Sinner’s Friend is an Old-Time music band with a percussive twist. From Chicago, it’s members are Claire Halpin (fiddle,) Aron Packer (banjo,) Michael Dinges (guitar,) and Quinn Kearney (tablas.)
As the ass-kicking powerhouse vocalist for Brandi & the Alexanders, Brandi’s diva-level range and soulful melodies hit the listener right in the gut. Backed by The Alexanders, a funk, and psychedelic-influencedrock band, she walks a tightrope between classic rock drive and R&B grit.
Like fusing the Jackie Brown soundtrack, The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, and Sticky Fingers together; Brandi & the Alexanders have a sound that is slick, big, and instantly classic.
Music for your journey forward. A Chicago based band that is an evolution of its predecessor Fischer’s Flicker. Featuring Scott Fischer of The Furious Bongos!
gambier OH cornfield rock babey!! we are #good
Quantum is a collective of accomplished musicians with a singular goal; to bring back real music that hits you right in the head and heart. With meaningful lyrics, driving drums, gritty guitar and bass lines this band truly delivers their message as a collective. There is a purposeful simplicity with a subtle complexity coming from many angles.
Belleisle has been around longer than you think. Originally prescribed by doctors as a topical ointment used to treat gangrene and poison oak, people quickly discovered that Belleisle feels really good when applied liberally to all areas of the body.
“Fans of laid back and uber-melodic indie rock should check out locals Belleisle. Their ever-changing and evolving lineup is at least a sextet, but can, at time, reach ten members as they use a variety of instruments to deliver sweet and soft tunage that aims to sweep the listener off into somewhere dreamy.”
-Loud Loop Press
“I’ve never seen Belleisle.”
-Terry Flamm, Broken Hearted Toy Blog
Alternative Hip Hop Artist with a dark and morbid flow. combining old school boom bap with modern trap and rock, spanish & english.
while also creating a storytelling projects on a human possessed by something bigger than themselves.
OverAverage Music
Raphael Johnson better known as NIBHERU, is a compelling singer/songwriter hailing from the Westside of Chicago. Known by his rich and soulful voice throughout the city, NIBHERU has imparted a sound like no other. His refreshing talent has been well received and garnered him much attention from heavy hitters in the music industry. He’s opened for well known artists such as Ludacris and Twista. He’s recorded with Grammy-nominated producers Christyles and Doug Rashid. He’s performed at many venues around the city such as Sub-T, Dusable Museum, Refuge Chicago, Powah Houze, and other numerous places. A voice so impeccable, with writing abilities like the Dream and metaphors only seen by R.Kelly, NIBHERU is defiantly crafting out his own lane within the music industry.
Time to get familiar with the UFB, Better known as the PLYMKRS. Fraternal twins, AD and Erk G started creating music in 2009 and have no signs of stopping. Products of Chicago’s Southside “Low End” region. Though they came from single-parent, overcrowded homes in some of the city’s worst dwellings, the two young men chose to make music not reminiscent of their harsh realities but rather for parties and fun. If there is one word to describe their sound, it’s ENERGY! -P-Up
Producer , engineer, songwriter
23yr old Platinum Recording Artist, Dancer, Choregrapher
Vyse is a heavy metal rock band from Chicago. Our sound combines elements of classic metal, thrash, speed, blues, and everything in between. Vyse is comprised of Alen Ademovic on guitar, Tyler Warren providing bass/vocals, Nathan Zihala on drums and Travis Steer lead vocals. They take pride in their craft and possess the utmost passion for their music. They strive to create music that they enjoy, and that means no complacency, no blind assimilation, and no restrictions
“PRONG was definitely a Lower East Side band” says Tommy Victor. “We weren’t a bunch of kids in the suburbs playing in garages. We were part of that whole art scene, the same scene as street artists like Keith Haring and Basquiat. It was a completely different world back then. A lot of people were willing to live Spartan lifestyles in shitty conditions in this fantasy art world.”
“I grew up in Flushing, Queens, and used to go down to Bleecker Bobs in the east Village to and look for New Wave records. I waited in line for hours at CBGB’s to watch the early Ramones, and New York Dolls shows. Eventually I ended up finding an apartment in the Village Voice on 2nd Ave between 2nd and 3rd St. for $350 a month. It was poor Ukrainian Immigrants, biker gangs and drug addicts. Nobody wanted to live down there. “
“This was all before the existence of digital technology and cell phones,” explains Victor. “We didn’t have much communication with the outside world. The outside world to us was, like, Bayonne New Jersey, or Bensonhurst in Brooklyn. Even bands from DC or Boston seemed alien to us. The only communication between scenes we had was the fanzines. That’s how Prong got a lot of recognition. Really, the whole scene survived through tape-trading demos and fanzines.”
“Initially, Prong was a very lonely metal-core trio from the Lower East Side of New York. Forget about Anthrax and Overkill — theirs was the New York City of Tompkins Square police riots, Warzone, art/noise, and urban decay. While hatecore groups like Sheer Terror and School of Violence were running back and forth between the metal and hardcore neighborhoods in 1986, Prong were squatting on something special and different. There was something extra burning in their ashy skulls.”
“For one thing, they had non-metal pedigrees. Drummer Ted Parsons of the Swans , one of the slowest and most grating industrial bands ever. Bassist Mike Kirkland came from the strange hardcore band Crawlpappy. Tommy Victor was musically damaged in the extreme in every direction after tending soundboard at CBGBs for a semi-eternity.”
“Out of step with any thrash trends, Prong came into the speed/thrash/core game sounding like an unholy fusion of early Sonic Youth and Megadeth, and the world slowly took notice of well-rusted songs like “Drainpipe” and “Dreams Like That.” Eventually, PRONG’s unique approach began to turn heads. Howie Abrams of In-Effect records:“I was blown away by the progression they had made since their ironically titled debut, Primitive Origins. Prong started to sound like a special band that a lot of people might like, rather than the one who had a hard time finding its place in the NY scene. After we released the album, we began negotiations with the band to sign them to In-Effect for future albums, but the major labels were on to them too and they signed with Epic.
Tommy Victor got a job doing sound at CBGB’s from 1986 – 1990:
“Hilly (owner CBGB’s) just threw me in there. I had no idea what I was doing. He trusted me because I was “in a band” and had me give thumbs up or down on the band playing the hardcore matinees”
The bands he saw there:
“Soundgarden was really artsy and just blew me away. Bands that took traditional, maybe even classic rock, and made it artsy and cool really appealed to me at that time”
“Agnostic Front would have 20 to 30 of their friends on stage, constant stage diving and general extreme violence in the crowd. A memorable show to say the least and one of the great hardcore moments of the club. And it’s documented on that record. I’m proud to have been involved.”
Drummer Ted Parsons on joining PRONG
“I answered this Village Voice ad that said: “From Black Flag to Black Sabbath.” They were looking for a drummer so I called the number, and that’s when I met Tommy. We liked the energy of hardcore and punk music. I just left the Swans. I could finally play some fast beats, and actually bring my hi-hat. We played mostly at CBGB’s.
Parsons on playing around NY:
“We’d play with Cro-Mags, Agnostic Front, Bad Brains, and bands like that. But we’d also play with Corrosion Of Conformity, DRI, Whiplash, no NY noise bands and Clutch because we never really fit in anywhere. We were hardcore, but we were a little more experimental. We would play anywhere we could. We played pizza places in New Jersey, but we would play mostly these hardcore matinees.”
Parsons on signing to Epic records:
“Vernon Reid used to come down all the time and check us out. He loved the band, and Living Colour had just got signed to Sony/Epic at the time. He went up to Sony/Epic and said, “You gotta sign these guys.” So Bob Fineagle, the A&R, came down to CBs when we were playing. After we played he said, “We really want to sign you guys.”
Bassist Paul Raven on going from Killing Joke to Prong:
“It was a natural departure for me. I’ve always been sorta like the metal guy with KILLING JOKE who likes some of the more hard-edged stuff.”
Ted Parsons looking back on the Epic era:
“The only reason we signed to Sony was because we needed money so we could tour – like a loan from the bank.”
“They were trying to tell us what kind of clothes to wear. Tommy was really stressed because we were just a T-shirt and jeans band. We were just like a regular hardcore band from New York. We didn’t really have like an image. I still had short hair and we had two guys who had long hair. They were spending so much money on these friggin’ videos.”
“We were competing with Rage Against The Machine and Pearl Jam, and although we lasted for five albums with many other bands coming and going, Sony dumped us in the end.”
Post-Epic, the band dispersed. Paul Raven joined Ministry, and Parson joined Godflesh.
Tommy escaped gentrification and moved from NYC to Los Angeles. He collaborated with other musicians like Trent Reznor and Rob Zombie. He also recorded and toured with Danzig, and Ministry, and was nominated for several Grammies.
Although PRONG released 12 studio albums and 2 live albums in under 30 years (5 between 2014 – 2017), Tommy ponders the self-imposed hiatus on prong releases between 1996 and 2003, and possibly obscuring himself from fans’ increasingly waning attention spans.
“I’m making amends to the years of (perceived) inactivity, when I was devoting too much time to other people’s projects. I needed to prove to myself, and maybe to the fans that Prong can put out a consistent run of records that were of fairly good quality”
Having been clean from drugs and alcohol for many years, a sober Tommy reflects on the glorification of the early “druggie chique” days of CBGB’s and Max Kansas:
“In those days, it was cool to be a junkie. A lot of early punk times revolved around that. That type of rebellion against society, the ultimate rebellion is trying to kill yourself with drugs.”
“That era, where a dark hedonism was a priority in people’s lives doesn’t really exist anymore, which I think is good.”
On longevity, and finding one’s path:
“Inevitably, if you survive, you come to the realization that all that stuff was a fad, really, and there’s more to life than those old statements that you thought were so important earlier on. There’s important aspects of it, but there has to be balance in your life, you have to move on, you keep walking in life, you don’t just stay there.”
Willow Smith is a songwriter, fashion icon and talented actress and she’s only 18-years -old. Willow has already been featured on the cover of Teen Vogue, W Magazine, and I-D Magazine and in the 2014 July Issue of Vanity Fair where she posed for “Hollywood’s Next Wave” Issue. Willow has been acknowledged for leaving her mark in Hollywood.
Willow was most recently seen as the face of Maison Margiela’s “Mutiny” Fragrance Campaign which started in October 2018. She was also the ambassador for Chanel in 2016 and collaborated with Stance Socks to create her own line of which were also released in 2016. She can also be seen in the company’s campaign titled “Miss Dazey.”
In 2014, Willow released her deput EP titled “3” on October 31st for free via Google Play and for limited time on November 17, 2014 via iTunes.
In the Fall of 2010 Smith signed onto JAY-Z’s record label Roc Nation. Smith launched her music career with the release of her history making single, “Whip My Hair” just before her 10th birthday in 2010. “Whip My Hair” has been certified double platinum in the US, making Willow the youngest artist ever in the US to have a double platinum single. Overseas, Willow also broke records, becoming the youngest female to ever debut in the top 40 in the UK. In the spring of 2011 Willow opened for Justin Bieber on his sold-out European tour.
“Whip My Hair” immediately set media outlets abuzz, being covered by TIME, Billboard and CNN the day of its release. Initial reception praised the song’s kid-friendly, yet universal appeal. Prior to radio add dates and release, the song debuted at number sixty on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song’s initial video uploaded to YouTube and garnered over 100,000 views on the site a day after its release. The official music video was released on October 18, 2010. “Whip My Hair” reached #1 on the iTunes singles and video chart, making it the best-selling debut single from a new artist in 2010. The video has been viewed over 130 million times since the launch of the single.
Willow released her debut album, ARDIPITHECUS, in December 2015 and most recently, Willow released her album the 1st in October 2017 which the New York Times described as the “soundtrack to your adolescence” and her track “Warm Honey” as one of the 25 songs that tell the future of music.
In 2017, Roc Nation partnered with MSFTSrep, which consists of Willow, Jaden Smith and Harry Hudson among other artists, to create MSFTS Music. MSFTSrep is an “art collective and lifestyle brand that encompasses music, fashion, education and more.
In 2016, Willow won the Fashion Award for New Fashion Icons. Willow was also honored with the 2011 BET “YoungStars” Award, an honor she shared with her brother Jaden. Willow also received a BET Award nomination in 2011 for “Video of the Year” for “Whip My Hair and “Best New Artist” in addition to the 2011 NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding New Artist.”
In 2012 Willow became a Guinness World Record holder, being the youngest transatlantic Top 20 Artist. She has already been seen on the big and small screen opposite some of today’s most successful actors and actresses, including her father Will Smith. Willow’s film credits include Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, I Am Legend, and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.
Willow has also joined her mother in her advocacy to end human trafficking in the United States. Willow brought the issue to her mother attention in March of 2012 after doing research online. Since then she has attended Sen. John Kerry’s congressional hearing on human trafficking in 2012 and the launch of the first Bi-Partisan Senate Caucus to combat human trafficking. Willow continues to raise awareness through the organization Don’t Sell Bodies, founded by her mother, Jada.
Currently Willow, along with her mother Jada and grandmother Adrienne Banfield-Norris, are hosting a family talk show on Facebook called Red Table Talk that tackles current social and cultural issues with an inter-generational perspective.
We’re only in it for the money.
HAHAHAHA
OK, OK…we’re just a bunch of professional musicians with pretty diverse backgrounds who decided to take on a pretty big challenge and have some fun in the process.
Now you might ask, “Oh yeah? Professional musicians, eh? What makes you think you can play Frank’s music as well as [insert Zappa family/band member here]?”
Well, maybe you haven’t heard of us individually, but [sing] we’re pretty good musicians [/sing] and you probably have heard of the folks we’ve spent our careers working with:
Yo Yo Ma, Mick Fleetwood, BB King, Vinnie Colaiuta, Dweezil Zappa, LA Philharmonic, Arthur Barrow, Munich Philharmonic, Bryan Beller, Popa Chubby, Limelight: A Tribute To Rush, Pinetop Perkins, Chicago Lyric Opera, Madison Opera, blah blah blah….you get the idea.
As for Frank’s music, he was constantly changing things, both from his own creative evolution, and to adapt to the different musicians he hired over the years. He also understood that his live performances were entertainment: it’s supposed to be a rock show, not a piano recital.
With all that in mind, we don’t think playing Song X from Album Y exactly as recorded in 1973 while staring at our shoes is the proper way to go about this.
The result of that approach (combined with a lot of homework) is a show that pays respect to Zappa’s legacy, but is also new and different and dangerous and FUN, with lots of eyebrows.
Kinda like Frank.
Murky death metal.
Fueled by candid chaos and unfiltered honesty, Dionysia continually brings to life the stories and experiences that unify us all. Whether it’s a heavy groove rumbling through your body or your mind floating somewhere in a dream, the Boston based Indie/Alt-rock quartet’s dynamic songwriting and charismatic performance never fails to awaken a crowd. Following a string of sold out performances and multiple festival appearances, the group anticipates making waves this summer with the release of their second full length record “CATALYZE” with a national tour to follow suit.
“Black’s Backbone is not just a band, it’s a f***ing art project .”
Band members Blizzle and NAE have spent the past two years merging their original songs in an interactive concert where audience members can play the visuals.
Band leader Blizzle found his groove by rebelling against his classical upbringing and pursuing jazz – a path unheard of in his family of Grammy-winning classical virtuosos. Hundreds of transcriptions and hours spent listening to 60’s and 70’s vinyl prepared him to start writing slammin’ grooves and eventually collaborating with lyricist Patrick “Sully” Sullivan.
NAE met Blizzle as he was chilling outside his recording studio sipping a Guinness and she told him about her most recent obsession: writing synth pop music about synthetic plants in shopping malls, the subject of her experimental video art. From there, one of the several collaborations that have defined Black’s Backbone was forged. Blizzle and NAE have since been working alongside award-winning Creative Coder Nathan Glynn (Starcraft, Rocket Cat, Coca-Cola, Marriott).
Black’s Backbone has been featured in The Chicago Tribune, has collaborated with local art exhibitions at Parallax in Pilsen and Carlson Tower Galleries at North Park University, as well as with Artists of the Industry, The Artist Space, The Wilmette Theatre, Synth House Chicago Museum, The Wilmette Public Library, Chicago House musicians, and youth songwriters from local Park District summer camps. Their performances and outreach bring creativity in music, art, and coding to the community. Their art has been described as a “pop opera” that is quirky, theatrical, and “s*** I’ve never seen before.”
The Sam Cockrell Band (SCB) is a hard hitting Funk/R&B/Soul/Blues band from Chicago lead by Singer/Bassist and Chicago Blues Hall-of-Famer Sam Cockrell.
Sasquatch is a rock band from Los Angeles, CA. They tend to sip on influences from 70’s metal, rock, and psychedelia. Their songwriting approach is clear-cut; keep the focus on the hook.
The band was born in Philadelphia in 2000 and moved to Los Angeles in 2001 after Keith Gibbs (guitar, vox) joined up with Detroit natives Rick Ferrante (drums) and Clayton Charles (bass). Upon Clayton’s departure in 2007, the guys recruited Chicagoan Jason Casanova (Behold! The Monolith, Tummler) to join the fold. We arrive at 2017 and Dr. Craig Riggs (Roadsaw, Kind, Antler) is now shellacking the kit when he’s not brewing coffee or watching the Red Sox.
The band’s music has been featured on a variety of movies, television shows, and video games including the reissue of Clerks, FX’s original hit series Sons of Anarchy, A&E’s Dog The Bounty Hunter, Jersey Girl, CW’s The Supernatural, and MTV’s Viva La Bam, Bam’s Unholy Union, and Rob and Big, NHL 2005, American Chopper, and Monster Garage.
After shaking some walls with not one, but two, closely packed studio albums (the self-titled debut and “II”) in 2004 and ’06, the power trio went subterranean until 2010 before resurfacing with a new lineup and propulsive third opus, “III”, followed up by the straight-ahead rocker, “IV”, in 2013.
The band’s latest album, Maneuvers, was released in June 2017 and features the work of Riggs behind the kit. This is the band’s most concise work to-date. Extended jams were stripped down to the meat and potatoes. Short and sweet is the path looking forward. Andrew Schneider (NYC) returned behind the boards this round. You may recognize the name as he also provided the mixes on “II”. What fans hear is arguably the gents most mature and inspired song-set released, chunked with both heartwarmingly familiar moments – but all of it heavy on the heavy, as they say…always. Unprecedented attention was also devoted to spinning new yarns out of those evergreen rock and roll stories about love lost, hate found, relationships built and lives trashed, homes wrecked, etc.
Coming off their first Australian tour, look for the band to be gearing up for extended US dates later in the Summer of 2019 and its next European tour in the early Spring of 2020. All’s fair in Love and Doom.
While working together, Tony and Nathan recognized that they had similar musical tastes. After numerous conversations, Hot Dogs Half Off was born. Reigning in Lansing, IL Nathan and Tony bring in 10+ years of musical experience. A combination of Techno, Comedy and Rock, together they satisfy your musical needs.
With a heart filled with passion and a head full of stories Rob Moir delivers his most unique music to date. After five years of fronting the Toronto indie-punk band Dead Letter Dept. (Underground Operations/Universal Music), Rob embarks on his first solo venture as a performer.
A splatter fetishist’s rereading of punk or industrial…a gut-punch of synthetic rhythm sickeningly warbling out of control. ” Ryan Maesteller, Tabs Out
A trio of hyperactive yet hyper-articulate musicians bangin’ out the sexiest new-wave/no-wave jams you’ve ever heard, The Baby Magic enthralls the listener on their newest record “Rent a Place in Hell”. Their songs conjure up the best moments of Beat Happening, Talking Heads, and Death From Above 1979 without sounding redundant. Rather, they’re a harbinger for a new, enlightened, fun time.
Verbal Burlesque
Lydia Lunch Voice
Weasel Walter Drums
Tim Dahl Bass
Verbal Burlesque combines the dynamic spoken word histrionics of Lydia Lunch, one of the genres most controversial performers with the improvisational virtuosity of Weasel Walter and Tim Dahl to create an intimate, terrifying and emotional evening of musical verite.
Lydia Lunch is passionate, confrontational and bold. Whether attacking the patriarchy and their pornographic war mongering, turning the sexual into the political or whispering a love song to the broken hearted, her fierce energy and rapid fire delivery lend testament to her warrior nature.
Queen of No Wave, muse of The Cinema of Transgression, writer, musician, poet, spoken word artist and photographer, she has released too many musical projects to tally, has been on tour for decades, has published dozens of articles, half a dozen books and simply refuses to just shut up. She performs in a variety of mediums, is a rabid collaborator and continues to release new music as well as re-issuing classic material such as her spoken word indictment against patriarchal idiocy, The Conspiracy of Women through Nicolas Jaar’s label Other People.
Seven Stories Press will release her latest anthology So Real It Hurts on July 11, 2019.
Weasel Walter (first name, last name) is a Brooklyn, New York based multi-instrumentalist, composer and improviser best known for leading the seminal punk-jazz/no-wave/brutal-prog band The Flying Luttenbachers between 1991 and 2007 on 16 full-length releases.
Seamlessly uniting the intensity and abstraction of improvised music with the nihilist aesthetics of extreme rock forms, Walter is committed to violent momentum, idiomatic unpredictability and rapid articulation.
Expert in the underground music scene of the late 1970’s, Walter has lectured at various Universities including Bard, San Francisco Art Institute, University of Chicago in Paris, and penned the introduction for Marc Masters book NO WAVE, seen as the definitive history of the New York movement from which Lydia Lunch emerged in 1977 with her first group Teenage Jesus and the Jerks.
In 2012, Weasel Walter began working with Lydia Lunch as musical coordinator and lead guitarist for RETROVIRUS, a retrospective, which spanned the spectrum of her musical legacy from No Wave Skronk to bludgeoning Hard Rock and sleazy Jazz Noir to propulsive Psychedlia. RETROVIRUS also features Bob Bert (Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore, Chrome Cranks) and Tim Dahl and continues to tour Europe, America, Australia and South America.
Tim Dahl is a composer and professional electric and double bass player, vocalist, keyboardist and composer living in New York City. He is best known as the front man and bass player of the noise-rock band Child Abuse and the defunct avant-jazz group The Hub. He also writes and performs for the jazz ensemble Pulverize The Sound. Dahl has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe and Japan, Australia and South America and performed with many notable musicians, composers and performers including Yusef Lateef, Archie Shepp, Eugene Chadbourne, John Zorn, Kool Keith, Marc Ribot, Elliot Sharpe, Tatsuya Yoshida and Stanley Jordan.
Crimson Moonlight from the depths of Sweden was formed 1997 as an Old Schooled Black Metal project. After recording a demo during the summer of 1997 the band decided to go on and develop into a more melodic and symphonic direction. Now more than 20 years later the band has released four albums and played over 100 gigs in Europe and the US. Since 2011 the band is active with a mystical and explicit chaotic form of extreme metal. The music has the framework and concept of Eastern Mystical Theology, a mixture labeled as: Liturgical Black Metal of True Trinitarian Orthodoxy. In 2016 the band released their fourth full length album; Divine Darkness. (Endtime Productions). The album has got excellent reviews around the world and been described as dedicated, bestial and furious in the vein of Marduk, Mayhem and Dark Funeral. Last year new songs were recorded in the same, yet more brutal direction. Do not miss the change to experience Crimson Moonlight LIVE! There will be a show to remember!
Co-Founders of McKinney Music LLC | The World’s First Husband & Wife Sax Duo
Experience the soulful fusion of R&B, Neo-Soul, and Jazz as Marital Sax debuts their highly anticipated CD! This release party promises a one-of-a-kind musical experience. Limited seating—get your tickets before they’re gone!
Taylor Kelly has a voice that blends both the smoothness and rhythmic nature of jazz, soul and funk. Her tasteful songwriting tells tales of truth in hopes to inspire many to love, live and let go. Also a trumpet player, she proves the importance of a strong horn section and hot horn lines and strives for an instrumental-vocal approach, a rhythmic phrasing and an improvisation that is reminiscent of many of her trumpet playing influences (Chet Baker, Roy Hargrove and Miles Davis to name a few). Her musical stylings are reflective of Erykah Badu and Stevie Wonder as they possess what she believes to be the true essence of music- harmonic complexity, strong melodic contour and lyrical honesty with an absolutely relentless underlying groove. Taylor has shared the stage with Moonchild, Becca Stevens, Bahamadia and Georgia Anne Muldrow. She released her third studio album, DO U FEEL ME, in June 2017 and is currently working on her next full-length album “Up Up and Away” that will be released sometime next year.
The Corcoran Brothers Band are a five-piece Alternative Blues-Rock Band with soulful intentions and funky aspirations from Chicago, IL.
Hailing from Chicago, IL, Bullet To The Heart blends a unique mixture of modern metal and soaring melodies to create a defining sound within the alternative metal scene. Drawing inspiration from the trials and tribulations they have faced throughout their lives, Bullet To The Heart will put their experiences, and their trauma on display to the world in their upcoming EP, titled “trauma.”, as they spread their message of acceptance and support. With over 500,000 streams of their last EP titled, “Death, Oddities, and Romance”, and over 20,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, Bullet To The Heart has developed a dedicated fanbase, known as The Bloodline, that is more family than fanbase. Bullet To the Heart isn’t just a band, but a multifaceted emotional journey that not only transcends but blurs the boundaries between story telling, musical prowess, and good old fashioned music to bang your head to. Join The Bloodline today.
Am Samstag is a rock band formed in September 2018. Drawing on influences from the bands that gave birth to the grunge movement in the early 90’s, the band wishes to prove that grunge is not dead, it was just asleep for a while.
6 months later, Am Samstag releases its first EP “1”, produced and mixed by legendary producer Jack Endino in Seattle (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Babes In Toyland, Screaming Trees). Composed of broken vocals, distorted guitars, heavy bass lines and aggressive drums, this first release is a travel to the Seattle underground scene.
The band’s music is a wave of melodies made to move all calm souls and all those who want to stimulate their senses through music. A sort of time machine that goes from blues to psychedelic, from garage to alternative rock.
Distorted riffs, powerful voices and daring energy on stage, is what characterises Misty Bliss. The band doesn’t waste time with trivia and gets straight to the point. Each of its member has her own story and shares different musical influences, which allows them to mix approches and emotions.
Released in July 2018, Misty Bliss’s debut EP “MB” received positive reviews from around the world, allowing the band to
perform in a few venues in Geneva, Lausanne and neighbouring France.
In December 2018 the band starts composing songs for a first album, with an expected release date in 2020. The songs will be recorded in September 2019 at Electrical Audio Studio in Chicago with legendary producer Steve Albini (PJ Harvey, Nirvana, Pixies), who will also be in charge of the production and mixing of the album.
Lollygagger is a heavy stoner-punk Chicago power trio defined by whip-smart lyrics and riffs as fast and technical as they are accessible. Their 2019 Self-titled Video album was followed up by Chirp Radio’s Best of 22 Album, TOTAL PARTY KILL via What’s for Breakfast Records. Razorcake Magazine said “This, I can definitely fuck with… the lyrical content is smart, topical, and biting, the performances are on point, the delivery is charged as hell, and there’s just enough “weird” to it all to keep any potential meathead proclivities at bay“. Maximum Rock and Roll called it “A righteous, sex-fueled party is crammed into the grooves of the debut LP… This act is fronted by a snot-nosed punk who hates boss, hates system, hates cops, loves screaming, loves exposing hypocrisy. Total punk attitude, total stoner metal groove” The pristine sounding record was engineered by the legendary Sanford Parker (EYEHATEGOD, VOIVOD, YOB), but their live skills are not to be missed, catch them ASAP!
The Anna Maze is comprised of two core memebers, Anna Maze and Jim Licka (Umbra and the Volcan Siege) with a rotating cast of other musicians. This band is a refreshing mixture of dark indie country, and the blues; think Jonny Cash and June Carter, if they were from Chicago. The soulful vocals of Anna Maze combined with the haunting cries of Jim Licka are sure to leave you wanting more. New album ‘That’s What I Want ‘Em To Say’ out now on all digital streaming platforms.
In an industry beset by guarded calculation and repressive risk-avoidance, this band goes “all in” with every bet they make. Their infectious self-confidence permeates their music and fuels their road-hardened lifestyle. When they roll into your town you’ d best be prepared. They’ re the bull in the china shop. The hair of the dog. The storm after the calm.
They are…The Drugstore Gypsies.
Drawing on distinctively Southern influences like Blackberry Smoke, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers, and The Black Crowes, The Drugstore Gypsies also combine many of the sensibilities of worldwide riff rock heroes like Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. You don’ t fly that flag in 2016 because of focus testing or market research. It’ s got to be who you are!
Founded in 2014 by wildly entertaining frontman Duke Ryan and guitar extraordinaire Dillan Dostal, the band quickly locked in on the right duo in the rhythm section, adding drummer Rey Chapa and bassist Korey Davis. The Gypsies have already played in excess of 200 shows throughout Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, and have recently added John Wilson to play Hammond organ and rhythm guitar, completing the band’ s classic Southern sound.
In mid-2015 the band attracted the attention of Edgewater Music Group, a Sony/RED distributed music production, artist management, and music distribution company based in Houston. The band arrived at Edgewater Studios in December of that year to begin work on their self-titled, debut album. The record features a dynamic body of rip-roaring rock ‘ n roll from start to finish.
Songs like “Black Label Boogie”and “Show Up Show Down” highlight the band’ s wall of guitar-laden power. “Breakin The Law,”“Drugstore Gypsy,”and “Live The Life” are loads of fun and feature a three-piece horn section backing the band’ s enigmatic sound. “Running To”and “Indian Summer” trend into organic Americana rock.
“The Drugstore Gypsies” explores what it means to be an impetuous young American male living life to the fullest in the heart of the South. Tales of humorous conquest blend into battles with burgeoning demons. Stories of love and betrayal lay bare the band’ s undeniable maturity as writers, hidden just beneath a convincing veneer of youth and bravado.
This is a band people will make movies about. In fact, you’ d be hard-pressed to craft a more captivating story for a morecompelling cast of characters in a Hollywood writer’ s room. In their own words, they are intent on to bringing to you, “Some of the greatest music of the modern day!” Experience a Gypsies’ show and you’ ll be consumed by their irrepressible enthusiasm and innate humor. Know them and succumb to their down-home charm. They are intent on taking their rightful place in the annals of rock ‘ n’ roll history, side-by-side with all the great American rock bands who have come before. Treasure their record and bear witness to their rise. What’ s their ultimate destiny?
For the longest time, Tyler Cassidy, formerly known as Froggy Fresh, formerly known as Krispy Kreme, formerly known as Tyler Cassidy, was an enigma – having blurred the lines between who he is and his elaborately written character. The franchise was one of textbook Youtube legacy, a self-produced project that earned hundreds of millions of views, John Cena endorsement, Tosh.0 appearance, and survival of a rebrand and a follow-up album that charted 3rd on the Billboard Comedy chart. However, everything you thought you knew about Froggy Fresh was wrong. In a later self-retrospective, it was revealed that the project was birthed in Tyler’s feeling lack of attention to the preceding original music he had made.
In 2017 – almost five years to the date of the first YouTube upload – Froggy Fresh surprised fans with a live tour, playing to packed venues across every crevice of the continental US. The tour was a swan song of the Froggy Fresh project as Tyler had grown out of it (and feared being stuck throughout his career as what he described as a Pee-Wee Herman type character). The formative life-experience of extensive travel through touring and connecting with fans, re-ignited Tyler’s creative flame as he taught himself to compose and perform on the piano.
The initial offerings were solemn tunes of love, loss and redemption – written for a concept album. Now the listener, who had extended a Kleenex for Froggy’s nose in the Baddest, would use it for their own eyes. While these songs would earn Tyler critical acclaim and more millions of likes and views, his biggest hit would stray from the more serious, heart-wrenching material and land a spot on the cover of Reddit.
Garnering the attention of major players in the music industry, Boyfriend rivaled the virility of any video from the Froggy Fresh project with one major difference – the video was a simple iPhone shot of him performing the song on his grandma’s piano, and finally his songwriting was recognized on its own. Additional material followed which features sultry tales, irreverent streams of consciousness, and a healthy dose of millennial “fuckitol” in response to this age of doom and confusion. Froggy Fresh was Tyler’s Trojan horse and he’s emerged with multiple albums of material plus a high-energy backing band…. and this born entertainer is just getting started.
Their self produced debut album, Waves at Dusk, (2017) is a concept album inspired by G.K. Chesterton’s epic tale, “The Ballad of the White Horse,” other Anglo-Saxon writings, and Norse sagas. This album captures the inescapable misery and undeniable hope of the early middle ages; raiding hordes, mass migrations, and kingdoms rising through the discord. The album features a hardwood Anglo-Saxon lyre and other folk instruments alongside a three-pronged electric guitar assault and viscerally blasted rhythms. Waves at Dusk also features a Saxon war cry historically used on the battlefield against the vikings.”
Painted Canyon is an Americana rock trio hailing from Chicago. They draw on influences such as Wilco, Tom Petty, Old 97’s, Hiss Golden Messenger, and Josh Ritter, among others. They seamlessly blend passionate heartland rock with expansive Americana tones. Formed in the summer of 2019, they recorded their professional demo EP at Audiotree Studio in Wicker Park. This helped kick things off for summer shows in the strong Chicago Americana music scene. The band’s members (Evan Burns, Eric Gannon, and Dan Powell) then had a busy second half of 2019 playing shows in the Chicago area, Central Illinois, and Wisconsin. They broke into the scene performing at famous Chicago-area venues such as FitzGerald’s, Reggies, Law Office Pub, Tonic Room, Carol’s Pub and Urbana’s historical Rose Bowl Tavern, to name a few. They’ve shared bills with other national touring artists such as Jesse Dayton, Jason Hawk Harris, Volk, Goodnight Texas, and The Dirty Streets.
Painted Canyon’s start to their debut album began in January of 2020 with a release that was originally scheduled for mid-2020. Like so many other artists and bands, the pandemic delayed studio recording and mixing sessions. Working closely with the studio recording engineer, Mike Hagler of Kingsize Sound Labs (Chicago) and mastering engineer, Chris Frasco of Master Frasco (Nashville), Painted Canyon was able to finally finish and release their debut album in 2021.
Together, this trio has developed a dynamic and uplifting sound, which has been best described as classic American rock with an indie/roots-inspired twist.
Their first full-length album Permanent Reflection is available now.
Evan Burns – Guitar, Lead Vocals
Eric Gannon – Bass, Vocals
Dan Powell – Drums, Vocals
Jeff ‘J.D.’ Pinkus is an American bassist best known for his work with American punk band Butthole Surfers from 1985 to 1994 and since the 2009 reunion.
In 1990, he and Butthole Surfers’ lead vocalist Gibby Haynes released Digital Dump, the only album from their psychedelic house music side project The Jackofficers.
Upon leaving Butthole Surfers, Pinkus worked full-time with the Austin trio Daddy Longhead, which he had assembled during his waning months in the band, and which included longtime Atlanta associate Jimbo Young on guitar and Rey Washam on drums. Daddy Longhead retired after 10 years, leaving Pinkus free to explore other projects including Skinny Leonard and Areola 51. Pinkus played with Helios Creed on his albums ‘NUGG: The Transport'[1996] and ‘Activated Condition’ [1998], and has also collaborated with Bad Livers frontman Danny Barnes several times in a live setting.
He currently appears with Honky and has in the past played weekly on Monday nights at the Jackalope, in Austin, Texas, with an assortment of other musicians called the Guit Down Syndrome.
Pinkus also performs with Pure Luck,who released a self-titled release in 2017 on Heavy Feather Records. He leaves his bass to play Banjo and Guitar in this project.
On their 30th anniversary tour in 2013, Pinkus joined the Melvins[3] in place of Jared Warren (on paternity leave) as well as performing with the opening Honky. He subsequently joined the Melvins full-time, touring with them in 2014 in support of the album Hold It In, which also featured Butthole Surfers founder Paul Leary, and again in 2015. He also plays on the song “Captain Come Down” which was first released in 2015 on Chaos as Usual, a split release with Le Butcherettes, and later included on the 2016 album Basses Loaded.
In 2018, J.D. Pinkus released a solo album, “Keep on the Grass” on Cassette tape on Minner Bucket Records and Compact Disc on Heavy Feather Records. It was recorded entirely on banjo and features a rendition of the song “Bride of Crankenstein” from the Melvins album Hold It In. The C.D. release show is with Sleep in San Pedro on September 15th 2018.
On February 12, 2018, the Melvins announced that Pinkus would be joining them, alongside current bassist Steven McDonald (Redd Kross), on their next album and subsequent tour. Released on April 20, 2018, the aptly titled Pinkus Abortion Technician features both bass players and four songs written or co-written by Pinkus.
I Ya Toyah is a Chicago – based one woman army of Polish descent that blends chaos and balance with familiar, yet unknown vibe of industrial electronica sound. Her music melts the smooth, cutting edge vocals, surreal guitars, hypnotizing beats and multiple electronic elements into dark arrangements that, combined with storytelling lyrics, respond to the paranoia of everyday reality.
Connecting cultures through electronic music.This project is about cultural and musical pluralism, where different artists, producers, composers and musicians from around the world collaborate under an electronic music format, without having to sacrifice their own particular identities.Instrumental wise it’s the opposite of an “unplugged”.The majority of the instrumentation used in these musical compositions would be electronic instruments, such as conventional synthesizers, modular synthesizers, drum machines, digital machines, samplers, processed acoustic instruments, processed vocals, software, etc.The word “Wired” refers to the electricity in music, but also to the interconnection between cultures.We are all connected and “wired”to each other in some way.The delivery format would be a series of short films where the guests perform together a musical piece in a particular location. This location could be a home studio, a recording studio, a music venue, outdoors, etc.The process of creation or story behind the creation of these musical pieces will be documented as well and used as part of the film (interviews, life experiences from the guests, footage from the locations/trips where the sessions are filmed, etc)The performances will be also professionally recorded, mixed and mastered, and later released in digital platforms.When the opportunity comes, the project would give emphasis to political or environmental problems.The project would also approach the involvement of governmental, intergovernmental and non profit organizations.
Wind Rose is a power metal band born in Italy in 2009. The band gained notoriety in 2017 with the release of the third album “Stonehymn”, featuring the single “To Erebor” which scored millions of views on Youtube and Facebook.
The main themes of the lyrics are inspired to the fantasy world of Tolkien and in particular to the Dwarves, the fictional race that also inspires the costumes and the look of the band.
The band is also actively touring since 2013 and gained a lot of live experience being invited to tours with Ensiferum, Eluveitie and Wintersun in Europe and Japan. The longest ride so far was the Ensiferum’s “Path to Glory Tour”, 38 European shows in April/May 2018.
Wind Rose is currently working on the fourth studio album which will be released in 2019.
On 24 February 1999, three men held a meeting at the borders of the Pääsküla bog, in the singer and guitar player Markus’s basement, one of whom could play a little bit of guitar, another who knew how to play a little bit of drums, and a third who had come up with a sufficiently ancient-sounding name that would be just right for a heavy metal band – ’Metsatöll’ (the name “Metsatöll” is an ancient Estonian euphemism for wolf).The thought soon turned into reality and over the next few days four or five songs were composed and a couple of months later there was an entire album-full of them. The demo album Terast mis hanging me hinge was released in the autumn of 1999. Soon afterwards, Lauri joined the band, bringing with him a second guitar, the torupill, kannels and flutes.
In early 2001, the original bass player was replaced by Kuriraivo. A year later, a single and video for the song Hundi loomine were released.
Metsatöll’s current line-up was finalised in 2004, when Atso took up the place behind the kit. At that same year, the album Hiiekoda was released, which multiplied the number of the band’s fans several hundred times, crushed all previous sales records for an Estonian metal artist and won Metsatöll the Best Metal Act 2005 award at the Estonian Music Awards ceremony.
In 2006, the same award was won for the album Terast mis hangund me hinge 10218, a re-recorded and re-arranged version of the band’s demo album. The live DVD See You On The Battlefield! was recorded during the album’s presentation show, and it won the title of Best DVD 2006. At that very same year Metsatöll and the Estonian National Male Choir composed an arrangement of Veljo Tormis’s magnum opus, Raua needmine; a DVD was released in Estonia and Germany of the show that took place in the ruins of the Pirita cloister.
Metsatöll’s third album, Iivakivi, released in February 2008, won the band the now familiar Metal Act of the Year award from the Estonian Music Awards ceremony. At the same year, Metsatöll signed a contract with Universal’s Finnish subsidiary, Spinefarm Records.
To celebrate the band’s 10th birthday, a 2DVD/CD Kõva Kont (2009) was released, which will be Metsatöll’s final release published with the band’s own resources. More than five hours of stuff to watch and listen, from between the years 2000-2008, it provides a thorough overview of the band’s history – from rehearsals recorded in a basement and the very first gigs attended by both of their fans, to the show at the Rabarock festival, cheered by a stadium full of people, and the concert Märkamisaeg, which was attended by an audience of more than 100 000.
In the autumn of 2009, Metsatöll joined Ensiferum (FIN) for an European tour of 31 shows in 11 countries. By today, the band has played more than 350 shows in Europe and the US, and has sold more than 50 000 albums.
On 15 january 2010, the online-single and video Vaid vaprust was released, a first taste of Metsatöll’s fourth album Äio, due out on 3 March. All the music and lyrics on the album were conceived in the isolation of a small farmstead in Hargla, South Estonia. This provided the songs with a breath that, according to the guys themselves, cannot be achieved in a big city. Äio was recorded in Finnvox studios in Finland and Sinusoid studios in Estonia. The album was mixed by the legendary producer and sound engineer Mikko Karmila.
In 2012, Metsatöll gave concerts in Estonia, Finland and Latvia. In autumn, the band toured with Korpiklaani (FIN), Tyr (FRO) and Moonsorrow (FIN) for a month in North-America, where a total of 26 shows were given. The DVD Tuska, which was recorded at the Tuska Open Air 2012 in Helsinki, was released.
The year 2013 took off to a flying start – Metsatöll gave two gigs for the soldiers of Estonia, USA, UK and Denmark in Afghanistan, at the Helman province. Followed by a trip to Southern Asia, the band went on a European tour with Korpiklaani (FIN) – 40 shows were given in 15 countries.
To this day, Metsatöll have given more than 490 performances and have sold more than 100 000 records.
* Metsatöll uses the chronology of the local natural religion. It begins with the Billingen catastrophe of 8213 before Common Era, when the Baltic ice lake broke its way into the ocean and most of the current territory of Estona appeared from under the water.
From the hazy bulldozer bongripping of debut LP ‘Bronsonic’ to 2015’s impossibly dismal ‘IV’, a gruesome and lysergic 44 minute long single track that tests the limits of adjectives like heavy or bleak, their sound is continually (d)evolving. Consistently finding new ways to hit bottom in a sequence of splits with fellow underground juggernauts Dopethrone, Primitive Man, and Teeth among others, FISTER has emerged as one of the nastiest strains of doom metal, adept at fusing the narcotic tension of drowning in misery with the planet-splitting intensity of devout amplifier worship. Producing metal so poisonous, polluted, and nihilistic that sludge-doom-funeral-death are the only labels that can hang, the midwestern outfit are overpowering and relentless at city-leveling volume like a Sisyphean artillery brigade cursed to push two hundred tons of speaker cabinets uphill forever.
Shed is a five-piece stoner metal band from Chicago.
BLAKE is a fuzz band from Chicago, IL. Formed by longtime musicians, Peter Norman and Danny Burke, in 2015. After several months as a guitar/drum duo, a third member, Nick Cvijovic, was added on bass. From there, the trio began practicing maticulously and playing myriads of shows, perfecting their hooky, tasty, fuzz licks. As early ’17 rolled in, Spencer Quigley joined as rhythm guitar, turning this trio into a full, SG shreddin’ quartet. Catch a show!
Sophisticated metal from Chicago
Chicago post-punk band Eve Black combines dark, driving grooves with delay-drenched guitars and soaring vocals to deliver a sonic experience that is equal parts catchy and crushing. Since 2019, the band has explored a range of shadowy sounds and textures, shaped by influences like The Cure, Protomartyr, The Chameleons, Siouxsie and the Banshees, classic deathrock, and a variety of high-drama goth bands. Returning to the stage with new music, a new lineup, and plenty of pent-up energy, Eve Black brings a DIY ethos and an infectious energy that exhilarates audiences and brings them back for more. Ryan Bryant – vocals/guitar Hector Huizar – drums Jorge Lopez – bass Thomas Wells – guitar
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band is the debut solo album by English musician John Lennon. It was released in 1970, after Lennon had issued three experimental albums with Yoko Ono and Live Peace in Toronto 1969, a live performance in Toronto credited to the Plastic Ono Band. The album was recorded simultaneously with Ono’s debut avant-garde solo album, Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band, at Ascot Sound Studios and Abbey Road Studios using the same musicians and production team and nearly identical cover artwork.
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band is generally considered one of Lennon’s finest solo albums. In 1987, Rolling Stonemagazine ranked it fourth in its list “The 100 Best Albums of the Last Twenty Years” and in 2012, ranked it number 23 in “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.
Deltaphonic is a New Orleans rock n’ roll band that blends fingerpicking blues, funk, and roots rock into a surprisingly big sound.
Imagine if Incesticide era Nirvana were crossed with Static Age era Misfits. You’d have sinister low budget horror rock with a visceral, twisted weirdness
A.C. – Guitar, Vocals
M.H. – Guitar
E.C. – Drums
C.D. – Bass
We had been sullen
in the sweet air that’s gladdened by the sun;
we bore the mist of sluggishness in us:
now we are bitter in the blackened mud.
Beautiful metal from the north.
Jori Apedaile – All instruments + vocals
Lutes-Nolden Eargasm interpret Tenacious D & Ween
Industrial Black Metal From Chicago
Before entrancing listeners across the world, 21-year-old singer, songwriter, and producer Jeremy Zucker had been quietly carving out his distinct sound from a bedroom in suburban New Jersey. A fusion of organic airy beats, lush soundtrack-style soundscapes, and biting tumblr-worthy lyricism, Zucker’s catalog is eclectic: equally care-free and effortless as it is introspectively cathartic. A self-described “social introvert,” Zucker cites Jon Bellion, Blackbear, EDEN, Bon Iver, and Wet among his strongest influences.
In the summer of 2015, Zucker released his first official EP entitled “Beach Island.” The project saw a small amount of success and from there Zucker steadily began to build a dedicated fan base. Later that year he released a stream of singles that would eventually be packaged together as an EP titled “Breathe.” The project’s breakout single “Bout It” quickly garnered millions of streams as it organically spread across Soundcloud and Spotify, drawing the attention of curators and fans across the world. In 2016 Zucker released his third EP, “Motions,” which featured “Heavy,” a song that was later remixed by the recording artist Blackbear who reached out to Jeremy after stumbling across his music on Soundcloud. The remix, “Make Daddy Proud,” was released on Blackbear’s latest LP “Digital Druglord.” 2017 continues the upward trend for Zucker; he recently signed with Republic Records and is currently gearing up for his major label debut.
“I used to write about finding ways out of the darkness,” says John Brodeur, the New York songwriter and musician behind 2018 NPR Music Slingshot Artist Bird Streets. “Now I’m more interested in exploring and creating a map of that place. In some ways, adopting the Bird Streets name allowed me to write more openly about myself.”
In need of a creative rebirth after many years in the New York music scene, Brodeur reached out to his longtime friend, producer and multi-instrumentalist Jason Falkner, to suggest they record together. The album yielded by this pairing is both fresh and familiar–a dynamic collection of introspective indie-rock and power-pop that draws liberally on the music of decades past without being bluntly nostalgic, with Brodeur’s voice like an old friend you’re meeting for the first time. The Falkner-produced debut, simply titled Bird Streets, is out now on Omnivore Recordings.
Over a career that’s spanned nearly 20 years, John Brodeur has independently produced and released several solo albums, including 2013’s Little Hopes; fronted rock trios The Suggestions and Maggie Mayday; and worked as a touring and studio musician for scores of acts, including The Morning After Girls, Freedy Johnston, and White Hills. He has shared stages with Fountains of Wayne, They Might Be Giants, TV On The Radio, The Whigs, Glenn Tilbrook, Cracker, 311, Lemonheads, Scud Mountain Boys, Greg Laswell, Asteroids Galaxy Tour, O.A.R., Sloan, Todd Park Mohr, and many more.
The name Bird Streets springs from a tony real-estate enclave in the Hollywood Hills, which Brodeur first discovered when the recording sessions were first getting underway — but also references his one-time hometown of Albany, N.Y., which provided the characters and inspiration for some of the album’s 11 songs.
Recorded in Los Angeles between 2014 and 2016, Bird Streets is the product of equal measures tenacity and patience. After a series of setbacks derailed touring plans for his last solo album, Brodeur decamped to L.A. for a few months, waiting for a hole to open in Falkner’s schedule. Once they were in the studio, the kindred creative spirits hit it off immediately, producing the song “Direction” in a single session. What started with a song turned into an EP and then a full-length album. Working during the short gaps between Falkner’s touring and production commitments, with Brodeur shuffling between coasts for studio dates, the pair moved quickly, arranging and tracking entire songs in a day or two, sharing instrumental duties throughout. Brodeur brought few complete ideas into the sessions, instead composing in the studio with Falkner, lyrics often being finished as the record button was pressed.
Lyrically, these songs draw heavily on internal conflict — self-doubt, anxiety, depression — with an overarching feeling of wistful resignation rather than blind optimism. On “Spaceship,” the album’s introspective centerpiece, Brodeur reflects on his history with alcohol as “having the time of someone else’s life,” before admitting, “we’ve got a long way to go.” The inertia of addiction hangs heavy over “Same Dream”: “So many places that you’ve never been / But all you want is to be there again.”
Something as seemingly inconsequential as writer’s block is experienced as a mortal struggle on the spooky “Pretty Bones.” Brodeur notes, “I got locked out of my friend’s place in Hollywood the evening before we had to cut the vocal, and I didn’t have a lyric yet so I wandered around for half the night, beating myself up for not having anything to say — which turned out to be decent lyric material.”
Periodically difficult themes are delivered via unshakable melodies, a dichotomy that recalls the tightrope walked by artists like Elliott Smith and David Bazan/Pedro the Lion. In album opener “Carry Me,” Brodeur celebrates “new beginnings and bitter ends” over a bright, bristling bed of electric guitars, then laments the end of a friendship that was once “tighter than Steely Dan” in the eminently catchy “Betting on the Sun.” From there the album jumps between epic power-ballads (“Stop to Breathe”) and British Invasion-flavored power-pop (“Thanks for Calling”), the George Harrison-via-Radiohead melancholy of “Heal” and the grungy jangle of “Until the Crown.”
“Jason helped to bring the right batch of tunes out of me,” says Brodeur. “Each time we finished one, he knew exactly what kind of song needed to come next.”
Falkner fans will enjoy some genuine guitar-hero moments on Bird Streets, including the soaring solo work on “Carry Me” and “Direction,” and the subtle melodic counterplay of “Bullets.” Moments of guitar interplay, tracked simultaneously by the pair, give songs like “Betting on the Sun” and “Stop to Breathe” a live-band energy, even though many of the songs had never been performed prior to being recorded.
Once the duo wrapped up recording and mixing, the album was sent to mastering engineer Jon Astley, with the vinyl lacquer to be cut at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London. Soon, the album caught the attention of Cheryl Pawelski at Omnivore, who made Bird Streets one of the label’s select few new artists.
An 11th-hour revamp gave the album its striking cover image, Brodeur having scrapped the original packaging altogether upon seeing the new photo in a friend’s Instagram feed. “It’s really just a pile of bricks, but it reminded me of the absurd beauty of the Hollywood Hills, and all the struggle and sadness and poverty that goes toward maintaining that façade — those massive homes, teetering on the cliff’s edge, while people are sleeping on the sidewalk a half-mile away.”
Now, after years in the making — and decades on the outside looking in — Bird Streets is giving Brodeur a renewed creative energy, and a shot at reaching a larger audience.
Russo are an American rock band formed in 2018 in Los Angeles, California. The group consists of Cailin Russo (lead vocals), Tyler McCarthy (lead guitar), Hayley Brownell (drums, backing vocals) and Sean Ritchie (bass).
Frontwoman Cailin Russo was raised in San Diego, California. Her father is Scott Russo, lead-singer of rock-band ‘Unwritten Law’. Cailin’s father exposed her to rock-music at an early age and she released various tracks under her own name, before following in her father’s footsteps and joining Tyler, Hayley and Sean to form Russo.
Russo initially began rehearsing in Echo Park, Los Angeles and played their first gig supporting Jessie Ware on 19th April at Belly Up in Solana Beach, California.
Russo’s debut project ‘A House with a Pool’ is scheduled for release in June 2018.
The third full-length from L.A. band Bad Suns, Mystic Truth gets its title from a piece of art that vocalist Christo Bowman stumbled upon while visiting London’s Tate Modern on tour. Created by Bruce Nauman in 1967, the neon-and-glass piece spells out a possibly paradoxical statement in blue spiraled cursive: “The True Artist Helps the World by Revealing Mystic Truths.”
“I thought that connected back to the message of the record, which is about finding the extraordinary in very simple things, even though we’re living in a very dark time right now,” says Bowman, whose bandmates include guitarist Ray Libby, bassist Gavin Bennett, and drummer Miles Morris. “Instead of succumbing to that darkness, I think you’ve got to try to hold onto some optimism, and try to uncover those simple miracles so you don’t lose the plot of what’s really important.”
Produced by Dave Sardy (The Head and the Heart, The Black Angels, Oasis), Mystic Truth channels that searching quality into songs with a powerful sense of purpose. In creating the album, Bad Suns recorded at the legendary Sunset Sound and at Sardy’s home studio, building on the melodic brilliance first glimpsed on their debut album Language & Perspective—a 2014 release that hit #24 on the Billboard 200 and led to massive tours supporting Halsey and The Neighbourhood. At the same time, the band amps up the intensity of their 2016 sophomore effort Disappear Here (praised as their “most dynamic and introspective work yet” by Alternative Press), giving way to a more emotionally urgent merging of rock & roll, post-punk, and pop.
Unto the Earth is a four piece metal band out of Chicago, straddling the lines between stoner, desert, doom, and sludge, with shoegaze and heavy psych influences. Formed in 2019 by guitarist Mike Yoshida and bassist/vocalist/instrumentalist Simeon Papacostas, two long-time friends who first started playing together back in the mid-90s, along with lead guitarist Jed Jacobs, the group added another longtime friend and former bandmate Brant Maze on drums to complete the lineup. Together they have embarked on a musical odyssey that combines driving drums, melodic basslines, layered guitars, and evocative lyrics, while paying tribute to the influences of their youth.
Inspired by a diverse group of influences like Monster Magnet, Fu Manchu, Kyuss, Hum, Elder, and others, as well as giants such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd, Unto the Earth writes songs that feature heavy riffs, soaring guitar harmonies, and droning, melodic vocals, interspersed with atmospheric interstitials and psychedelic interludes that all combine to take the listener on a cosmic journey.
The Sweet Lillies’ high-energy, melodic tunes have quickly captured the hearts of fans in Colorado and beyond. The band, formed in November of 2013, credits its appeal to the original and compelling songwriting of three women who share an unwavering commitment to life on the road. The magnetic combination of Julie Gussaroff on the upright bass, Becca Bisque on the viola, Melly Frances on percussion and lead vocals and Dustin Rohleder on acoustic guitar gives this band a rare and alluring sound. As testament to their appeal, The Sweet Lillies have already shared the stage with the likes of Peter Rowan, George Porter Jr., Steve Kimock, Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon, Kyle Hollingsworth and Jason Hann of The String Cheese Incident, Andy Hall of The Infamous String Dusters, Jeff Austin, and Bridget Law (founding member of Elephant Revival). Based out of Colorado’s Front Range, The Sweet Lillies are continually expanding their audience and reach with a contagious love of music and a get-up-and-dance attitude that spreads lots of love and smiles.
Live by Request is a live album by k.d. lang, released in 2001 (see 2001 in music). The album was recorded during the taping of the television show Live by Request on the A&E Network. The performance was on December 14, 2000 at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Midtown Manhattan.
In 1966, Philip Kives released the company’s first compilation album, a collection of 25 country songs entitled “25 Country Hits. “ Every copy was sold. The idea of compilation albums was new, and the venture’s unexpected success led to further releases. K-Tel’s second release, “25 Polka Greats,”sold 1.5 million copies in the United States
K-tel recruited Australian Don Reedman (twin brother of Peter Reedman, who was already working in the Australian office) to set up the UK-based division of K-tel Records in the early 1970s. Ian Howard was the Managing Director of operations.
The company built the business of releasing compilation albums that combined material from a number of popular artists onto a single theme album using the tag line “20 Original Hits! 20 Original Stars!”. The company negotiated directly with artists and labels for the rights to reproduce their original recordings, in the process also securing a long-term asset through adding those recordings to their catalog.
Fashion Week is an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Joshua Lozano and Bassist Carl Eklof in Brooklyn, New York in 1987. Fashion Week went through a succession of drummers, the longest-lasting being Carson Kehrer, who joined the band in 1990, after the disbanding of DC hardcore legends “Shout”.
In the late 1980s Fashion Week established itself as part of the New York noise scene, releasing its first album Clorox for the independent record label Under Pop in 1989. The band eventually came to develop a sound that relied on dynamic contrasts, often between pummeling verses and loud, catchy choruses. After signing to major label David Muffin Records, Fashion Week found unexpected success with “Smells Like Old Spice”, the first single from the band’s second album Fuhgeddaboudit (1991). Fashion Week’s sudden success widely popularized alternative rock as a whole, and as the band’s frontman Lozano found himself referred to in the media as the “spokesman of a generation”, with Fashion Week being considered the “flagship band” of Generation X. Fashion Week’s third studio album In Uterus (1993), challenged the group’s audience, featuring an abrasive, less-mainstream sound.
Fashion Week’s brief run ended following the death of Josh Lozano in 1994, but various posthumous releases have been issued since, overseen by Rodriguez, Eklof, and Lozano’s widow Catherine Lust. Since its debut, the band has sold over 25 million albums in the United States alone, and over 50 million worldwide. Eklof went on to form the highly acclaimed “Food Fighters”, and Rodriguez has pursued a career in politics, and wedding crashing.