Gang of Youths are an Australian indie rock group from Sydney. The band consists of principal songwriter David Le’aupepe (lead vocals, guitar), Max Dunn (bass guitar), Jung Kim (keyboards, guitar), Joji Malani (lead guitar) and Donnie Borzestowski (drums). They are known for their 2017 single “Let Me Down Easy” which became their first top 50 single in Australia. Their debut album, The Positions, peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart in May 2015 and was nominated for multiple ARIA Awards.
The second album Go Farther In Lightness released by Gang of Youths debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart in August 2017 and was nominated for 8 awards at the ARIA Music Awards of 2017, winning four: Album Of The Year, Best Group, Best Rock Album and Producer of the Year (Gang of Youths & Adrian Breakspear).
Who killed Matt Maeson? Maybe the devil, who haunted his parents, two reformed teenage outlaws who played in religious heavy-metal bands and wouldn’t let him listen to rock on the radio. Or maybe it was the volatile spirit that brought Matt to prison the first three hundred times. He played shows with his mom and dad, proprietors of a prison ministry since he was young. The family lived on the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia, and worked wherever the faithful wouldn’t feel like they belonged. They drove south to Florida and west to Montana, rumbling through maximum-security lockups with fire and benediction, drums and guitars. Matt spent years on the road to prisons and biker rallies: he played songs about salvation in front of strippers and Hell’s Angels at Sturgis, one of the biggest motorcycle rallies in the world.
Restlessness ran in the family, and it never went away. The men in Matt’s life-his dad and uncle-were most comfortable in the margins, whether in glory or disgrace. They were all fighting an inner rebelliousness, against their own darker instincts as well as against a Southern community preaching that long hair brought men closer to hell. By the time he was playing with his parents, Matt had already gotten into drugs, and then into trouble-and then into drugs again, to pay off the trouble. For a year, he worked construction for twelve hours a day, doing community service on his one day off. “I was mad all the time,” he said. “People in my life were condemning me, and not with compassion. Not this is wrong, and we love you. It was this is wrong, and don’t ever come back.”
But he came back-unevenly, in front of standing ovations in prison yards, traveling across the country with a notebook and a guitar. He posted his first songs online at the nexus of 2015 and 2016, and the phone started ringing the next day. There’s a rare directness to Matt’s music: he sings like the dead singer-songwriters, full of troubled and tensile grace. His sound is spare and rich and restless. Vines of guitar weave around his voice; half-remembered melodies drift overhead like ghosts. “Tribulation” is a love song about when love feels impossible. “Straight Razor” pairs its title with “stargazer” in the first two lines, an ember that catches fire in the track’s anthemic gang vocal finale. “Cringe,” his debut single, feels like canon, as profound and arresting as Jeff Buckley or King Krule; it’s got the stark, urgent intimacy of a spotlight trained on a pair of sinners in the dark.
Matt headlined his first US tour last summer, presented by Communion, an artist-led organization founded by Mumford & Sons’ Ben Lovett. The pairing was appropriate in both aesthetic and name. Driving between venues alone, he slept his car, a dusty Hyundai named either Frank Elantra or Carmen Elantra, depending on the day. Journeying south to the middle of nowhere in Iowa one night, as the black country swallowed up every light around him, he saw a Walmart and an abandoned Wendy’s in the middle of the dark. He bought a bottle of whiskey at Walmart, grabbed his blanket, climbed on top of the empty building, and wrote EP standout “Me And My Friends Are Lonely,” a raw confessional that crackles with strength. As with all of Matt’s music, it asks the same questions his life has-about desperation, redemption, and love. The extraordinary Who Killed Matt Maeson EP arrives March 31st on Neon Gold/Atlantic Records.
Sworn Enemy, fronted by Sal LoCoco, established itself in 2000 with the release of “Negative Outlook” on Jamey Jasta’s Stillborn Records. The record was a mix of old school hardcore punk and new school breakdowns, and quickly gained the band attention in the underground scene.
2002 marked their next release, “Integrity Defines Strength”, which contained 3 new songs and a live set from the legendary New York venue, CBGB.
In 2003 a release deal with Elektra Records was signed with the result being the break through record “As Real As It Gets”. The band changed their style as the CD featured a large thrash metal influence, as well as abrasive, near-black metal vocals. The new style and worldwide distribution led to the spawning of two videos for the songs “As Real As it Gets” and “Sworn Enemy.” The band earned their place on major tours with Sepultura, Anthrax, Soulfly, Biohazard, Fear factory, Six feet under, Hatebreed and many others around the globe including a stint on Ozzfest in 2003.
In early 2005, the LP “The Beginning Of The End” was released on Abacus Records, (Century Media) The new record expanded on the thrash influenced direction the band had been moving toward. During this period the band toured alongside As Blood Runs Black, Too Pure to Die, Suicide Silence and appeared on the highly anticipated Earth Crisis reunion tour. This record also saw the release of two videos in the forms of “Scared of the Unknown” and “All I have.”
2008 marked the band releasing new music once again with the disc entitled “Maniacal.” The disc featured some of the fastest & heaviest material to date. Tracks “Ignorance” and “Destroyer” quickly became staples of the bands live set. March 29, 2008 saw the release of the video “A place of Solace.” (Dir. David Brodsky and edited by Allison Woest)
In 2009, “Total World Domination” was released through Century Media Records. The record was produced by Tim Lambesis from As I Lay Dying. The concept was to fuse the bands previous records into a sound that is way faster, more aggressive and harder than ever.
During the summer of 2010 the band embarked on a headlining tour across Europe along with support slots at multiple festivals. This would be the first Sworn Enemy tour with current drummer Danny Lamagna. Later that autumn, the band with addition of guitar player Jeff Cummings toured the east coast of the United States for what was the last leg of the “Total World Domination Tour.”
During the next few years the band saw some lineup changes. In May of 2014 the band regrouped with new members and released “Living On Borrowed Time” on Rock Ridge records. They followed the album with several tours including tours in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Sworn Enemy is still touring in support of “Living On Borrowed Time.”
The Summoned is technical metal band hailing from Massachusetts, United States. Often compared to a plethora of bands and genres The Summoned are no strangers to pushing the boundaries of traditional heavy metal. With technical riffs, head bobbing grooves, sing-along choruses, jazzy interludes, and epic solos there is always something to grasp onto for all likes of music fans.
Formed in the winter of 2007 since the beginning they had one goal in mind and that was to always push the limits to what heavy metal is supposed to be. Utilizing their various separate influences including Sam’s love for death metal, Shaun’s passion for progressive metal, Stephen’s fascination with mainstream metal, and Jarred’s fondness of guitar virtuosos they utilized those styles to create the sound you hear today.
In the winter of 2011 The Summoned released their first full length titled “If Only Minds Could Paint Pictures” to critical acclaim including a perfect 5 out of 5 on TheNewReview.net and an 8/10 on theheaviestmatteroftheuniverse.com, as well as praise and continuous airplay on Rock 101 The Summoned felt it was time to embark on tour to support the album.
In the Summer of 2012 The Summoned embarked on a 23 day headline tour spanning the US and Canada with a homecoming show to play the 2012 Summer Slaughter Tour with Cannibal Corpse, Between The Buried and Me, The Faceless and more.
After a year of playing shows up and down the east coast along with dates in Canada The Summoned felt it was time to begin writing a new their new album “Sessions” in hopes to top the critical acclaim of their predecessor “If Only Minds Could Paint Pictures”.
In the winter of 2013 The Summoned entered the studio with long time friend Evan Sammons of Last Chance To Reason (Prosthetic Records) to begin the recording process. For the next 3 years The Summoned would spend time in the studio writing, working on every nuance of the album to ensure the technicality and sound quality was leaps and bounds ahead of their previous effort, they have achieved that goal.
“Sessions” is the journey through the mind of a troubled mental patient who is struggling to confront his own personal demons through a series of sessions with a psychiatrist. Each individual song resembles those sessions. Whether they’re spastic to give the feeling of panic the patient is feeling or the soothing realization of what in fact is going on “Sessions” is not just an album but an experience.
With praise their peers, various US and Canada tours under their belt, merch and albums sold world wide, featured in publications such as Sick Drummer Magazine, and all while being an independent band they have shown that through hard work and creating their own vision of heavy metal their music strikes a nerve.
Drawing inspiration from such forward-thinking metal heavyweights as Decapitated, Meshuggah, and The Dillinger Escape Plan, Oklahoma City’s Dischordia brings a fresh perspective to the scene by combining tried-and-true US death metal brutality with far-flung ideas from a multitude of global influences. The band’s music-first ethos has been forged through years of stylistic refinement and questing for a sound to call their own.
October of 2011 saw Dischordia release the debut EP, Creator, Destroyer, with which the band made a noticeable impact. Positive press and relentless independent touring across the USA for this offering led the band to sign with Rogue Records America for the release of their debut full-length album, Project 19 in July 2013. The band supported the release across the USA on several tours in 2013 and 2014, along with a follow up covers EP, Sources, in 2015 and 2016. November 2016, brought the band’s second full-length, and most ambitious release to date, Thanatopsis, and was met with overwhelmingly positive praise and reviews.
Dischordia have toured across the United States and secured opening slots for the likes of Between The Buried and Me, Gorguts, Revocation, Intronaut, Fallujah, Vektor, Dying Fetus, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Periphery, and more. Their innovative assault stands tall alongside these names, and with Thanatopsis to represent them, the band is set to continue conquering fans across the metal scene.
…And Justice for All is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on August 25, 1988, through Elektra Records. It was the band’s first studio album to feature bassist Jason Newsted after the death of Cliff Burton in 1986.
The band recorded …And Justice for All during early 1988 at One on One Recording Studios in Los Angeles. Musically, the album is progressive, with long and complex songs, fast tempos, and few verse-chorus structures. It is noted for its sterile production, which producer Flemming Rasmussen attributed to his absence during the mixing process. The lyrics feature themes of political and legal injustice seen through the prisms of censorship, war, and nuclear brinkmanship. The album’s front cover, designed by Stephen Gorman on a scheme by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, features a representation of Lady Justice, bound by ropes, with two breasts bare and its scales tipping toward one plate filled with money. The phrase “…And Justice for All” appears spray-painted in the lower right corner. The album title is derived from the American Pledge of Allegiance. Three songs from the album were released as singles: “Harvester of Sorrow”, “Eye of the Beholder” and “One”; the title track was released as a promotional single.
MEGADETH “RUST IN PEACE”
Rust in Peace is the fourth studio album by the American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on September 24, 1990 by Capitol Records. Following the departure of band members Jeff Young and Chuck Behler in 1989, Rust in Peace was the first album to feature guitarist Marty Friedman and drummer Nick Menza. Rust in Peace received universal acclaim from fans and critics, and was responsible for bringing Megadeth to the attention of a mainstream metal audience. It has been cited as one of the best thrash metal records of all time by publications such as Decibel and Kerrang!, and listed as one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance at the 33rd Grammy Awards.
Two singles were released from the album: “Hangar 18” and “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due”, which have become staples of the band’s live performances. Rust in Peace features complex musical structures and lyrical themes such as nuclear war and UFOs. The album’s cover art references “Hangar 18”. A remixed and remastered version featuring four bonus tracks was released in 2004. In 2010, the band announced a North American tour to commemorate the album’s 20th anniversary. The performance at the Hollywood Palladium was filmed and released as Rust in Peace Live on CD, DVD and Blu-ray later that year.
PINPOINT
Acoustic ukulele musician based out of the middle of nowhere.
Amanda Fish is an Indie Blues artist from Kansas City who scratched her name into the scene as a solo artist before teaming up with slide guitarist and Stone Cutters Union frontman Sean McDonnell to form the Amanda Fish Band in May 2014. This Roots Rock and Soul quintet features dual slide and rock guitars and Amanda’s signature ‘from-the-gut’ vocals locked into a sturdy groove.
In 2015, she released her first LP, “Down In The Dirt”, on VizzTone Label Group, for which she was awarded the 2016 “Sean Costello Rising Star” Blues Blast Music Award.
Amanda and her band set Beale Street on fire in the 2017 International Blues Challenge Semi Finals, playing new material slated for her next release.
Dequantes Devontay Lamar (born October 4, 1989 in Atlanta, Georgia), better known by his stage name Rich Homie Quan, is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. He is signed to independent label T.I.G. Entertainment and Motown Records.
WIZZO, the enigmatic quartet from the Chicago, United States, has emerged as a force to be reckoned with. Their sound is characterized by a clever mix of fuzz and groove progressions, guided by a hypnotic voice that carries the listener through their melodic and solid songs. With influences from bands such as Failure, Kyuss, Red Fang, Torche, Alice In Chains, Queens of the Stone Age, this band has created a unique sound. Despite their enigmatic nature, the band has a clear direction, showcasing their creativity and musical prowess. This quartet is one to watch as they continue to evolve and innovate.
Microcosms cultivates their own kind of hardcore – one where it’s okay to crack the tough exterior; one where it’s okay bemoan both the highs and lows of overwhelming love and the fact that freedom doesn’t exist in seemingly “free” societies in equal measure. In other words, it’s one where listeners can feel free to cry and laugh about all of life’s many fickle features together. It’s music to revolt to.
Bassel & The Supernaturals combines neo-soul and funk with captivating lyrics about love, loss, and a war in Syria that has affected Bassel Almadani’s family along with 10,000,000 others.
The soulful Syrian-American vocalist and his ensemble raised over $11,000 during the preorder campaign for their full-length album, Elements (2017), with over $3,000 in donations for humanitarian aid in Syria. Their album was premiered by Noisey (Vice) and led to their involvement in the nationally-acclaimed SXSW showcase ContraBanned: #MusicUnites featuring artists from the diaspora of the countries targeted by the travel ban. They’ve since been featured on PRI, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Paste Magazine, Huffington Post, NowThis, and many others. In addition to performing in clubs and festivals across the nation, Bassel partners with universities and charity organizations nationwide to host seminars, workshops, and benefit concerts drawing attention to the crisis in Syria.
The Human Circuit is a nine-piece, Alt-Pop, Psych-Rock band from Austin, Texas with catchy, orchestral grooves ranging from the mystic vibes of David Bowie to the intricate arrangements of Arcade Fire.
MEMORIES WITHER formed in 2007 with a passion to write and express their musical aura. A no compromise approach to writing songs the way they want to write. Not to fit a certain genre or affiliation. Aggressive, Brutal, catchy and clean describes the path we choose as a musical outlet.
DUEL is heavy psychedelic stoner metal from Austin, Texas. Hugely influenced by the darker sounds of early 70’s Proto-metal. Their sound is menacing and brutally old school. Total purists, their tunes cut right to the bone with heavy, deep groove and blistering Thin Lizzy-esque interweaving guitars. Tough and Loud! Hard rock as it should be!
The shakes are focused on creating a brief escape from the daily hamster wheel they both created and consider themselves blessed and grateful for. The music is a journey though privileged suburban life with a feeling of knowing they clearly overachieved based on their own capabilities. If Social Distortion and Elvis had a love child whose god parents were Frank Turner and the Black Crowes it’s name would be The Shakes, it would always be a little achy, and it’s first words would be “not dead yet.”
Remember Jones is a one-of-a-kind soul/pop singer, storyteller and bandleader with a throwback vibe and authentic energy that bring audiences to another time and place. Collaboratively supported by a double-digit sized band centrally from Asbury Park, NJ where they have a stronghold on it’s large, thriving music scene, he has packed popular venues such as THE STONE PONY, ASBURY LANES, THE SAINT, CONVENTION HALL and THE PARAMOUNT THEATRE. He has been awarded TOP VOCALIST in the Asbury Park Music Awards, directed and debuted as HEDWIG in HEDWIG IN THE ANGRY INCH for Asbury Park’s first long-running theatrical production, and has produced, music directed, and supported many local acts, rock musicals, and touring bands (most recently a string of sold-out dates with Buster Poindexter).
The band’s DEBUT ALBUM, “Ladies and Gentlemen, Remember Jones!”, available via CDBaby, iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, and other outlets, was created after raising close to $19,000 through nearly 300 small donations via Indiegogo, and created in front of a live studio audience with a 25-piece band. It was released in May 2016 at Asbury Park’s Convention Hall, the first independent local band to play this venue in many, many years. POPDOSE calls the album “…uncanny magic… remarkable vocalist… Remember Jones is heading for big things.”
He fronts a tribute project “back to BACK TO BLACK”, a recreation of the entire AMY WINEHOUSE album with an orchestra of 15-25 musicians that has SOLD-OUT 3 times in Asbury Park, as well as a tour of the show packing venues in Brooklyn, Detroit, Louisville, Nashville, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and more, including a sold-out show at LINCOLN HALL in Chicago that was streamed live by AUDIOTREE. He has SOLD-OUT a theater re-creation of JOE COCKER’s MAD DOGS & ENGLISHMEN with a 20-piece band and was the first ever to present and sing R. KELLY’s TRAPPED IN THE CLOSET LIVE alongside a 20-piece orchestra. His work with GRAMMY-nominated guitar legend and songwriter GARY LUCAS will lead to upcoming recordings of unreleased JEFF BUCKLEY material, following a successful string of dates recreating the entire GRACE album in July 2016 (Lucas co-wrote “Grace” and “Mojo Pin”). A recording session with Daytrotter was released in February 2017.
Audiences throughout the East Coast have jumped to their feet for Remember Jones’ tribute to JOE COCKER for the past 6 years as part of Glen Burtnik’s SUMMER OF LOVE EXPERIENCE TOUR, selling out 1000+ seat venues: THE COUNT BASIE THEATRE (Red Bank, NJ), MAJESTIC THEATER (Gettysburg, PA),THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS (Patchogue, NY), INFINITY HALL (Norfolk, CT), EMENS AUDITORIUM AT BALL STATE (Muncie, Indiana), SHEA CENTER FOR THE ARTS (William Patterson University), THE STATE THEATRE (New Brunswick, NJ), and many more, with the show touring the midwest and more in 2016-7. As a member of other projects and theatrical events, he has played to rousing audiences in live music venues from WEBSTER HALL in NYC, WORLD CAFE LIVE in Philadelphia, SCHUBAS in Chicago, and more.
Whether you see him fronting a piano, a 4-piece band, or a soul orchestra of 25, Remember evokes the energy of the great front men and women, with one of a kind song styling (“the vocal child of Tom Jones and Patti LaBelle”, says award-winning singer/songwriter Glen Burtnik) and expert storytelling that keep audiences on their toes and emotions in the moment.
Mormon Toasterhead is the figure-flattering outfit of Ben Klawans. Accompanied by Charlie Libby Watt and Nolan Marchi, amongst other friends, they dare to create the most titillating pseudo-pop music your itty-bitty ears have never heard.
Kick is the sixth studio album by the Australian rock band INXS, released in 1987 by WEA in Australia, Atlantic Records in the United States and Mercury Records in Europe.
As the band’s most successful studio album, it is certified six times platinum by the RIAA, and spawned four US top 10 singles, “New Sensation”, “Never Tear Us Apart”, “Devil Inside” and “Need You Tonight”, the last of which reached the top of the Billboard singles charts. At the 1988 MTV Video Music Awards, the band took home five Moonmen for the “Need You Tonight”/”Mediate” video.
The album was produced by British producer Chris Thomas and recorded by David Nicholas in Sydney, Australia, and in Paris, France. The album was mixed by Bob Clearmountain at Air Studios in London.
R.E.M. “RECKONING”
Reckoning is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on April 9, 1984 by I.R.S. Records. Produced by Mitch Easter and Don Dixon, the album was recorded at Reflection Sound Studio in Charlotte, North Carolina, over 16 days in December 1983 and January 1984. Dixon and Easter intended to capture the sound of R.E.M.’s live performances, and used binaural recording on several tracks. Singer Michael Stipe dealt with darker subject matter in his lyrics, and water imagery is a recurring theme on the record. Released to critical acclaim, Reckoning reached number 27 in the United States—where it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1991—and peaked at number 91 in the United Kingdom.
CLOAKROOM
Three Initiates; hailing from the harsh realms of Northwest Indiana.
We play rock music.
Chevonne — Vocals/Keys
Chris Ricci — Vocals
Chris Bookstaver — Guitar
Doug Hoekstra — Bass
Nick Potters — Drums/Keys
Joey Hayek — Guitar
The brainchild of Erik Ogershok, COTS was initially manifested in the winter of 2006. Several local appearances and line up fluctuations later, life happened, and the project laid dormant. 2014 saw the return of Ogershok as he recruited new musical personnel in the form of drummer Adrian Voorhies & bassist Alex Davis, both of the Austin based Black Metal outfit Humut Tabal and once more brought the doom trio to life to melt the faces of all who sought shade in the Canyon walls.
After numerous regional gigs both opening for touring colleagues & spearheading an array of craft beer events & festival slots (including two SXSW appearances), the band closed the year with a blistering performance at the End of the World Fest in Houston along side Austin brethren The Sword and Eagle Claw. 2015 saw the creation of the bands first recording, a two track monolith of doom metal spanning 38 minutes, recorded at Wooden Horse Studios in Dallas & mastered by none other thanProscriptor McGovern of the mighty Texas mythological metal gods Absu. Now, as the band prepares to hit the road in October for their first regional tour of the country, only one message can truly be counted on: Abandon All Hope!
Drawing the moon down through the mountains and into the valley, the Giant of the Mountain rears his head to breath his dreadful anguish unto humanity.
Formed in May of 2011, rising from the ashes of the black machine, invoked after many moons, Disenchanter is a heavy rock band riding the currents of doom, casting riffs of rock, and melding the elixirs of metal to bring forth a fantasy of sci-fi wrapped in a stoner groove!
“Described as ‘minimalist’, ‘menacing’, and ‘raw’ with ‘a groovy blues vibe reminiscent of Electric Wizard, Coven, and Black Sabbath itself,’ Disenchanter has been playing heavy rock since 2011, when they formed as a four-piece unit in Santa Rosa, California. A few line-up changes later and relocation to Portland, Oregon, the power trio is now casting spacey, doom-laden stoner riffs with songs that explore fantastic lyrical themes.
Sabine Stangenberg heads up Disenchanter on lead guitar and vocals, giving the band a powerful melodic feel with her commanding, emotive voice and infectious, bluesy solos. Joey DeMartini lays down the low end on bass guitar with fuzzy tones and solid grooves.
-Billy Goate, Doomed and Stoned
Having released two self-produced EPs, “Back To Earth” (September 27th, 2013) and “On Through Portals” (January 11th, 2014)—both recorded at Lowbrow Studios with Chris Hill and mastered at Audiosiege by Brad Boatright—Disenchanter has recently released their first full length album, “Strange Creations” (September, 19th 2015), also mastered at Audiosiege, this time recorded and mixed by Fester at Haywire Recording.
Digital copies of “Strange Creations”, as well as our previous releases can be found on our bandcamp page: http://disenchanter.bandcamp.com/
Despite Nashville’s reputation for assembly-line pop country, the town called Music City is a place of deep history, where brilliant songwriters and virtuoso session players keep dozens of musical legacies burning bright. Nashville’s preeminent fuzz-psych power trio Howling Giant live in the pocket of that lineage, and on their eagerly awaited second full-length, Glass Future, they kick out the righteous jams with furrowed determination and wild abandon.
Howling Giant formed in Nashville nearly ten years ago with the union of guitarist/vocalist Tom Polzine, drummer/vocalist Zach Wheeler, and bassist/vocalist Roger Marks. From day one, the trio locked into a musical groove of thunderous metal, proggy acrobatics, psychedelic flourishes and soaring melodic vocals, telling stories of fantasy and adventure with such sheer force of will that they seemed capable of opening a window to other dimensions. Their early years saw a flurry of recorded activity, with an acclaimed self-titled EP in 2015 and an audacious concept piece split across two EPs, 2016’s Black Hole Space Wizard Part 1 and 2017’s Black Hole Space Wizard Part 2.
On the strength of those EPs and a growing, fervent fanbase, Howling Giant set out to bring their arena-sized energy to the people with the hunger of true road dogs. Throughout 2017 and 2018, they crisscrossed the United States, pouring out heart and soul (and sweat) while flying the flag of emotive, intricate heavy rock and roll. This tireless energy eventually brought them to such prominent festival stages as Psycho Las Vegas in 2018 and both SXSW and Psycho Smokeout in 2019. Around this time, Marks left the band and Howling Giant achieved its current form with the addition of bassist/vocalist Sebastian Baltes.
In early 2019, Howling Giant teamed up with Blues Funeral Recordings to release debut full-length The Space Between Worlds, an album which saw the band channel the bristling electricity of their live sound and push further into both cosmic drift and punishing heaviness.
As the COVID-19 pandemic put an embargo on live music, Howling Giant found new ways to connect with their ardent fans. Through a weekly schedule of live-streamed events on Twitch, the band continued to nurture community during an isolating, disorienting time. In addition to Dungeons & Dragons sessions and cooking lessons, Howling Giant opened up their rehearsal process to the fans, streaming writing jams that led to instrumental EP Alteration in 2021 and planted the seeds for their next album.
Now in partnership with Magnetic Eye Records, Howling Giant are poised to release their second album Glass Future.
From the first notes, it’s clear that the band has tapped into the next level of the cosmic vibrations that power them. Tom Polzine’s guitar licks dance across the frets with airy precision and lunge at the listener with red-lined roars. Sebastian Baltes’s bass stalks and coils like a snake and digs deep into mile-wide grooves. Zach Wheeler’s drums are as frantic as they are restrained, tossing out cross-meter fills and stepping out with stuttering snare runs that dare the others to match their bristling energy. Long-time friend of the band Drew Harakal provides crucial accompaniment on organ, piano, and synths, suffusing these future anthems with vintage tones and contemplative depth.
Howling Giant’s not-so-secret weapon is their honey-rich and wisdom-worn vocal attack. With all three members pitching in, Glass Future reaches some of its most glorious highs through soaring, indelible choruses and tight triple harmonies. Lead single “Sunken City” is a roiling, locked-in rocker with a massive chorus hook and searing instrumental break that rides a cresting wave of impossibly triumphant momentum. Whether it’s on the powerful gallop and nasty, swaggering groove of instrumental knockout “First Blood of Melchor” or the loping sprint of the parallel guitar and keyboard leads on the title track, whether the wide-open golden chug of “Siren Song” or the lilting, forlorn psychedelic trip of “Tempest and the Liar’s Gateway,” Howling Giant fires on so many cylinders across these taut 41 minutes that the reeling mind has no choice but to follow their assured stride.
Is Howling Giant’s music like a dream tour of Mastodon and Rush supporting the Beach Boys in 1970? Does Glass Future sound like Queens of the Stone Age, Devin Townsend, and Torche holding a songwriting clinic in Pink Floyd’s backyard? Friend, Howling Giant doesn’t owe you those answers, but their whirlwind new album might give you some new questions to ask, new rivers to cross, new frontiers to explore.
With Glass Future burning a hole in their pocket, 2023 finds Howling Giant setting out on a far-reaching North American tour with Elder and Ruby the Hatchet and playing the illustrious Desertfest Belgium. On Glass Future, they play with the thoughtful, careworn ease of people who know hardship and pain yet decide to press on because that’s the only thing we can do. As they sing on the album’s elegiac closer, “There’s no company, save for those we create.” With this remarkable album, Howling Giant extends a hand, saying: let’s find the future together.
Sebastian Baltes – Bass/vocals Tom Polzine – Guitar/vocals Zach Wheeler – Drums/vocals
Cold canyon winds whip across snow swept summits, whirling down to a sprawling valley floor. A blood red star hangs low over the horizon: the only light that pierces the opaqueparticulate haze. Perhaps it is an omen – a harbinger of good fortune. Or perhaps its presence symbolizes a chaotic and malevolent end. For several weeks the star has grown brighter, swelling in size and reddening in color. As the anomalous Blood Star’s crimson glow encroaches on the cobalt sky above, unease permeates all facets of existence. Anomie and malaise take root. Entropy seems to accelerate at an ever-increasing rate. Madness reigns. The world takes its last labored, heaving breaths bathed in relentless red rays of a sinister star.
Working within the template forged by previous practitioners of the heavy and dark arts, Noah Hadnutt (Bass – Sanctifyre), Jamison Palmer (Guitar – Visigoth), Madi Smith (Vocals), and Daniel Alexander (Drums – Envenom, Deathblow) form the four points of the Blood Star. The tenacious quartet tempers classic heavy metal with take-no-shit rock n’ roll. Their cutthroat riffs take cues from Blue Öyster Cult, Black Sabbath, and Rainbow, while the bone splintering bass tone and pummeling drums evoke the grinding rhythms of Motörhead, Saxon, and Accept. Hungry for conquest, Blood Star embarks upon their first North American tour in August 2018, supporting heavy metal powerhouse Night Demon. No stage is safe from the eldritch blaze of the Blood Star.
Vicious Rumors is an American heavy metal band founded in 1979 in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. The band co-created the bay area metal scene in it’s beginning. Brainchild of Geoff Thorpe, the band has been active on the metal scene since forever, actively touring through the last 30 years. Vicious Rumors is recognized for their guitar works and harmonies, as well as the variety of their tracks.
“DOPETHRONE are the kind of humans that eat the blues for lunch and wash it all down with a giant jug of crust punch!
This is one of those bands that will have the crusty punks head banging right next to the stoners, both united under the bad sign of doom.”
– CVLT NATION
“Covering the Who’s Tommy in its entirety…was a genius move. The HillBenders, a talented five-piece band from Missouri, proved to be the perfect group to execute this “Whograss” concept.” – Rolling Stone
Frank DiMino is best known to millions of people as the lead singer of 70s iconic rock group ANGEL. The group released a total of 8 albums, toured arenas, and sold over one million albums. In 2015 Frank released his first solo album “Old Habits Die Hard” on Frontiers Records. The melodic hard rock album was produced by Paul Crook (Meat Loaf) and features several guests including ex- ANGEL bandmate Punky Meadows.
The Hanged Man is the critically acclaimed debut EP from Louisville, KY band Pissed On. It imbues the musical veracity of a wide range of metal, punk, and hardcore. Decibel Magazine scored this “grindcore dossier” a 7/10, complimenting the genre experimentation, vocal work, and intense grind; Metal Injection scored it a 9/10 saying “…The Hanged Man certainly marks Pissed On as a band that should be watched and listened to repeatedly. There’s something even more sinister lurking beneath this surface and I can’t wait to see the beast’s black underbelly.”; New Noise Magazine gave it a 10/10 saying “…What Pissed On have unleashed in The Hanged Man is truly spectacular. Not just in a superb blend of instrumental works that reflects various tones, attitudes, and structure, but that also transforms the emotions of the mind… [they] will surely be remembered for putting out one of the most devastating records of this year.”
Martin Lang is one of the world’s finest amplified Blues harp players. His musical vision is carrying on the tradition of Chicago Blues harp. Audiences worldwide have heard his harp as he’s backed legendary Bluesmen from Tail Dragger and Willie Buck to Willie Smith, Dave Myers, Little Arthur, John Primer and more. Lang most recently released Mr. Blues Mr. Blues, his fourth album on NYC-based Random Chance Records. His “Bad Man Blues Band” takes its name from his third album Bad Man. Lang brings over 20 years of experience performing harp with legendary Chicago Bluesmen: soaking up the true Chicago Blues sound from the men who defined it. Lang has performed at the Delta Fish Market, at Chicago Blues Festival numerous times, the Chicago Cultural Center, European tours, stages around Chicago and the nation, and at public and private events.
His recent albums show his evolution as a singer. Lang’s latest album Mr. Blues Mr. Blues is out now!
I was born in 1972 in Chicago, Illinois. My father was the great Eddie Taylor Sr., who played with Blues greats such as Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, Elmore James, Sunnyland Slim, and others. I started playing guitar when I was about 13 years old. When I was about 18 years old I started hanging out and traveling with artists like Hubert Sumlin, Sam Lay, and Eddie Shaw. I always wanted to play the Blues growing up. Watching all the great musicians in my home was an inspiration. Since then I’ve traveled all over the country backing artists like Buddy Guy, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, and Billy Gibbons. I continue to play my Blues and share my love and passion for the music.
SAM LAY
Sam Lay (born March 20, 1935, Birmingham, Alabama) is an American drummer and vocalist who has been performing since the late 1950s.
Lay was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, in 2015.
With deep feeling and top-shelf talent, houserocking blues masters The Cash Box Kings play tough, real deal classic Chicago blues with boundless energy. They also deliver raw, passionate Delta blues, jumping proto-rock ‘n’ roll, and steamrolling “bluesabilly,” their original mix of Chicago blues and Memphis rockabilly. As anyone who has ever been to one of the band’s raucous performances will testify, The Cash Box Kings know how to throw a party. They’re fueled by the powerhouse harmonica work of Madison, Wisconsin-based songwriter Joe Nosek and the huge, gritty vocals of Chicago bluesman Oscar Wilson. Their original songs range from humorous stories of Internet love to harrowing tales of Chicago’s violent gun epidemic. Every song they perform—be it a striking original or a scorching Chess, Sun or Vee-Jay cover—explodes with contemporary authority and radiates old-school authenticity. According to Grammy Award-winning blues legend Charlie Musselwhite, “The Cash Box Kings play with real taste and feel. Not only is it good blues but it’s a jumping good time, too! I ain’t lyin’!”
Long renowned as a hard-hitting blues harmonica wailer and forceful vocalist, Rob Stone combines tough Chicago blues tradition with a swinging West Coast rhythmic drive. He’s made a series of widely acclaimed albums over the last two decades-plus showcasing his singular approach to the idiom, the first several cut with his Windy City-based band, the C-Notes. Now based in Los Angeles, Rob has widened his stylistic scope considerably in recent years.
Tenor and soprano saxophonist David Hillyard is one of the innovators of the American ska scene. His group, the Rocksteady7, mixes instrumental Jamaican “roots” rhythms and extended jazz improvisation. His forthcoming cd, Get Back UP!, is a blinding tour de force of his Jamaican Jazz conception. The title track evokes the power of Coltrane’s Love Supreme and is a screaming triumph over adversity.
“There was a certain style of songwriting and performance that I had always wanted to do but had never taken the plunge.” Says Brandon Phillips, central figure in Kansas City, Missouri’s brand new pop-soul group, Brandon Phillips and The Condition. In response to that unscratched artistic itch, Phillips began writing and recording in 2015 with the help of his brothers Zach Phillips (The Architects, The Gadjits) and Adam Phillips (The Architects, The Gadjits, Radar State) and enlisting the help of various KC area musicians along the way to flesh out a sound that was equal parts Get Happy-era Elvis Costello and early Motown.
In 2016, the first, official lineup of BP+C came together and started rehearsing for their first batch of shows. The pedigree of the lineup then, now and always – including members of bands like The Architects, Rachel Mallin and The Wild Type, The Roseline, The Gadjits, Hi Lux and Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear – speaks volumes to the force with which BP+C hit the ground running.
On their new two-song single Heartsick/Clean and Sober Brandon Phillips and The Condition squeeze the very juice from their Costello + Motown model and emerge with a playful, swinging power-pop-soul that sticks to you like psychic sugar.
MU330 (pronounced “em-you-three-thirty”, or “muso” as in musically aware) is a ska punk band formed in 1988 in St. Louis, Missouri. The original members met in St. Louis University High School music class 330 (hence the name of the band).
Matt Keen is a multi-instrumentalist from Chicago, IL. He’s the front man of the original rock band, Rebel Soul Revival, and an accomplished solo performer. He has an eclectic catalog and can be seen around the country playing with his various projects.
From the NJ/NYC’s Underground Music Scene comes Xentrifuge, a brutal assault of Harsh Industrial/Dark Electro, constructed by the collectively innovative minds of Chris X and Lisa Hellen.
With one eyeliner-stained eye looking back over a black-clad shoulder, harkening to the dark electronic music of the past, yet seductively mixed with bleeding-edge production drawn from modern EDM, and other electronic genres.
This project is an outlet for the ravaged, the lost and fucked-up souls.
Raw, visceral chronicles encased in a slick dichotomy of infectious Bass Music and Dark Pop/Electro, with even darker emotional themes.
Embrace the delicious somber sonnets and electro-dirge of Adoration Destroyed… The forlorn, the obliterated…this is for You.
