen playing with the band Left.Jones, Mike Zabrin’s Funktastic, National recording artist Nikki Lynette and the O’my’s.
Alfonzo hopes to create his legacy through music, but also by being a good human being. As a shining example to aspiring drummers, he’s well on his way to that goal
Blake Burkhart is a comedian and writer from Chicago’s north side. He is a regular at all Chicago Clubs and local showcases, and regularly headlines at comedy clubs throughout the Midwest. His album Atlantis reached #1 on the comedy iTunes Charts in 2018 and he is in the works on his next album which he hopes will go triple platinum. Good bowler too.
Joey Villagomez, has been performing stand up comedy for 15 years. He was part of the TBS Just For Laughs Chicago Festival and appeared on Paul Rodriguez’s New
Latin Kings of Comedy Tour. Joey has performed at clubs including The Hollywood Laugh Factory, The World Famous Comedy Store and The Hollywood Improv. He is
currently part of The All Things Comedy Network and is featured on the Comedy Central stand up series, Bill Burr Presents: The Ringers.
You Died is a 4-piece hard-rock band from Chicago,IL. Featuring veterans of legendary acts such as The Arrivals, Local H, The Tossers and Mary Tyler Morphine, they might be mistaken for a supergroup if you lower your standards. Is it hard rock? Punk rock? What the hell difference does it make? If you like tight songwriting and themes that span from video games to folklore, we got your number.
Destruction and melody, acid wit and bruising vocals-this is the Pack A.D. Singer/guitarist Becky Black and drummer Maya Miller have made a sound so gigantic, so fierce and raw and empowering, that it’s easy to forget there are just two people behind this brilliant, carefully constructed havoc. Shredding and pounding their way through every song, the Pack A.D. swallows you whole inside their fearless Franken-blend of heavy psychpop/garage-rock. Their lyrics are wild nests, human and complex: darkly funny disclosures about depression; indictments of digital excess; grief-stricken fire bombs; sly crusades against stupidity.
Curtis Salgado – Damage Control January 18, 2021. Available February 26, 2021 Award-winning vocalist, instrumentalist and songwriter Curtis Salgado, the man NPR calls “an icon” with “a huge voice,” will release his new Alligator Records album, Damage Control, on Friday, February 26,…
DEAD REGISTER is an American doomgaze band from Atlanta, Georgia, consisting of pianist and artist Avril Che, bassist and vocalist M. Chvasta, and drummer Greg Meisenberg (Oxx, Maid Myriad, A Fucking Elephant). The band has released two studio albums, three EPs, and six music videos since its formation. Their work blends elements of post-metal, sludge, and gothic rock.
Friendship Commanders are a heavy duo from Nashville TN. The band is vocalist/guitarist Buick Audra and drummer/bassist Jerry Roe. Their forthcoming album, MASS, is a concept record about memory, language, and the state of Massachusetts. The ten-track body of work was co-produced, engineered, and mixed by Kurt Ballou at his Salem, MA studio, GodCity. The album will be accompanied by a memoir in essays by Buick Audra. Both will be released on September 29, 2023; pre-orders are open.
Their 2022 EP, RELEASE THE REST, is a limited vinyl compilation of the singles they released throughout the pandemic following their 2020 EP, Hold On To Yourself, a collection about being an adult survivor of childhood abuse. Both were mixed by Kurt Ballou.
The band has released two previous albums. Bill (2018) was recorded at Electrical Audio by Steve Albini, and Dave (2016) was engineered and produced by the band.
A boisterous rising star with a bright falsetto and golden pen, Kyle Dion can’t stay put. After releasing his heartfelt ode to traditional R&B, SUGA, in 2019, he couldn’t help but expand his talents and set his eyes on creating a classic turn-up album. Playfully rapping and exuding even more bold confidence, Dion is reinventing himself in the next chapter of his career, showing off the fullness of his personality by throwing out any and all rulebooks. The proudly independent artist possesses a soul from another era and creates a sound refreshing to any generation. From the small community in Florida where he grew up to effervescent Los Angeles, where he’s worked with artists like Kehlani, Kali Uchis, and PartyNextDoor, Dion is blazing a unique path. Dion’s new album, SASSY, that dropped September 17th, features rap and R&B titans like Kari Faux, Duckwrth, Ja Rule and Channel Tres. The new album is inspired by his time touring and exploring international territory in support of his debut album 2019’s SUGA, marks a new era for the “rising star” (PAPER) as he sheds his melancholy in favor of more bright and buoyant tunes. SASSY is a bold and bright sonic landscape that promises an unfiltered sound while flaunting a no rules mission statement. It’s a joyous and exclamatory soundtrack to better times.
The Delta Waves is a Chicago based funk/blues/fusion instrumental jam band. Vulfpeck + Snarky Puppy + Lettuce + The Fearless Flyers + Grateful Dead = The Delta Waves mark – sax, vocals scotty – keys/production john – bass kheem – drums marli – vocals jimmy – guitar/production
RayMane, born Jordan Conway, is a recording artist from Chicago, Illinois. With musical influences like Kid Cudi and Kanye West — infused with his own approach, RayMane is an artist to watch!
Chicago indie-rock band MidAmerican Elevator lifts dreamy vocal harmonies over a busy rhythm section, with guitars traveling between sparkly counterpoint and regenerative drive. On one level they give you Alvvays-like dream-pop vibes. On another, a bit of the Cranberries. On another, the Strokes (if Julian Casablancas was actually two women in a trench coat).
Vocalist-guitarists Paxton Long and Beni Yuzawa met in an elevator in 2013. They found lead guitarist Greg Taylor in a shitty bar in River North, picked up bassist Mike Vendiola through a friend-of-a-friend, and went all the way to Reddit to recruit drummer Dean Sinclair. Together, MAE is playing at stops up and down Chicago, and recorded their debut album—scheduled for release in 2022—at RCM Studios in Logan Square.
Remember singing every lyric? Remember feeling the crowd move around you? Scream, move, and sing along to the songs that meant the most to you. The Emo Parade is your best bet to get your sad on, playing all the bops from 2000’s emo and pop punk.
Chicago/LA dance-thrash punks who celebrate adventure. Like being born in a car crash, Highway Junk is the amalgamation of road trips, house parties, and community that inevitably emerges on stage as a circumstance of modern urgency. Sometimes you’ve just got to bail, and Highway Junk is as much a destination as it is the trip. Members of the Symptoms, B.A. Sisters, WAH-30, Highway Junk delivers a good time like blasting a motorcycle along a river valley road… Yes, mash up stories of horror-fiction and reality, but who cares about a hazy line when you can party on either side? Besides… I’ve got my mind preoccupied, OK? And I keep on screwing up…
The unstoppable SUZI MOON comes thundering back with her debut solo EP Call the Shots, a powerful clutch of high impact songs which reaffirm her status as one of punk rock’s most vibrant performers! With a stellar rock & roll pedigree reaching back to when the then 15-year-old MOON joined her sister’s famed punk band, CIVET, the singer-songwriter has followed through with songs that show her incredible growth. Recording two albums for Hellcat Records and touring with the likes of SOCIAL DISTORTION, DROPKICK MURPHYS, and FLOGGING MOLLY (all before she turned 21), MOON established herself as a ferocious punk truth-teller with both a distinctive personal style and a fiercely untamed stage presence. After CIVET went on hiatus, MOON formed TURBULENT HEARTS, a high-intensity trio that quickly gained popularity in their hometown Los Angeles scene and earned followings in the US and Europe, playing such high-stakes settings as the Rebellion Festival and Punk Rock Bowling.
The restless, boundlessly creative MOON next co-founded unique
garage/punk/stoner female power trio L.A. MACHINA. The group almost immediately issued a memorable EP for Alternative Tentacles before abruptly flaming out in late 2020. Undeterred, MOON set about crafting the groundbreaking songs which comprise Call the Shots, and was in the recording studio just months later. Set for a May 2021 release on Pirates Press Records, Call the Shots is classic MOON: hard hitting, dynamic and thunderingly expressive, the perfect artistic antidote for today’s uncertain climate. A daringly mesmerizing performer and bold, intuitive, composer, SUZI MOON consistently delivers an appealing, high-velocity authenticity that is hers alone.
Chicago based GIZNAD is the only known dual DANZIG and MISFITS tribute band playing the best material off of Danzig 1-4 and Glenn era Misfits albums that will leave the most casual listener and biggest fans satisfied.
BJRNCK is a LA-based R&B recording artist, songwriter and model. Signed to Chicago-based ATS Records, in partnership with LA Reid’s Hitco Entertainment, BJRNCK is coming to takeover. Her debut single is coming very soon…
Victor Lee is a Korean American guitarist / composer / producer based in West Lafayette, Indiana.
His unique upbringing, which has allowed him to take in different musical perspectives drawn from multiple cultural backgrounds, contributes to his original composition as well as his vision to serve other people’s music during session work.
Having been classically trained on piano since a young age, Victor presents a multi-instrumentalist’s viewpoint brining a synergetic flow and arrangement on his songwriting in guitar-centric progressive/fusion rock.
Victor wrote his first ever original song ”Absence” back in 2013, with an intention to comfort a friend who had lost her dog at the time. Despite the quality of the original recording being ‘passable’, he quickly fell in love with the process and the purpose that musical composition had brought as it allowed him to express things beyond what he could with words.
He released his first official single “Second Chance” in December of 2016 with talented Norwegian drummer, Andreas Sjøen who went on to play on several more tracks on Victor’s debut album “Strangely Familiar”, released in November 2018.
Quickly after, he was given an opportunity to perform a few of those songs at NAMM 2019, in Anaheim CA representing Tom Anderson Guitarworks, and has continued to be involved with the annual convention ever since.
In 2019, he played several shows, including supporting Tony MacAlpine and Arch Echo’s tour in Indianapolis and at a few local music festivals.
On Sep 17, 2019, Victor released a single “Letter” which was a partnership with a renowned Instagram music community called “Pickup Music” as a part of their educational program Songsquad.
On January 10, 2020, Victor released a single “Harbor City” (to be a part of his sophomore album) with Henrik Linder (of Dirty Loops) on bass and Andreas Sjøen returning on drums. On the song, Victor singlehandedly carried out performance duties on electric & acoustic guitars, keyboards, as well as all production and mixing of the song.
In the midst of releasing his original music, he made contributions to the following list as a session musician:
Shamah – Forever Kinda Love (Guitars)
Shamah – Queen (Guitars, Bass)
Shamah – Love Is The Way (Guitars)
Rabbit Of Sham – Milk & Honey (Producer)
Evil On Erie Haunted House (Sound Designer)
Victor is currently in production for his sophomore studio album!
Elephant Lore is a 4-piece, Chicago-based rock band founded in Spring 2021 by childhood friends Eddie Fay (vocalist/rhythm guitar) and Yona Gidalevitz (lead guitar) with Anthony James (drums) and Quinton “Q” Cajigas (bass) completing the lineup.
With each band member playing multiple instruments and contributing to the writing process, they create unique sound that draws influence from blues, classic rock, hard rock, and funk.
They perform with high energy, aiming to make crowds connect and dance. The group has been building a following around Chicago and released their second project, a 5 song EP, in January 2024. They are currently writing and recording their next work.
Elijah The Boy is a New York Native, who has been dropping consistent hits over the course of his career. He has carved out his own niche digitally, with the debut of his album “Mood Swings”. Ultimately reaching over 12 million plays on Sound Cloud, over two million live streams on Spotify, 70,000 subscribers on YouTube and amassing well over 250,000 followers on Instagram and counting.
