The Top 10 show is a movie podcast hosted by John Rocha and Matt Knost where each week they select a topic, create personal top 10 lists, discuss the resulting films, and compile the show’s final list from their selections. The podcast drifts through movies to tangents to random discussions about life, work, sports, or whatever tickles their fancy; creating a show that’s both unpredictable, hilarious, and engaging.
This LIVE show is three years in the making and one that has long been demanded by the fans in Chicago. Well, now it’s now happening. Join us for our first visit to the Windy City and our second stop on our world tour!
First formed in 2015 as a side project for Lethal bandmates Jerry Hartman and Dell Hull with mutual friend and vocalist Eric W. Johns. With the addition of Lethal bandmate Glen Cook in early 2016, Open Burn was born. Their first full length album Divine Intermission was released by No Remorse Records on June 29, 2018.
Voodoo Terror Tribe have signed to EMP Label Group (owned by the prestigious David Ellefson of Megadeth and run by the greatA&R Director Thom Hazaert) and released their new full length album ‘The Sun Shining Cold’ (produced by Ill Niño vocalist Christian Machadoin) in Jan 2018, followed by music videos for ‘City of Sixes’ and ‘Lady in the Wall’, and tours with Ill Niño, Mushroomhead & more…
Founded in 2016 American singer, Emily Tate teamed up with Scottish musician, Kieran Robertson to create a new type of synthetic heavy rock. Emily’s dark and somber lyrics paired easily with the emotional musical creations of Kieran. The two later added Bassist, Jack Ross (Glasgow) and Drumer, Lee Reston (Glasgow,) who both added to the live energy and stage excitement they feel is missing from the music industry today, and named the band “Till Death Do Us Part.” The band quickly developed a unique signature sound using heavy distorted guitars, a djent like bass tone, various different synth layers, samplers, soundscapes, powerful drums and beautiful vocals.
This is the band from the 80’s known as Overlorde from the Metal Massacre Vol. 8 with the song “Keeper of the Flame” with over 58,000 views on You Tube.
Moshulu was a ship of strength, one of the last four-masted steel barques ever built. Named for the four masted ship, Moshulu is now a new project combining four legends of music. Bassist Jeff Berlin (Bill Bruford, Allan Holdsworth, HBC), drummer Dennis Chambers (Funkadelics, John Scofield, Santana), keyboardist/guitarist David Sancious (Bruce Springsteen, Sting) and Oz Noy on guitar, join together bringing masters playing with intensity and skill.
Moshulu’s repertoire goes from funk, rock, metal, fusion into new classical and improvisation. Their individual playing skills have blown people away for decades. Together, they are THE band to watch in coming years. They are a musical ship that will take the audience on a journey into powerful and beautiful music.
From Santa Cruz, California, ARCHER NATION is a young touring trio determined to deliver genuine and unrelenting hard rock and heavy metal music to fans everywhere. Keyhan’s unique drumming, David’s masterful bass duties, and Dylan’s captivating blend of shredding and singing make for an exciting modern take on the genre while paying homage to the heavy metal inspirations that drive them. ARCHER NATION has worked hard to climb the rock and roll heap with no intention of slowing down as they continue to push towards greater heights, having already toured extensively in over 20 countries, and performed alongside some of the genre’s biggest acts.
Don Jamieson is a stand-up comedian, television host, and musician. He known for co-hosting That Metal Show on VH1 Classic and playing with acoustic death metal band Gunfire-N-Sodomy.
HYDE, Japan’s most prolific rock artist is the lead vocalist for two of the most popular Japanese rock bands L’Arc~en~Ciel and VAMPS. Throughout his career so far, HYDE has recorded more than 300 songs, with 60+ songs breaking the Oricon (Japanese Billboard Chart) top 10.
Still active with L’Arc~en~Ciel, HYDE took a break from VAMPS in early 2018, to reinvent himself yet again as a solo artist, releasing 3 new singles back-to-back: “WHO’S GONNA SAVE US”, “AFTER LIGHT”, and “FAKE DIVINE”. HYDE shows no signs of slowing down with his 11th single “ZIPANG” scheduled to be released on February 6, 2019, a World Tour just announced to be starting in Asia in March 2019, a US tour on the books for May 2019. Be sure to follow HYDE on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for regular updates on new releases, tour dates, and more.
Oh, Sleeper is an American metalcore band from Fort Worth, Texas that formed in 2006 with former members of Terminal. In over a decade’s span, Oh, Sleeper released three full-length albums and two EPs through Solid State Records, and toured worldwide as an opening act. After independently releasing The Titan EP and travelling in the full Van’s Warped Tour 2013, the band went on hiatus to allow clean vocalist and lead guitarist Shane Blay to join former-As I Lay Dying members in starting California-based metal band Wovenwar. The band plans to release their fourth full-length album release, Bloodied/Unbowed.
Flipper is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1979, continuing in often erratic fashion until the mid-1990s, then reuniting in 2005. The band influenced a number of grunge,[1] punk rock and noise rock bands. Their slowed-down, bass-driven and heavily distorted style of punk is also considered a key forerunner to sludge, and influenced bands such as the Melvins and Nirvana, whose bass player Krist Novoselic played with the band in the 2000s.
Flipper is celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2019. Original members, Ted Falconi and Steve DePace are reaching out to a host of musicians, singers and bands they have worked with or been associated with, over the course of their long history. Flipper will assemble a variety of different lineups to include some of the great people they have played with and toured with as well as merging with different bands for recording projects and live performances. Plans are currently in the works for shows in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Pacific Northwest, East Coast, as well as the UK and Europe. Other exciting shows and tours are in the works as well.
Reverie was raised by a single mother in Northeast Los Angeles, Highland Park. Her household was full of dysfunction & she ran away for the first time in the 3rd grade. Her poetry was always her safe haven. She frequented the school counselor, detention & was suspended often. Despite her behavioral issues, she maintained good grades & even had her poetry & art published. In the 7th grade, Reverie discovered “underground hip hop” & her poems transitioned into raps.
In high school, Reverie obsessed over graffiti, which lead to her first arrest & fights, which eventually got her expelled from school. She began kicking it with a gang & heavily abusing drugs to mask her depression. Louden, her brother & now producer, was selling crack to feed his heroine addiction, got stabbed & shortly after was sentenced to 1 year in a juvenile detention center.
In hopes of a second chance at life, Louden & the family moved to Washington, where they began to record music. In 2009, they released Reverie’s first mixtape ever, ‘Castle In The Air,’ & within 24 hours, it got 3K+ plays. It was then that they realized their music could become something much bigger.
9 years & 10 chronicled projects later, Reverie regularly tours all over Europe & USA & has dedicated fans around the globe. She & Louden still record music together regularly & have cultivated an organic, cult-like following, which they call ‘Satori Mob,’ which is also the name of Reverie’s urban wear clothing brand. Hip hop saved their lives.
Inferi is an American melodic death metal band forged from the bowels of Nashville, Tennessee. The band formed in 2006 and strived to merge the classic melodic metal sound with a taste of crushing technicality. After releasing Divinity in War in 2007 and The End of an Era in 2009, they experienced an overwhelming ripple of hardships, causing the band to lay dormant in an unforeseen state of hibernation. In 2011 the lead guitarist, Malcolm Pugh (A Loathing Requiem, Diskreet, Ex-Enfold Darkness) decided to reignite the fire. Recruiting Mike Low (Oubliette, Ex-Enfold Darkness) on guitar and Jack Blackburn (Ex-Vital Remains, Ex-Enfold Darkness) on drums, the plan was clear – musical annihilation.
Inferi sets themselves outside of the generic pack by mixing melodious, yet technical musicianship with virtuosic songwriting rarely since in today’s extreme metal acts.
In Early 2014, Inferi released their third effort, The Path of Apotheosis. The band is currently in the studio recording their fourth epic release.
Founded in 2018 by former SOIL and DIRGE WITHIN guitarist Shaun Glass, Chicago, Illinois -based REPENTANCE is a primal aggressive metal band; laden thick with heavy slabs of groove mesh that bleed intensity. In spring 2018 the band released their first two demo tracks followed by a critically acclaimed debut album (“God For A Day”, 2020) and numerous shows with high profile acts such as TRIVIUM, DEVILDRIVER, JINJER, SKULL FIST, TOXIC HOLOCAUST, SACRED REICH and others, the band soon became known for their distinctive heavy yet dynamic sound, packed with details, groove and tension.
In September 2021 Repentance have announced their worldwide signing to German label Noble Demon, followed by the release of the band’s critically acclaimed latest EP “Volume I – Reborn” (2021). Five tracks of aggressive, fast-paced and technical compositions, enhanced by tight and sharp production, delivered an impressive Noble Demon debut and served as the perfect appetizer for the band’s sophomore full-length record. “The Process Of Human Demise” has been released on August 4 and features 12 brand new tracks showcasing Repentance at their strongest yet! With guest contributions from the likes of TRIVIUM’s Corey Beaulieu and FEAR FACTORY’s Milo Silvestro, “The Process Of Human Demise” has become a relentless and intense maelstrom that will sweep you along and an album not to be missed in 2023!
1st album “Head of the Pack” released aug 2011
2nd album “Chasing the Dream” released jan 2014
available at www.skullfist.bigcartel.com
or from your local record shops yo
TORA TORA is a blues-based hard rock band formed in Memphis, TN in the late 1980s. Band members include Keith Douglas, Patrick Francis, John Patterson and Anthony Corder. TORA has two major releases Surprise Attack/Wild America through A&M Records that promoted five singles and videos (Walkin’ Shoes, Guilty, Phantom Rider, Amnesia and Faith Healer). The band has six independent releases, The Warehouse Sessions, Bombs Away, Miss B. Haven, Before and After, Revolution Day, and most recently a live performance concert Live from Minglewood, in Memphis #ROCKOUTCANCER. Live appearances have been at festivals Rocklahoma, Farm Rock, Rock & Skull and Monster of Rock Cruise. TORA is known for Zeppelin-influenced vocals and classic rock inspired, high energy musicianship. Tora Tora signed with Frontiers Music SRL in 2017 and is releasing its full-length album Bastards of Beale in February 2019 recorded at legendary Sam Phillips Recording in Memphis, TN with Producer/Engineer Jeff Powell who was assistant engineer on Wild America. Please visit toratoramusic.com to stay updated on the band who taught you how TO ROCK TO ROLL and pre-order the upcoming release Bastards of Beale here: https://bit.ly/2GAS7Qm
Performing live since 2002, Pete Jive has been spreading the message of self affirmation and compassion throughout the greater Chicagoland area.
Pete Jive, provides a feel-good show every time, diffusing positivity and spreading good vibrations nightly to his rapidly growing fan base.
His first LP No Sign of Regret, released June 2011, This record features elements of traditional American folk music, roots reggae and rock ‘n’ roll, which have shaped Pete Jive’s sound and direction from the start. It was the first album to showcase Pete Jive’s “old country picking style and youthful wisdom”, as Josh Hisle from Neil Young’s Vapor Records put it.
In April 2012 Pete was signed to Josh Hisle’s new record label V.R.C. records, recording the EP “Sleep When I Die” for the label’s debut release.
Pete spent the year of 2013 touring nationwide from Philadelphia to California. 2014 finds Pete going back to Philadelphia and California as well as multiple tours throughout the Midwest.
The energy of Pete Jive live is contagious and he has had the opportunity to share the stage with national artists such as Slightly Stoopi), Josh Heinrichs, Badda Skat, Josh Hisle and DJ Redlox. -Pete jive is a breath of fresh air for people of all ages & musical interest.
And lo, Planet Earth had been destroyed by the Hootsman, with an explosion so powerful it ripped a hole in the very fabric of spacetime. And yet, Zargothrax was still not defeated, for he managed to use his last shreds of power to escape through the dimensional rift. Vowing to defeat the evil sorcerer, Angus McFife XIII followed him into the portal, with no idea where it might lead…
Mighty warriors of the galaxy! GLORYHAMMER has returned from an epic quest, and they come bearing their new album, “LEGENDS FROM BEYOND THE GALACTIC TERRORVORTEX”. In this thrilling third chapter of the Gloryhammer saga, we follow the legendary prince Angus McFife into another dimension, where he will fight with more terrifying foes and embark on more epic adventures than ever before. Join his quest to save the Kingdom of Fife, through 10 tracks of nuclear-fueled high-velocity heroic power metal, the likes of which you’ve never heard in your life. FOR THE ETERNAL GLORY OF DUNDEE!
MISFIRE makes old-school flavored thrash metal devastation with the kind of bombastic firepower that could wake the dead. In the tradition of classic metal trios like Venom, Motörhead, and Raven, these Chicago boys make more noise than bands twice their size, unleashing song after song of unrelenting fury. It’s music that could have arrived in the thrash golden age of 1986, when bands like Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Dark Angel, and Sodom delivered vital records. And yet MISFIRE is forward-thinking, injecting modern metal mastery into their brew for a powerful, timeless sound.
Tommy (Gun) Denniger – Guitars and Vocals
Jim Nicademus (ex-Diamond Plate) – Drums
Sean Coogan – Bass and Vocals
“We’re just three metal heads writing the music we’ve been wanting to hear.” – Jim
Virginia-based crossover maniacs ENFORCED open their Century Media account with their blistering new album, “Kill Grid”. Informed by an incredible cross-section of extremes—from thrash and punk to death metal and hardcore—the emergent outfit drop a nine-song cluster-bomb of thrashing death on apathetic times. Formed in Richmond in 2017 out of shreds of disbanded hardcore and punk bands, ENFORCED quickly found their calling between the undying support of regional punk/hardcore scenes and their respective record collections. Whether it’s Sacred Reich and Integrity or Bolt Thrower and Amebix, “Pure Crossover Death,” as ENFORCED call their devastating din, devastatingly speared its way through two demos (“Demo 2017” and “Retaliation”) and their no-holds-barred debut, “At the Walls”.
“I would describe our sound as metal and hardcore,” says ENFORCED guitarist Will Wagstaff. “We come from punk, hardcore, and metal, all of which can be taken to the extreme—and we love everything about it. I love Iron Maiden and Morbid Angel and Poison Idea and GISM. I love anything that inspires me in either how extreme or how good the songwriting is—or both! There is a difference between ‘One’ by Metallica and ‘Jesus Wept’ by Suffocation, but they nonetheless inspire me. Our main goal is to write music that combines extreme elements from our favorite music with good songwriting.”
Few hip-hop artists command a space as purposefully anomalous as Long Beach-born, Compton-bred Anthony Dixson, whose stage name, Boogie, foreshadows his intrinsic talent for writing music that is rooted in realities that are simultaneously melancholy and joyfully uplifting. Oscillating between a soundscape underpinned by ardent praise rhythms and the gritty memories of a youth spent immersed in gangbanging, Boogie’s brand of rap is as much a credo of the streets as it is a constant reflection on purpose and growth.
For Boogie, the path to artistry actually did begin within the sequestered walls of a Compton church. In eighth grade after a string of minor incidents at school, his mother – who raised him within a close-knit circle of aunts – began to worry that her son was getting into the kind of trouble that could negatively impact his future. Under her firm guidance Boogie was soon an active member of the church choir where his natural affinity for melody blossomed. Ironically, it was also within church he was introduced to gangbanging by a friend with Blood affiliations. After only a year in the choir, the neophyte musician had gone from writing his first rhymes on pen and paper to memorizing lyrics and creating melodies in his head. “I have really bad eyes and I broke my glasses in ninth grade so I couldn’t see anything for a minute. I just started doing everything in my head,” he explained. “I started off doing little gospel raps but I realized we were in Compton and gospel rap didn’t really work outside of church so I transitioned into more mainstream rap. Music became a form of expression for me. I’m not a very talkative person so it became my getaway, it was a place I could talk about what I was going through,” Boogie noted.
The rapper’s first mixtape, Thirst 48, released June 24, 2014 on his son’s birthday, provides an honest chronicle of some of the very struggles that punctuated his rise. Yet five years before Boogie poured his story into the tape’s lyrics, the birth of his son Darius in 2009 prompted him to take music more seriously. In 2010, he enrolled in Long Beach City College to take courses in recording, he also used his financial aid money to buy studio equipment. Despite taking the steps to ensure a better future for his family, Boogie soon found himself back at square one. “For a long time it felt like nothing was working for me. I dropped out of school and starting working at Samsung. Those were really dark days for me but towards the end of 2014 I met my former manager, Clayton Blahla. He was the first person to take a chance on me and invest in my talent.” Blahla was also the co-founder of Skrillex’s OWSLA label. With his encouragement Boogie re-acquainted himself with the studio, pouring his experiences into Thirst 48 and promptly following up with his breakthrough mixtape, The Reach, (also released on his son’s birthday). The latter spawned the Jahlil Beats produced single “Oh My,” whose viral success cemented the rapper as one of the most refreshingly honest new voices emerging from the West Coast.
Boogie credits the birth of his son as the turning point that helped him refine the raw, unfiltered lyricism that has garnered the praise of artists like Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem, who signed him to Shady Records in October 2017. “Around the time my son was born I started to be more open about my circumstances. Before that my flow was more concentrated on punchline rap rather than telling a story,” he shared. Embracing his natural ability to manifest vivid narratives informed by real life experiences was the calling card that brought an Interscope record deal to his doorstep in 2015.
With his star on a speedy trajectory upward, Boogie shared his debut studio album, Everything’s For Sale with the world to massive critical acclaim January 25th 2019. Inspired by the natural progression of life and his complicated relationship with the streets – something he neither glorifies nor dishonors – the project serves to be his most introspective effort yet.
Bosco is a party band sweeping the Chicagoland area. We play great cover tunes from every era, from the 60’s through today. Bosco crushes the party with rocking jams that keep the dance floor rocking! Come enjoy the party
PARKER is the new sound of Chicago. They are a band rooted in the energy and spirit of punk and rock and roll, while embracing the melodic side of modern music. The songs they have crafted take listeners on a journey through soft, soulful verses that explode into energetic choruses. PARKER has made a huge impact on the Chicago music scene in 2018 alone and is making their way through the Midwest.
Highspeedirt was first formed in 1999. It consisted of other many other members over the time since then, but always consisted of Steve and Angelo since then. Highspeedirt has played such venues as Oasis 160, Sidetracked, JJ Kelley’s, O’Malley’s, (Under) the Edge, Smiler Coogan’s, Nitecap, Looney Tunes, Double Door, Riley’s Rock House, The Matrix, Dreams, Stage 83, Just for Kicks, Champ’s, The Forge many and others.
Some former members you may have seen them with, in chronological order, are J, Travis, Marshall (not the amp), Ray, Dave (man-child), and Trey. There was one non-member that jammed with them from Seattle. Good times.
Cheers to all current and former members, clubs, fans for HSD and all fans of Megadeth!!
Comprised of members who have lovingly brought you renditions of music by The Clash, The Jam, The Beatles, The Police, REM, The Cure, The Cars, Buzzcocks, Echo & The Bunnymen, Deftones and more Still IL bring a fresh outlook to those classic seminal gems from the Eighties. Armed with passion, expertise and an eye for a killer groove Still IL aim to provide the ultimate Morrissey-Marr Live Tribute. Not dogmatic mimicry – we just purport to play these tunes well. Let your heart and your feet be the judge.Niko was first drawn to Johnny’s pleasant but potent arpeggios and high life thirds runs at a tender formative age. It was the bridge between Pete Townshend and those infectious bouzouki riffs he was privy to at family functions. Morrissey’s imagery and profligate use of adverbs sealed his fate.His original band Who’s This Mary? had always drew comparisons to The Smiths so covering this canon was inevitable.Mini is more than adept on the bass guitar and his experience is second to none. Honest.Tony is simply immense on the drums. Fact.Still IL will be augmented by trusted and capable friends on additional instruments.This will be The People’s Band so we encourage you to turn up at concerts to sing along, dance, bring paraphernalia and enjoy yourselves down to the knees.Jump into bed and pull up the covers, kids. You are Still IL…
Band was formed in summer of 2010. First demo, “Breathing Blackness,” recorded in January 2011 and self-released by the band in March. Debut album, “Fractured In the Timeless Abyss,” released on CD by Hellthrasher Productions in May 2012. Vinyl version released by Blood Harvest Records in October 2012. Live release “Rituals of Hallucination” recorded in Atlanta, GA in August of 2013 and issued as a limited cassette by Ritual Ugliness Productions in December of that year. Second full-length “Dark Abstraction” released on CD by Hellthrasher Productions in July 2015. The “4 Doors to Death” split featuring two Ectovoid songs followed on CD in January 2016.
Purifying Consecrated Ground (miniLP, 2005)
Graves of the Archangels (LP, 2008)
Dead Congregation / Hatespawn (split EP, 2008)
Promulgation of the Fall (LP, 2014)
Featuring vocalist/guitarist Rami Jämsä, bass player Juha Telenius and drummer Rolle Markos, Finland’s short-lived death metal band Convulse only issued two albums — 1991’s World Without God and 1994’s Reflections — during brief their career, neither of which brought them much recognition at the time. But hindsight is always 20/20, and they have been retrospectively credited as one of their country’s first extreme metal groups of note, even considered by some to be the forefathers of the local ‘Nokia’ metal scene, as it’s sometimes called.
Philadelphia has come to be known as the “land of the spitters,” where rappers from all walks of life are competing to be the very best the city has to offer. For Kur (pronounced “Core”), his rendition of Drake’s “Pound Cake” featured a list of past relationships and experiences with women in Philly. On the remakes, he held nothing back, addressing a lot of them by name and started to network within rappers and promoters. People instantly started noticing his true potential.
In May 2015, Kur dropped How It Never Was that featured his anthem “I’m a Star,” which caught the ear of Timbaland who initially wanted to help push the record. To top off the year, he released another mixtape, Finally Happened showing his unbeatable work ethic. “The house I was raised in turned into a trap house” is just one of many written truths. The realness of “Have Nots” got him a response from G.O.O.D. Music president Pusha T who shared on Twitter: “Your truth is your greatness.”
Backed by multiple top musicians in the industry and a loyal fan base, Kur’s profile increased value when he signed with independent label eOne in August of 2016. Kur collaborated with Harlem’s own Dave East to piece together an EP called Born Broke, Die Rich that was recorded and released in the span of two days. On the horizon is a re-release of “I’m a Star” with added verses, as well as an appearance in one of the cyphers for the 2016 BET Hip Hop Awards that aired on Oct. 4. While constantly releasing new music, and getting great feedback; he’s already being called a ‘beast in the studio’.
“This tape, I wanna really rap,” he says. “That’s why I put the record ‘Have Nots’ out just to let people know who I really do it for. I feel like there’s more people that’s broke than rich. I really don’t make music for rich people. I really make it for people on the come up.”
“Some people are impressionists. These guys leave an impression”. Says Bill Miller, owner of Johnny Cash.com about Cash’d Out (Douglas Benson vocals, George Bernardo drums, John Heussenstamm guitar, Nate Lefranchi bass), a San Diego based band that channels Johnny Cash in about as close a manner to the real thing as it gets. After thirteen years, traveling hundreds of thousands of miles on the road and winning over as many fans, fans who still continually tell the group how grateful they are that Cash’d Out so rightously carries the torch of the Johnny Cash Show. Besides music critics anointing Cash’d Out as “the next best thing to Johnny Cash”, their highlights have been many: W.S. Holland, Johnny Cash’s longtime drummer, has sat in with Cash’d Out; front man, Douglas Benson, has played Johnny’s cherry sunburst Guild guitar (courtesy of Mr. Miller); “Cindy Cash came to a show and was moved to give me a glass locket that was her father’s,” explains Benson; Longtime Johnny Cash manager Lou Robin has also been to several Cash’d Out shows and claimed that if he closed his eyes it was as if “going back in time.”; And most recently, an unforgettable evening performing the music of Johnny Cash with the San Diego Symphony as a special event for their Summer Pops Series. The band’s live shows respectfully reference the late, great Man in Black’s Sun Records and early Columbia era sound, combined with the energy of the classic multi-platinum live recordings from Folsom Prison and San Quentin. The group’s genuine love (and authentic recreation) of Johnny Cash’s music and its universal appeal fans of all ages and of virtually all musical genres makes each Cash’d Out show a must-see event. Or as Bill Miller says, “Some people are impressionists. These guys leave an impression.”
Grammy winning guitar virtuoso, FRANK GAMBALE, exploded on the L.A. scene in the early ‘80s. His meteoric rise to fame is a testament to his passion-powered playing – a style Rolling Stone magazine called “ferocious!” Australia born and California based Frank Gambale is an inspired songwriter with more than 250 songs published on 20+ albums. His music touches on many styles from rock, funk and jazz to R&B and some Latin and Brazillian influences. As a legendary guitarist, Gambale is an undisputed genius who originated the “sweep picking” technique (a new way to play the instrument) and elevated it to a precise art form now standard in the guitar lexicon. The “Gambale Sweep Picking Technique” continues to inspire generations of musicians. Jazz, rock, metal and progressive artists alike are united in their awe of Frank as both an amazing technician and an unsurpassed musician.Jazz legend, Chick Corea, described Frank: “Everything you touch with your guitar turns gold – always has.” Guitar great, John McLaughlin, joked: “I’d like to cut his hands off.”Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny says of Frank: “I’d like to take a month off and study with Frank Gambale.” Dweezil Zappa said “studying Frank Gambale’s Sweep Picking technique enabled me to play the hardest parts of my father’s music that he himself didn’t play.”A musician’s musician, a gifted composer, and a brilliant innovator and author of numerous instructional books and DVDs, Frank continues to reach unprecedented sonic and technical heights. His six string prowess and seemingly limitless vision point toward an exciting future of groundbreaking music.
On this tour, FRANK GAMBALE is joined by the legendary jazz, fusion and funk drummer, and one of the busiest time keepers in the world, DENNIS CHAMBERS (Santana, John McLaughlin, Mike Sterns, John Scofield, George Duke, Niacin, Parliament Funkadelic, Brecker Brotehrs, Victor Wooten), as well by the bassist Mike Pope (Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Chuck Loeb, Mike Stern, Joe Locke, Bill Bruford, David Sanborn, Manhattan Transfer) and keyboardist Sean Wayland (Chad Wackerman, Virgil Donati, Adam Rogers, Wayne Krantz, David Binney).
Traci Trouble is back with a brand new three-piece combo called AWEFUL, and its a sweeping new sound you might not expect. Joining up with Lucy Dekay from Mystery Actions, this new project juts forth with a streamlined layered vocal and a wiry guitar tone, its a new direction, a subdued sonic approach with slithering dynamics and cavernous depth. Echoing solid 80’s Gun Club & Fur Bible’s chorus pedal-soaked vibes with a wall of dripping female vocals cascading over what sounds like a primitive and ominous lost Love and Rockets outtake, AWEFUL are a welcome new breath of fresh air to Chicago’s underground sounds. Stepping aside from pandering to the pedantic tropes of endless post-punk operatives, AWEFUL draw out a more luscious & moaning fuzzed-out experience, drilling their sticky repetition into your cortex with songs that pull you in immediately. Fans of Grass Widow, Wax Idols, and The Breeders take note, this band is turning those same corners and will soon turn those same heads.
– Todd Killings 2018
FLASHBACK!: The year was 1994 and the world was a very different place….A happy-go-lucky Bill Clinton presided over the free world; Ace of Base topped the music charts with their insipid reggae-inspired hit The Sign; cats had yet to take over the internet, men and women wore acidwashed overalls slung from one shoulder à la Joey from Friends; and a young band of ragtag miscreants released their first full-length to an unsuspecting public. In case you haven’t been paying attention, that band was (and still is) The Planet Smashers.
Fast forward two decades, seven albums, one million records sold worldwide, six gazillion beers consumed, countless tours and one extremely blurry never-ending party to this futuristic and confusing present day. Who will save us from this current clusterfuck filled with beliebers, honey-booboos and bathroom selfies? Who will stand boldly in the face of the autotuned, deep-vee wearing douche chills crapping in the earholes of the world? Who will dare to play their own instruments while blasting out ska hooks so catchy you wish you could scoop them up and eat them like ice-cream?….You’re goddamned right it’s The Planet Smashers.
Captain beyond is a “Supergroup” co-founded by Bobby Caldwell in the 70’s, that has influenced musician’s worldwide and provided spectacular music to all enthusiasts in the Galaxy.
BarlowLN, Virginian native Evan Barlow, is the unapologetic poet this generation needs. Unafraid to bend the rules, he combines childhood influences 2Pac and Eminem with the poetry of Bob Dylan and grit of Johnny Cash. The result is a modern day Americana that is all at once visceral, confessional, sincere and raw.”My debut album was originally written like a story of my life from 14 to 20 years old. Starting at the beginning of my teenage party years and ending at rock bottom when I was in jail due to my heroin use. And, my mother passed away.”It’s been a wild ride that’s for sure, glad I was able to make it out alive and put it into art”.With his debut album complete and exec produced by Grammy winning producer Martin Terefe, BarlowLN will be releasing via Locomotion Recordings in partnership with the new Elektra Music Group / Warner from early 2019.
DES ROCS
Singer and songwriter Des Rocs has set his sights on reigniting the grandiosity of rock music. The New York City native has cultivated a gritty yet infectious sound that nods to vintage rock n’ roll while offering a modern alternative twist. He’s created bombastically loud music constructed unironically for speakers that hit 11, buzzing with all the electricity of contemporary hits.
