Bands - Reggies Chicago - Page 81

MIKE KENEALLY & BEER FOR DOLPHINS

Hello, I’m Mike Keneally, writing things about myself. What’s happening with you? You good?

Here are a few words about my life in music. I appreciate you reading them, if in fact you do:

I started playing keyboard when I was seven, when my parents gave me an electronic organ for Christmas. It was a total box of magic to me. For my eleventh birthday I got a guitar and that was a whole different kind of beast, one that I loved just as much. I played both instruments obsessively while I was growing up.

I loved The Beatles, too, to an unreasonable degree, starting when I was five years old, and over time that love extended to (I’m writing a list now) Frank Zappa, ELP, Alice Cooper, The Rolling Stones, Steely Dan, Todd Rundgren, Stevie Wonder, Yes, The Beach Boys, Henry Cow, Joni Mitchell, Gentle Giant, Sly Stone, The Residents, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Steve Reich, XTC, Radiohead and a million other incredible people. They Might Be Giants too, they’ve done some unbelievable stuff. Beefheart obviously. Thelonious Monk, sheesh. Laurie Anderson is badass too. Crimson! And Tull! Let’s talk Thomas Dolby and Leonard Bernstein for a second! All of those influences and countless others have found their way into my music; music which, I hope, doesn’t really sound like any of it.

I was a weird kid, and I slowly learned to adapt in different circumstances, except when I didn’t. To the extent that I did, this came in handy when I was 25 years old, in late 1987, and got hired to play guitar and keyboard with Frank Zappa, my ultimate musical hero when I was growing up. It was also my first real professional gig as a musician, and it came with a lot of hard and fast learning, or not. It was a mind-blowing experience in every way, literally a dream come true, but also far more than that. I feel the repercussions every day.

(Just a sec. I’m veering off-narrative here, but do you see over there where it says I’m the leading progressive-rock genius etc.? [Bill Meredith wrote that by the way, thank you Bill!] Anyway, is that really true? What do you guys think? Tell you what, I’ll count to three, and then you all yell out what you think about it. One. Two! THREE! Hey, I couldn’t hear anything!)

Back to my life story here. It took me a while to recover after the Zappa tour, and decide on a next step, but as the 90s got underway I eventually got a solo career going (while also working with Frank’s sons in the group Z, and then playing in Steve Vai’s band for six years. Both extremely fun and educational experiences). Some friends of mine (Jeff and Suzanne Forrest, thank you!) in San Diego started a label, and I signed with Immune Records and did eight audio or video projects with them from 1992 to 1998 – this was when I did hat., Boil That Dust Speck and Sluggo! as well as other titles. Then my pal Scott Chatfield and I formed Exowax Recordings in 1999, and starting with the instrumental one-man-band album Nonkertompf we unleashed another twenty or so Keneally releases, including regular albums, EPs, limited editions with DVDs or bonus albums, etc. Exowax merrily continues pumping out delicious audio for you, to this very freakin’ day.

I started playing live with my own bands a lot in the late 90s, playing insanely intricate stuff, improvising a lot and doing a lot of crazy things onstage, but not quite settling into a jam band scene, or a fusion scene, or an alternative scene, or a prog scene, but (I guess?) combining something of all of that, without ever attempting to do anything specific genre-wise at all; I just keep trying to make music that I enjoy hearing. Add in the energy we get from the many varied and wonderful music-lovers we’ve played for around the world, and it’s all been an extraordinary thing for me to be a part of. I’m endlessly grateful to all the musicians who’ve played my music through they years, and to all the people who’ve enjoyed it.

Sometime around 2000 I started occasionally seeing brown triangles, giving me musical instruction according to some arcane outerplanetary notational system. This would happen, sometimes, when I was playing guitar onstage with my eyes closed. After a couple of years, it stopped. I think it helped my playing for good, and I enjoyed it a lot.

In 2006 I started writing songs with Andy Partridge, former leader of XTC and songwriting hero of mine. Six years later, I put out an album called Wing Beat Fantastic: Songs Written By Mike Keneally & Andy Partridge. Working with Andy was another fairly unbelievable dream come true for me, similar to working with Zappa in terms of the impact these gentlemen have had on my life.

This album and other recent albums of mine have been recorded at Scott Chatfield’s studio Chatfield Manor, with ace engineer Mike Harris a constant co-conspirator. Every moment it’s possible for me to be working on music here, I do my best to take it. I love making albums. It’s an addiction.

Recent releases include Scambot 1 (part one of an epic ongoing saga; Scambot 2 is presently in the works); Evidence of Humanity with drummer Marco Minnemann; and a live DVD/CD set of the Mike Keneally Band, called bakin’ @ the potato! Here’s a video from bakin’: youtube.

Largely thanks to the kind patronage of Co de Kloet at NTR Music in the Netherlands, I’ve also written some orchestral pieces (sometimes with myself as guitar soloist); the most notable is the 52-minute suite The Universe Will Provide, recorded with Holland’s Metropole Orkest and released by NPS Music/Favored Nations in 2003. No other musical experience compares to playing live with an orchestra. For an electric guitarist it’s a real challenge to create the proper space as a soloist, without become overwhelming with volume, and finding a dynamic which feels of a piece with the orchestration. I’d love to do more of it and continue refining the process.

My new album on Exowax Recordings is You Must Be This Tall. It’s one of my crazier releases; mostly instrumental, although there are a few key vocal tracks on it. In a way it might be my most focused and ambitious album yet; it’s a 12-song, 44-minute rocket blast of punchy experimentalism with a lot of melodic and harmonic depth to it, if I do freaking say so. I’m not impressed with myself, you understand, but I’m totally happy with this album.

I also work a lot nowadays as a member of Joe Satriani’s band, and that is really hugely fun. And I play death metal, along with Brendon Small, as a guitarist in the live band Dethklok (originated in cartoon form on the [adult swim] TV program Metalocalypse. We, the human band, play the death metal live, while the cartoon Dethklok is in rhythmic sync with us, on a huge LED screen above the stage. People go nuts. It is incredibly fun).

Looking at all of it in one place, it’s a strange career I have, but it’s been more fun than a basket of warm aardvarks in the springtime.

CORIMA

CORIMA is a Zeuhl/Rock in Opposition ensemble, originally from El Paso, TX. CORIMA started as a four-piece ensemble in 2005, composed of drums (Sergio Ravelo), bass (Juan Tarin), and two guitars (Erik Martinez & Jaime Silva). Initially influenced by bands like King Crimson and ELP, their sound gradually evolved when their new synth/keys player joined (Francisco Casanova) and both guitarists left the band. They discovered Zeuhl and Rock in Opposition and CORIMA’s vision and musicality transformed drastically into what it is now.

In 2007, CORIMA released their first album in El Paso, TX and toured the East Coast of the United States, where they played with highly influential bands such as: Child Abuse, The Red Masque, The Great Tyrant, Ahleuchatistas, and Zs. Briefly after the tour, Sergio and Francisco moved to Los Angeles, where Andrea Calderón (violin/vocals), Ryan Kamiyamazaki (bass), and Patrick Shiroishi (saxophone) joined Corima. The current lineup typically plays with close friends and colleagues, Upsilon Acrux, and on one occasion were given the opportunity to open a concert for Yoshida Tatsuya at The Smell in Los Angeles. In 2013, CORIMA toured the West Coast of the United States, and also played Prog Day festival in North Carolina. In 2014 CORIMA will be playing SeaProg Festival in Seattle, WA, as well as FestivAlterNativo in Queretaro, MX. CORIMA has released their latest album QUETZALCOATL through the great Soleil Zeuhl, and are working on a new album to be finished in 2015.

IZZ

Without question, one of the brightest lights on the American symphonic progressive rock scene, IZZ melds classic and modern prog influences, strong melodies, complex male-female multi-part vocal harmonies, and stirring guitar, synthesizer, bass, and double-drumming work into a familiar yet refreshing musical sound.

Since the release of their first album in 1999, IZZ has been a stalwart of the American
progressive rock music scene. Combining a passion for melody with an adventurous musical spirit, IZZ has produced some of American progressive rock’s most beloved songs of the last 20 years including Coming Like Light, Star Evil Gnoma Su, Late Night Salvation, and 23 Minutes of Tragedy.
IZZ is currently marking the 20th Anniversary of the release of their breakout album, I Move, by releasing a special remastered edition of the album, including bonus tracks, which is available now at izzmusic.bandcamp.com. For their Winter 2023 live shows, IZZ will be performing “I Move” in its entirety.

THE EXPLORERS CLUB

The name game: it’s easy to play, way harder to win. When Charleston, SC native Jason Brewer adopted the name for his band back in 2005 (from a scene in Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic: “Bill Murray, feeling all depressed, goes into a bar, and ‘Explorers Club’ is written on the wall. I thought, ‘What a cool name for a band!’”), he may not have known just how propitious a choice he’d made.

It won out over all contenders and it perfectly fit the music he wanted to make. Built on the formidable cornerstones of 60s and 70s pop-rock (Brian Wilson, Phil Spector, effervescent Top-40 singles), it would advance a unique contemporary approach that would explore and discover ever more creative ground. Since then, Brewer’s quest has led to three widely acclaimed albums—2008’s Freedom Wind, 2012’s Grand Hotel, 2016’s Together (plus a spate of singles, contributions to tribute albums, et al)—and now the simultaneous release of the new all-originals album The Explorers Club and the cover set To Sing and Be Born Again.
Of the Together album, PopMatters enthused, “The harmonies are tight, the melodies strong and catchy, and the overall mood is jubilant and uplifting, making it the perfect antidote for the toxic politics, violence, personal struggles, and controversies that swirl around all our lives like a constant cloud.” And that was written in 2016. The closing cut on The Explorers Club, “Look to the Horizon,” Brewer explains, “speaks to folks right now. It says, ‘Things aren’t always perfect in the moment, but look forward. That’s when they can get better.’”
Part of Brewer’s voyage of discovery has been acknowledging that ‘If you want to get something done, you have to do it yourself.’ From TEC’s very start, the musical vision was mostly Brewer’s; he’d recruit fellow musicians along the way, both in the studio and onstage, but he was clearly at the helm of the enterprise.
“We put out the Together record in 2016,” he recalls, “and did a few gigs and tours. But then later, when I said, ‘I’ve got a bunch of new music I want to do,’ some of the guys in the band had other commitments. And it was hard to get momentum flowing working around other musicians’ schedules. So, at this point there’s no longer a fully committed group.”

“I really felt like ‘I gotta make this record.’ I had songs and felt strongly about getting them recorded.” He enlisted additional musicians, but The Explorers Club and To Sing and Be Born Again are clearly, from start to finish, the realization of one man’s intent and imagination.

In Nashville (where he now lives), Brewer took his songs into Columbia’s Studio A. “I got studio players and some musician friends, and we did the majority of the tracking in three days,” he says. “There was a lot of history to soak up in that room: vintage Sixties guitars, the microphones Elvis used. It was like a classic Nashville session: one song every two or three hours. I’d given everyone charts and in some cases demos, and I’d tell them, ‘I’m looking for this type of thing here: what would an arranger for, say, Dusty Springfield do here?’”

With basic tracks cut at Columbia and vocals recorded at home or at the house of one of Brewer’s co-writers, both the new originals and the covers album were done at the same time. “There was no separation between the two,” Brewer explains. “I wanted both to sound similar; they had a mutual inspiration going on.” The latter’s track list came from several sources: “At our early shows, we’d always get asked to do covers. Fans were most stoked about the Turtles’ ‘She’d Rather Be with Me.’ I always thought Danny Hutton’s ‘Roses and Rainbows’ was such a cool song. And ‘The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore’: it was my mom’s suggestion. She’s been begging me for 10 years to record that.”

Guest vocalists on To Sing… include former Barenaked Ladies co-founder Steven Page, and Jay Gonzalez of Drive-By Truckers. “I saw Steven play a solo set in 2019 and I knew we had a lot in common,” Brewer remembers. “He’s such a great singer, a super nice guy and he did an amazing job [on Orpheus’ 1968 single “Can’t Find the Time”]. The Explorers Club had done shows with Jay when he did solo sets and I always heard a real Todd Rundgren flair in his singing. I knew he was a big Lovin’ Spoonful fan, so I just gave it a shot: did the track [for “Didn’t Want To Have To Do It”] and sent it to Jay. He sent back a great vocal, then we added harmony and the bridge.”

The Explorers Club album is, as one review said of its predecessor, Together, “a joy of a listen, a summer breeze.” It’s also, as Uncut asserted of the songs and arranging on the band’s debut, a triumph of “recasting [classic pop] sounds for the 21st Century.” It’s more too: super-soulful in the driving chorus of “One Drop of Rain,” tender and caressing on “Dawn” (“Probyn Gregory, from Brian Wilson’s band, came up with the middle ‘whistling piano’ part”) and resolutely hopeful on “Look to the Horizon.”

Brewer admits the current health crisis makes public performing a challenge, but he remains upbeat about taking his new music to audiences, most likely through live-streaming.
So where could TEC’s next expedition be headed? “It might be cool to take a bit of a left turn,” he says, mulling the question. “I get categorized by others as being very Sixties and Seventies oriented. But, within that mode, I’d like to take the basis of what I’m good at and add other things on top, to paint with a new brush.”

In 2021 Jason Completed work on a special fan centric album named Wattage! On this record The fans and followers of the group were enlisted along with many musical friends of the band to create a trip back to the heyday of radio.

THE FRINGE

The Fringe is:
Nick D’Virgilio (Vocals, Drums)
Randy McStine (Vocals, Guitar)
Jonas Reingold (Bass, Vocals)

INFINITE SPECTRUM

New York City-based progressive metal band Infinite Spectrum has garnered rave notices and struck a chord with prog rock fans the world over. Closing a three-year gap since their acclaimed 2013 debut album, Misguided, INFINITE SPECTRUM’s Sensory Records debut, Haunter Of The Dark is a full-length concept recording based on the short story by master of horror, H. P. Lovecraft, with the band bringing the famed short story to life through ambitious compositions featuring an abundance of dynamic, virtuosic playing, and powerful, melodic vocals. Re-teaming with Grammy award-winning engineer Chris Theis to capture their signature sound, with Haunter Of The Dark, INFINITE SPECTRUM has created a remarkable sonic journey for fans of prog both old and new. Combining theatrical elements with the progressive metal genre, the band has crafted their own brand of musical storytelling, which includes elements of radio-style drama for a uniquely cinematic listening experience. The music of INFINITE SPECTRUM is eclectic, innovative, and experimental in nature, with influences such as Dream Theater, Symphony X, Steve Vai, and Neal Morse, as well as classic prog bands like Yes and Rush. Their current line-up features Will Severin (vocals), Alex Raykin (guitar), Alex Repetti (bass), Greg Schwab (drums), and Katie Pachnos (keys).

WAVE MECHANICS UNION

Eight years ago, a couple of arrangers-for-hire decided, for a change, to hire themselves instead. Refreshingly freed from the constraints of client expectations, but now dauntingly faced with an endless spectrum of possibilities, they whittled it all down and focused on revisiting, as jazz arrangements, some of their favorites from the genre known as “Progressive Rock.” They felt an abiding affinity with the bold, adventurous pioneers of the 60’s and 70’s – musicians who eschewed boundaries and wanted to cut loose and show the world what was possible on their instruments when social dancing was no longer the driving imperative.

As arrangers, this fledgling cabal wanted the same thrill – to express ideas and techniques, accumulated over the years, that they’d rarely had the opportunity to exploit in the course of their work.

They invited some monstrously talented, like-minded friends to share in the creation/performance/recording of said artifacts, and Wave Mechanics Union was born.

Along the way, the nascent collective mutated and grew to embrace a wider palette of sounds, styles, and songs – as much as they loved Prog and Classic rock, there was more stuff out there calling to them and their creative impulses. So the paradigm evolved, as paradigms do. Perhaps it would be best described, now, as “we think these tunes are cool. How ’bout you?”

When you let your mind roam freely, the pigeon-hole genre labels get harder to apply. Is this “jazz?” Well, that depends how you define it, if defining it is even necessary. It’s music, rendered with love. let’s leave it at that.

The men and women of Wave Mechanics Union invite you to peruse and enjoy Volume II, “Further to Fly”, and hope you’ll find the same joy in listening that we felt working with some great music – arranging, playing, singing, and recording as our OWN clients.

September 2012. RF, RVJ, LM, & JFK

RIKARD SJOBLOM OF BEARDFISH

Rikard Sjöblom (solo, Beardfish, Big Big Train) will release his second studio album “The Unbendable Sleep” on February 10th.

THE SECURITY PROJECT

Former members of Peter Gabriel’s band, King Crimson and Shriekback celebrate Gabriel’s groundbreaking material from his first five solo albums.

Jerry Marotta	Drums & Percussion, Backing Vocals
Trey Gunn	Warr Guitar, Backing Vocals
Happy Rhodes	Lead Vocals
Michael Cozzi	Guitars, Backing Vocals
David Jameson	Keyboards, Eigenharp

A TRIBUTE TO THE LEGACY OF KEITH EMERSON

THE GALACTIC COWBOY ORCHESTRA

The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra has been freakin’ minds for 6 years! Since 2009, the band has stretched their own musical limits with album after album of intensely energetic ART-ROCK. Definition of ART-ROCK: A type of rock music, often with poetic lyrics, characterized by sophisticated harmonic, dynamic and technical complexity based on forms derived from classical (and jazz) music and requiring performers of considerable training and skill. It sounds so serious, but when you combine that type of music with four fun-loving musicians who don’t take themselves too seriously and who have a love of so much music beyond art-rock (which is why the band covers songs from Otis Rush’s All Your Love to Whipping Post to When the Levee Breaks to YYZ), you get a bit of magic in live music form. The band writes and performs music that excites them and has a blast doing it! The GCO appreciates and aspires to superior musicianship while combining their love of a good riff, hummable melody and groovy jam… over a jazz/jazz-rock musical bedrock. It all culminates in an intensely energetic live performance because “we freakin’ love what we do and love that the fans dig it too!! “

BRAND X

John Goodsall: Guitars

Chris Clark: Keyboards

Scott Weinberger: Percussion

Ric Fierabracci: Bass

Greyson Nekrutman: Drums

BRAND X are recognized as true musical pioneers, as they helped create an entire musical genre and influenced a broad spectrum of musicians and bands, from Phish to Dream Theatre. They are unrivaled in their creativity, originality and approach. Their contemporaries include bands such as Weather Report, Headhunters, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jaco Pastorious and Chick Corea, all crafting a unique blend of Jazz, Rock, and Ethic influences now widely known by fans worldwide as Fusion.

Many claim it’s BRAND X’s unique combination of masterful chops mixed with their childlike melodies that make so special. Some musicians play from inside their own world, but John Goodsall, Percy Jones, Kenwood Dennard and the guys from BRAND X play from their own universe! REUNION: After years of rumors of a potential reunion, it is finally happening. Three of the four main members came together recently in New York, and according to sources present at the rehearsals, listening to them play was “…like traveling back in time to the legendary ‘Livestock’ album – there was no question this was BRAND X! Their sound was uncannily identical to the BRAND X of ‘Livestock’ – and that in itself speaks volumes”

ALPINA NOISE

Chicago-based band: guitar, bass/viola, drums, Influences include Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, Pleasure Club, The Pixies.

CUDDLE RIOT

Cuddle Riot is a band formed in Chicago with rock and punk influences.

Band members consist of Arturo Mar on vocals and guitar, Steve Osterman on drums.
From their album “Around the Square”, they feature 5 great new songs for your audible pleasure.

Don’t forget to listen and vote for Cuddle Riot in Ernie Ball’s Battle of the Bands/Vans Warped Tour ’11 at: http://www.battleofthebands.com/u/CuddleRiot

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NATIVE CONSTRUCT

Native Construct is the product of collaboration between several students that began in 2011 at the storied Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Fueled by a desire to breathe new life into the modern metal genre, Native Construct artfully blends a wide spectrum of compositional influences, ranging from classical all the way to prog metal and musical theatre. The result is a wonderfully unique sonic texture, made up of extended-range guitars, theatrical vocals, and a full complement of symphonic instrumentation. Guitarist and composer Myles Yang’s passion for innovation, coupled with his extensive academic study of arranging and compositional techniques, makes Native Construct a truly distinctive up-and-coming metal act.

In 2014, the band’s music caught the ear of Brian Slagel at Metal Blade Records, and led to a recording contract and a worldwide release of the band’s debut album, Quiet World. The album promises to be a rich, vibrant, and aurally engaging musical experience. While following a musically programmatic approach to its storytelling, the album demonstrates a fascinating unification of numerous musical styles and provides an emotional journey through the vast and imaginative world Native Construct have envisioned.

Quiet World was largely self-produced and written between 2011 and 2013 in between the individual band members’ studies at the Berklee College of Music. What began as jam sessions simply for fun eventually turned into a full-fledged musical endeavor. All tracking and programming was done at the band’s home studios in Boston, MA, with the exception of vocals, which were recorded with Jamie King at The Basement Studios in Winston-Salem, NC. The album was mixed by Rich Mouser at The Mouse House Studio in Los Angeles, CA, and mastered by Jamie King.

A brief listen to Quiet World is enough to make it apparent that there is a concept, here. Though it’s best to let the band explain the album in their own words: “Quiet World is about a guy who loves a girl. The guy is a bit of an odd and eccentric person – an outcast. He’s also a mute, and a little unstable, as it turns out. The girl doesn’t return his feelings, but he can’t bring himself to let go. As his unrequited passion for her devolves into obsession and eventual resentment, his mind begins to slip further and further away. He convinces himself that he can’t be loved because of his condition and abnormalities. So he decides to create for himself a new, fantastic world of which he has complete control – a world where there are no oddballs or outcasts. A world where everyone is surrounded by people who are just like themselves: a much quieter world.

“It’s at this point that the first track of the album, “Mute,” begins. And it turns out that many of the subjects of his new world are not as content living this way as he is. In the second track we see a new character, the Archon, rise up and unite his people in the clouds with the once distant people in the sea. He leads an opposition to “Sinister Silence,” as the people come to call him. The rest of the album unfolds with events within the “Quiet World” and manifestations of the enduring struggle between the Archon and Sinister Silence. The lone exception is track number four, “Your Familiar Face,” which steps out of this world for a moment to give a closer look at the events prior to the first track and the tragedy of Sinister Silence.”

What is impressive about Native Construct is not necessarily an involved concept on a debut record, it’s that they wrote, produced, and recorded the album while balancing school work and on a college student budget. It’s the epitome of “self produced.” And what Native Construct wants fans to know is that “the composition process for this album was intensely meticulous from top to bottom. Each note, each lyric, each twist and each turn were arrived at with the utmost care. As such, we were able to weave rich, often subtle layers of meaning into the music and text. We’re very excited for you all to experience the result of our efforts!”

THE EVER AFTERS

New soulful, live dimension by producers Rondell Adams (DJ) and KM Nelson (guitars, etc), featuring many great musicians and artists on the front lines…

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AETHEREAL

A psychedelic prog-rock band from Chicago

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NASTY SNACKS

Conceived during the summer of 2014, Nasty Snacks is a nine-piece funkestra bringing you nothing short of the most groovy and most booty-moving music possible.Formed in 2014, Nasty Snacks is a 9-10 piece “funkestra” consisting of members of thevibrant Chicago music scene. Described by some as “future funk” the genre-bendingband blends elements of funk, R&B, and fusion.Having played at many of the best Chicago venues and supported various nationallytouring acts, the Snacks have proven to showcase a pocket-slamming performanceevery show. Their energetic, horn-driven melodies, and powerful lead vocals give theSnacks their nasty edge. With two guitarists who switch between lead/rhythm, keyboardsounds that fill classic and cosmic space, and a super tight rhythm section, the soniclandscape is endless.In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, the band welcomed a new lead vocalist,Stefanie Mitchell (The Right Now), and began writing new material remotely. Throughout this time, the band has come together to push for social change by donating album sales to charitable organizations, to stay safe by getting vaccinated, and to keep playing shows while continuing to write new, exciting material.The band’s most recent release (March 2021) the Smoke Signals EP was recorded atTransient Sound Studios in Chicago by Steven Gillis and features Mitchell, their newvocalist, on all three tracks. The band hosted several online events to celebrate therelease and the response has been amazing. Smoke Signals EP can be streamed andpurchased everywhere.

WAYNE KRANTZ TRIO

Wayne Krantz, guitar
Since 1986:

HAS played and/or recorded for: Binney, Potter, Fagen, the Breckers, the Dan, Cobham, Atakoglu, Bley, Bailey, Maria, Formanek, Anderson, Schwartz, Stern, Manieri, Anders, Wilkenfeld, Husband, Escreet, Hoenig, Barot, Weyland, Rahbany, Ridl

HAS employed on his own projects: Carlock, Lefebvre, Almond, Novak, Jackson, Lee, Socolow, Wilkenfeld, Danziger, Fig, Chambers, Bullock, Goines, Genus, Alias, Bryant, Hoenig, Binney, Beard, Ephron, Weyland, Mayer, Patitucci, Drayton, Beasley, Anders, Potter, Colaiuta, Wollesen, Palladino, the Staceys, Hey, Wood, Biddle, Tidd, Miura, Hess, Brewer

HAS made 10 records: “Signals” (’91), “Long To Be Loose” (’93), “2 Drink Minimum” (’95), “Separate Cages” (’96), “Greenwich Mean” (’99), “Your Basic Live” (’03), “Your Basic Live ’06″, “Krantz Carlock Lefebvre” (’09), “Howie 61″ (’12), “Good Piranha Bad Piranha” (’14)

HAS made 1 book: “An Improviser’s OS” (2005)

HAS taught at: NYU, Berklee, countless workshops worldwide

BORN, RAISED: Corvallis, Oregon, USA

BELIEFS: Nature, family, music

Gear
Main guitar: currently a Strat-style loaner from John Suhr

Main amp: a Fender and a Marshall

Main pedals, etc: EH Freq Analyzer, Boss DD-3, Boss OC-2, EH Freeze, Vertex Boost, Maxon SD-9, Vemuram Jan Ray, Wren and Cuff Russian Fuzz, Vertex Wah, WET verb, G-Lab Power Box, D’Addario strings/tuners/earplugs/cables, Fender mediums

Main store: 30th Street Guitars NYC

UADA

Since their formation in 2014, Uada’s rise has been meteoric. Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, the band quietly released their debut album, Devoid of Light in 2016 through and word of mouth quickly built from there: here was BLACK METAL writ large, classic and uncompromising but brimming with power, soul, and artistry, and all without bluster and bathos. Uada’s debut album surely expanded the lexicon of the melodic black metal idiom, and the underground took notice.

Two years later came Cult of a Dying Sun, whereby the band further perfected their craft and compellingly took to the stage, their performances garnering as much acclaim as their recordings. During all this, more than the underground started to take notice; the name Uada was on the tongues of folks usually reticent to black metal.

In 2020, almost effortlessly, Uada fully perfect their craft and delivered Djinn. Simply titled but by no means simple in construction nor execution, Djinn builds upon the increasingly ambitious songwriting of its no-less-considerable predecessor, but pushes their dazzling artistry into nearly Technicolor landscapes of the Beyond.

DROWNED

Obscure Death Metal

BAT

Ryan Waste-Bass,Vocals / Nick Poulos-Guitar / Felix Griffin-Drums

PEUCHARIST

Barbaric black thrashing death

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THE CROSSES

Die Kreuzen vocalist Daniel Kubinski and his band “The Crosses” play the self titled Die Kreuzen LP from start to finish and favorites from the “October File” LP. Daniel Kubinski: (Die Kreuzen, DeadFinger, FuckFace, Decapitado) Vocals Jim Potter: (Dr Shrinker Viogression Feck) Guitars Joe Sanfelippo (Population Control Astrokadaaver) BassJesse Sieren: (Big Laugh, Dislocation Drums

RUMPKE MOUNTAIN BOYS

The Rumpke Mountain Boys combine signature vocals, a unique command of string instruments (acoustic guitar, mandolin, upright bass and banjo) and dynamic special effects into a singular musical experience. An emotion filled musical stream of consciousness with no setlist, minimal structure, and intuitive improvisational flow. In this way, they summon the energy of the crowd as their guide in linking just the right music to precise moments in time.

Grateful Dead Hour host David Gans proclaimed, “One of the things I love about the Rumpke Mountain Boys is that there’s a fundamental honesty in their presentation. This is something they share with my other heroes, Donna the Buffalo and the Grateful Dead. They don’t make set lists ahead of time, they don’t rehearse their songs to a fare-thee-well– they perform in real time. All four of them write, which is very important, and they draw songs from a tremendous variety of sources… being a musician is a life-long learning experience, if you’re doing it right, and they are.”

Like playing around a campfire, the Boys take turns calling the next tune, distilling shows from a sea of infinite notes created from years of jamming. Drawing upon a growing catalog of originals and and an ecclectic mix of covers, the Rumpke Mountain Boys blend music like a fine Irish whiskey– the result affectionately dubbed Trashgrass. The Boys titled their 2012 album release with the same name, followed by their 2013 release, Moon, which was recorded at the famed Royal Studios in Memphis. The latest studio release, “High Time, Low Tide” is available mid-January.

2015 was outstanding for the string quartet. The Boys played festivals from coast to coast to ever growing audiences including Northwest String Summit and John Hartford Memorial Fest, while forging new ground throughout the west and east coasts including their first New York city show. Finishing up the year with two stellar highlights, their own Snuggleween and the Rumpke Mountain Boys New Years Eve Ball in their hometown of Cincinnati.

2016 promises to be even better, with extensive touring in support of the new album and the best festival lineup yet. Keep your ear to the ground because the Rumpke Mountain Boys are rolling into a town near you!
Grateful Dead Hour host David Gans proclaimed, “One of the things I love about the Rumpke Mountain Boys is that there’s a fundamental honesty in their presentation. This is something they share with my other heroes, Donna the Buffalo and the Grateful Dead. They don’t make set lists ahead of time, they don’t rehearse their songs to a fare-thee-well– they perform in real time. All four of them write, which is very important, and they draw songs from a tremendous variety of sources… being a musician is a life-long learning experience, if you’re doing it right, and they are.”

Like playing around a campfire, the Boys take turns calling the next tune, distilling shows from a sea of infinite notes created from years of jamming. Drawing upon a growing catalog of originals and and an ecclectic mix of covers, the Rumpke Mountain Boys blend music like a fine Irish whiskey– the result affectionately dubbed Trashgrass. The Boys titled their 2012 album release with the same name, followed by their 2013 release, Moon, which was recorded at the famed Royal Studios in Memphis. The next album is currently being recorded and will be released later this year.

2014 was outstanding for the string quartet. The Boys played festivals from coast to coast to ever growing audiences including Suwannee Springfest, Northwest String Summit, Phases Of the Moon, Dark Star Jubilee, John Hartford Memorial Fest, and Jammaica. Finishing up the year with two stellar highlights, their own Snuggleween and the Rumpke Mountain Boys New Years Eve Ball in their hometown of Cincinnati.

DABYLON

Aurora’s Premier Reggae Rockers… Dabylon is a work in progress that has matured over the past ten years. Made up of a mixture of family members and long time friends from the West Side of Aurora. Check out homegrown Aurora talent at its finest.

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CHRIS BOLINT

Chris Bolint is an instrumental hard rock guitarist from the Chicago Area. Since releasing his debut album, Embers Alive (2015), the 29 year old former Berklee College of Music student has garnered both regional and national praise for it. His music is both melodic and moving and is considered a guitar player’s guitar player. He is currently being played on 70 + radio stations across the country and is featured in the current issue of Relix Magazine on their coveted CD Sampler. Chris has also appeared and performed live on Chicago’s WGN Radio as well as been featured by Guitar World Magazine. Having been consistently performing as a solo act around Chicago over the last year, he recently has assembled a full band to play with, which includes a star studded cast of Chicago area musicians including, Barry Kleiber, Bass (T.D.Clark), Brian McKenna, Rhythm Guitar (T.D. Clark), Billy Cox, Rhythm Guitar (The Fall Four), and Trevor Warren on Drums. Take it from WGN Radio’s Nick Digilio who exclaimed “You gotta see this guy!”

ATONEMENT THEORY

Atonement Theory is Jay Jancetic’s “solo” work. Debut EP to be released this spring on IDefy Records. Live performances will also be coming soon.

I began my musical endeavors around the age of 16 playing in several Buffalo, NY based Straight Edge Hardcore bands before re-locating to Chicago Illinois where I joined the band Extinction.

I later went on to join Arma Angelus and have since been in several bands such as Stabbed By Words and Holy Roman Empire before taking a long needed brake from touring and playing in a steady band.

During that time, I began writing music and conceptualizing what I felt was music that perfectly embodied all of the elements I like best about music, as well as something that represented my emotions. Something that was heavy, dark and brooding, yet melodic.

I am also currently guitarist for Metal/Hardcore band Harm’s Way.

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J. NAVARRO & THE TRAITORS

J. Navarro & the Traitors began as a conversation between Jay Navarro (The Suicide Machines, Break Anchor, Hellmouth) and Eric Abbey (1592) about music that they had always played and never played together. From sharing the stage together in the early 1990s and 2000s they wanted to write and play music that they loved. So they took the idea and started writing, focusing on the reggae and Two-Tone sound that had been missing from the Detroit scene. With four songs written they needed a band. Together they ran down the list of musicians they knew and found the best ones for the job. Ken Haas (Polka Floyd, Reverend Guitars), joined on lead guitar, Scott Vesey (Trace the Veins) joined up on bass, and Jason Millbauer (Bad Assets) joined in on drums. Together they created the type of music that Navarro and Abbey heard in their heads and the band was born. A collection of songs that showcases the feeling of Detroit and the struggles going on throughout the world are showcased on their debut release. Come out to a show and dance all night. Cheers!

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PILFERS

Pilfers are a legendary band out of New York City that play an infectious, unique sound that blends pop, reggae, hardcore, dub, punk, and ska. Their sound, dubbed “raggacore” features the talents of lead vocalist Coolie Ranx, guitarist/vocalist Nick Bacon, drummer James Blanck, bassist Ben Basile, and trombonist/keyboardist Billy Kottage. Pilfers are well known and loved for their intense live performances that encourage constant crowd participation. Followers of Pilfers have been affectionately named “Pilfers Crew.”

Formed in 1997, Pilfers has toured internationally with the likes of Bad Brains, Zebrahead, Reel Big Fish, the Specials, Madness, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Amazing Royal Crowns, Mustard Plug, and Goldfinger. Pilfers released two albums including a self-titled full-length and Chawalaleng (Mojo Records). In the summer of 2001, the band broke up over various differences. Since 2005, the original line up has come together for several sold out reunion shows along the East Coast for their devoted fans.

In 2013, Pilfers hit the road with Reel Big Fish making new fans across the U.S. and Canada. The strong demand for more from their Pilfers Crew and their love for playing intense live shows has them hitting the road more frequently. Pilfers are currently recording new songs for an upcoming full-length album. Stay tuned for big t’ings to come!

FIVE IRON FRENZY

Five Iron Frenzy first formed in 1995 with vocalist/lyricist Reese Roper, former bassist Keith Hoerig, guitarist Micah Ortega, and lead songwriter Scott Kerr. They soon added Dennis Culp on trombone, Andrew Verdecchio on drums, Leanor Ortega-Till on saxophone, Nathanael Dunham on trumpet, and Sonnie Johnson on guitar. They gained national exposure with the songs, “Oh, Canada” (Our Newest Album Ever!, 1997) and “Where the Zero Meets the Fifteen” (Upbeats and Downbeats, 1996). Up until they disbanded in 2003, the band entertained audiences with spirited, interactive shows, sometimes in full costume. They announced their reunion in 2011 with the release of their free single, “It Was a Dark and Stormy Night.”

Fans’ enthusiastic response to Five Iron’s return is a testament to the lasting impact of their music and message. The self-described undead band is excited to make waves in the digital age with genre-pushing new work.

A LIFE ENDANGERED

Frantic and with organized system, potent and aggressive in delivery, post punk rock for the hard of hearing

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PLURAL PEP

RADIANT DEVICES

»radiant devices« draw upon a wide range of genres and sources with an emphasis on art rock, downtempo electronic, and industrial / found instruments aesthetics. Distressed guitar riffs are layered on top of groove-heavy bass lines and downtempo synths, then punctured by textured electronic beats and metal percussion rhythms. The compositions are often built on contrasts of harsh, noise driven sections paired with mellow melodic passages; where as, minimal arrangements are contrasted with dense rhythms and undeniable punk energy.

JUDAS RISING

Judas Rising is Joe Martina – vocals: x- Damien Thorne & x-Sin After Sin, Scott Davidson – Drums: Stonehenge, Heaven & Hell, x – Earthen Grave & x Wet Animal, Neven Trifunovich – Guitars: Rival, Cover Dogs, MST & x Sin After Sin, Briant Daniels – Guitars: x Sin After Sin & Kevin Cobleigh – Bass: Wicked Soul & Cover Dogs

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NAUGHTY PROFESSOR

Naughty Professor is a forward thinking music endeavor pioneered by six young musicians from around the country, now anchored in New Orleans, Louisiana. Formed in 2011, the band’s mission was to embody the jazz-influenced party culture of the Big Easy in a constantly evolving, high energy funk/soul outfit. Naughty Professors’ live performances, which weave together complex compositions and loose individual improvisation, quickly commanded the attention of many notable musicians in town, including George Porter Jr., Galactic, and The Revivalists. With fresh recorded material in the works and a rigorous tour schedule planned for 2016 and beyond, Naughty Professor is poised to soon become the next household name associated with the echelon of New Orleans music.

Naughty Professor has shared the stage with artists such as Galactic, Snarky Puppy, Victor Wooten, Rebirth Brass Band, Fitz and the Tantrums, The Revivalists, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Papadosio, George Porter Jr., The Soul Rebels, and many more

THE CLASH “GIVE ‘EM ENOUGH ROPE”

Give ‘Em Enough Rope is the second studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash.

WITCH MOUNTAIN

Top-tier purveyors of traditional American doom.

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STOP.DROP.REWIND

Northwest Indiana-based progressive-powerpop band stop.drop.rewind has never shied away from innovation. The Midwest power trio combines the energy and spirit of pop-punk with the colors and improvisational elements of jazz and soaring intricacies of progressive rock to bring forth a sound that is as unique as it is listenable, and as likely to produce a thoughtful discussion as it is a raucous sing-along. They have brought their energetic live show to venues across the Midwest and beyond, playing in 13 US states and completing multiple tours to Texas to play SXSW, all while sharing the stage with the likes of Real Friends, Hawthorne Heights, Secondhand Serenade, The Misfits, The Spill Canvas, and many others. The band has received regional radio play across Chicagoland and surrounding areas with their 2019 singles “Words in Scary Stories” and “Floating Stone,” and the music video for their latest release “Space Force” gained over 100k views on Facebook. Stop.drop.rewind is currently in the studio working on self-releasing an EP that includes the singles they released last year. FFO: Say Anything, Motion City Soundtrack, Ludo, Weezer

DEAD WHERE I STAND

Tasty metal from Chicago.

SHINING (SWE)

Formed in 1996, Shining is a Swedish Extreme band that incorporates many doom metal elements in the music. Due to the depressive undertones of their music and the mostly suicide-themed lyrics, Shining’s music is often referred to as “suicidal black metal” although the band themselves would point out that they are not a Black Metal band.

MOONTOWER

MoonToweR is Chicago’s premier and only “Van Rock” band.

Formed in late 2013 as “Ignition Control”, they have quickly moved up the food chain. They’ve shared the stage with local favorites The Handcuffs and I Love Rich and opened for international acts Wild Adriatic, Stupidity and Blue Coupe. Their song “Tomahawk” has received airtime on rock radio station 105.5 The Kat.

Their music and professionalism has made them a go-to band for bookings at many of Chicago’s most popular music venues.

With original music that’s a unique blend of classic and hard rock, blues and metal, as well as a refreshing list of cover tunes for flavor, MoonToweR is bringing a sound, feeling and vibe that has long been missing back the local scene. All together this four piece has 30 years of stage experience and is thrilled to be bringing the party-on good times soundtrack we call “van rock” to all of you.

EQUAL OPPOSITES

Psychedeleic feel-good phantasmagorical alternative indie rock in the Northwest Suburbs, featuring:

Lucas Turner
Mike Tsipis
Rusty Fritz

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LOS BLACK DOGS

A Mexican rock n roll band from Chicago. With layers of psychedelic sounds,bluesy licks and heavy riffs, combined withspanish and english lyrics, you can hear and feel all the influence from each of the band members mixing all into one and one into all. This band was officially formed on 2012 and going thru different changes since the original line up. Always ready to rock and ready to roll!

IN THE FLESH – ECHOES OF PINK FLOYD

The Midwest’s #1 Pink Floyd show!
“If you’re looking for just ‘some cover band’ to see, this is not the show for you.
If you’re looking for the MOST complete live Pink Floyd experience, then I suggest you step right up.
Not content just playing note-perfect versions of your favorite Floyd tunes, In The Flesh has it all:
the songs, the performances, the visuals, and the energy”
– WIRE

MEDICINE BEAR AND THE HERBAL REMEDIES

Medicine Bear and the Herbal Remedies seeks to remind our audience of its close connection to nature and to each other. Consciously written poetic lyrics invoke the wisdom, shared by all non-parasitic creatures, of how to live at peace with the earth which sustains us, and how to have compassion for one another. Tranquil melodies and intentional harmonies conjure a similar sense of well-being to that achieved when immersed in abundant and beauteous natural landscapes.

Medicine Bear and the Herbal Remedies is a trio of artists/community members each bringing an essential aesthetic element to our music, and each equipped with complementary strengths contributing toward community organizing and event planning. Musically, Jerry lays the foundation with a guitar style that blends early blues and West African harp playing, and a vocal quality that is sincere and emotive; Tzippy brings to that her passion for traditional music of South Eastern Europe shared through multiple instruments and singing; Katie has the sensitivity and versatility to blend the merging styles with acumen, through both vocal harmonies and violin.

Our raw and pure sound draws on folk traditions from around the globe, yet the outcome is unmistakably contemporary. This balance invites people with diverse sensibilities to feel close to our music due to its familiarity, while being intrigued with its newness. Active engagement with the earth and in community informs our voice, and recognizing music as one of the most unifying forces we revel in the experience of creatively exploring these ideals through this medium.

HEFFRON DRIVE

Heffron Drive is Kendall Schmidt and Dustin Belt.Happy Mistakes: Unplugged is Heffron Drive’s newest album, an entirely acoustic rendition of their breakout release Happy Mistakes. HM:U harnesses the rich qualities of Kendalls voice and overall sound of the band. Heffron Drive recorded, engineered, produced and played everything on Happy Mistakes: Unplugged proving that the duo is more than what meets the ear. Happy Mistakes: Unplugged will be available worldwide through all digital retailers on April 28th, 2015.

Heffron Drive was formed in Burbank, CA in 2008 by Kendall Schmidt and Dustin Belt. Both originally from Wichita, KS, the duo met on the street “Heffron Drive” where they quickly became friends and began making music together. Shortly after creating the band, Kendall booked the Nickelodeon/Columbia Records television show “Big Time Rush”. Dustin became the touring guitarist for the band, and they two spent nearly 5 years on the road with that band. Now on indefinite hiatus with BTR, Heffron Drive was revived and the two are in full force promoting it.

JAY VONN

Jay Vonn is an Americana/Folk musician from Dixon, Illinois who has
been writing songs since he knew how to talk. He has played all around
the Midwest and beyond, wandering the countryside with his guitar
and harmonicas in an old Toyota camper. Heavily influenced by
Bob Dylan and John Prine, he sings about travel, love, adventure,
misadventure, life, death, and just about everything else in between,
usually with a story or two sprinkled in for good measure…

BILLIE LAWSON

Sunshine Root was born in Chicago, Il. His whole life he has moved from place to place. He Went to High School in Colorado at Boulder High School, than transfered to September School. His whole life he has been around music, getting his first guitar when he was 6 years old. He has always loved the Grateful dead and Everything they stand for. The grateful dead and their music have changed his life forever more. Always searching for the simpler things in life through love and music. When he turned 21 he started really pursuing his music, and now plays all over Illinois, Colorado,and many other states. “Life is not about what you do but how you do it. stay beautiful world”

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SWEET DELTA DAWN

A group of eccentric individuals working together to find enlightenment through music. pooling inspiration from classic rock, blues, psychedelic, soul, blue grass and many other styles.

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THE BRAVER DAYS

The Braver Days are a punk rock band based out of Chicago IL, that was formed by three friends in 2012. The band draws influence from the So-Cal skate punk bands of the 90’s

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KAMI

Chicago Native Artist KAMI, most recently released his freshman project titled, “Just Like The Movies,” earlier this year. As one of the original creators of the Savemoney collective, KAMI joined forces with the likes of Vic Mensa, Chance the Rapper, Joey Purp and Towkio to create a movement in Chicago to showcase the diversity in the Chicago Rap Scene. KAMI’s unique outlook on the world, and an in depth ability to express that view through his music separates him from any of his peers and creates a lane of his own in the industry.

VEECEE

THE INDIGOS

The Indigos is an Indigroove rock band from Muncie, IN. They originated from a recording project lead by Producer Patrick Weaver who asked lead singer and songwriter Matt Mellen to record one of his songs titled “In Eternity”. During the session Patrick introduced Matt to drummer and songwriter Matas Olsauskas. After a 3-hour studio session they decided to start a band with accompanying guitarist Brandon Brookshear.

Over the next year the band recruited, rehearsed, and performed under the name I, The Indigo. After going through almost a dozen musicians they solidified their ensemble of 8 members, including keyboard, multiple vocalist, and a full horn section. The Indigos style combines the music of rock, indie, modern pop, jazz, groove, alternative, and blues music. Their sound continues to evolve as the band and members themselves evolve.

The name The Indigos comes from the idea of being Indigo, or those from a generation who are more in touch with their higher selves. They are able to identify their dreams and desires, pursue, and then help others do the same. We always strive to spread the joy of music and love wherever we go, and include all of those who want to be apart of this amazing experience.

We like to say our genre is “Indigroove” because of its groovy roots meshed with our collective rock ‘n’ roll influences. Already the size of a baseball team and working on becoming a football team, we have depth of diversity with a central focus on creating our unique brand of music so that our fans can get in, get in the groove.

NE OBLIVISCARIS

Formed in 2003, Ne Obliviscaris (pronounced; Nay Ob-li-vis-kar-is) hit the live scene February, 2006 to widespread critical acclaim throughout Australia with many hailing their unique sound, intense live shows and talented line-up.

A 6 piece metal band consisting of violin, 2 guitars, bass, drums, clean and extreme vocals; Ne Obliviscaris hail from Melbourne, Australia, and include a vast array of influences within their sound from progressive to black, thrash, death and melodic metal, and even western art music, jazz and flamenco. Creating music of many extremes, and with compositions often exceeding ten minutes in length, Ne Obliviscaris is at times very technical and complex and at others simple and subtle, creating an extremely original brand of metal that defies normal categorisation.

SMINO

BRENTRAMBO

HYPNOCHRON

Stoner Doom Metal

HARDWOOD PHARAOH

Jam/Fusion Band from the Chicago/Milwaukee Area.

NAHKO AND MEDICINE FOR THE PEOPLE

Some people go a lifetime without knowing their mission in life, without feeling they have true calling, and without knowing why they even do what they do. Nahko is not one of them. And that calling and mission has never been clearer than it is on Nahko and Medicine for the People’ s third fulllength album, HOKA (SideOneDummy Records). On H OKA , Nahko’s voice is strong. His mission is clear. The mandate has been thrown down. “Hoka is a Lakota word, an indigenous tribe from the Great Plains, it is a call to action. It’s what Crazy Horse would say when he went into battle, ‘Hoka, hey!’ My call is to put action to the words that I speak and the lyrics I sing. Not just to talk, but to do,” says Oregonborn singer/songwriter Nahko, who is of Puerto Rican, Native American (Apache), and Filipino descent. “This is the soundtrack of the movement for a better planet,” he continues. “I want to challenge myself and others to make a change.” “Hoka,” which is the intro to the first track, “Directions,” is one of the album’s many song intros used as a way to round out the storytelling on the tracks. “On this intro, my uncles are chanting the lyrics to ‘Directions’ in Lakota, and the three female voices include a clairvoyant, an astrologer, and a friend who all had important messages for me that are a big part of my story,” he explains. It’s been three years since the Los Angeles, California based Nahko and Medicine for the People’s last record, D ark As Night . That release reached No. 4 on Billboard’s Top Alternative New Album, No. 6 on the Heatseekers album chart, No. 36 on the Top Independent Album chart, and No. 7 in Australia on Triple J’s Top 10 Roots Albums of 2013. Nahko and Medicine for the People gathered more members of their global tribe of likeminded fans as they spread their powerful and impactful musical message on tour with such acts as Michael Franti, Xavier Rudd, SOJA, and Trevor Hall, and on festivals including Outside Lands, Electric Forest, Wanderlust, Bumbershoot, California Roots Music Festival, Byron Bay Blues & Roots Festival, and many more. Critics have praised the group’s worldly blend of rock, hiphop, and altfolk. OC Weekly called the group which also includes Chase Makai (lead guitar), Justin Chittams (drums), Pato (bass and kora),Tim Snider (violin) and Max Ribner (horns), “empowering” and “powerful. “The Huffington Post called D ark As Night “beautiful and stirring,” and compared Nahko to Bob Marley and a “musical prophet.”

JACK MAZZENGA’S SPACE-TIME TRIO

Jack Mazzenga’s Space-Time Trio. Born in Chicago, IL, Jack is a fretless guitarist and multi-instrumentalist who has spent years on stage and in the studio as a sideman. The urge to write and perform original music was there so longtime friends Jim Petti & Michael Thompson were asked to help bring it to life. Jack slides on glass fingerboards.

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REGATTA MONDATTA

Regatta Mondatta is The Midwest’s Premier Sting and The Police Tribute Band!

Regatta Mondatta is Reggae,Ska,Rock and Pop !

Experienced qualified musicians professionals on and off the Stage.With each member bringing a wide range of knowledge and class to every show.

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SPRINGA SONIC DROOGS

Springa Sonic Droogs Punk/Rock band led by former SSD lead vocalist Springa vocalist,Ricky Drugan Guitar, Dale Meiners Bass, Frankie Iffland Drummer

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UPROARS REVENGE

Well back in 2010, Mouse and Ed were at a Slayer show when they ran into Mikey. See, back in the day Ed and Mikey were in a couple different bands,including a kick ass project called the MERCS with the awesome and mighty Marc Colombo. Then the latest being Uproar. Mouse was in a band called Adrenaline that was pretty much dissolving. Anyways back to the Slayer show,so after the show Mikey drove all of us to Wings &Rings. On the way him and Ed were talking about putting the band back together!Problem was they had no bass player, Ed says, ” I’ve got a bass player sitting right next to me!!” And that’s how Uproars Revenge was born.
Coming up with the name was about a 2 month process,kinda.Everyone had ideas, then one day at practice Mikey walks in and says, “I got it! Uproars Revenge”. We all all looked at each other and said “that’s it!!”
Chris was a fan and friend of Mikey and showed up at practice one day and joined the band.
After a couple of different drummers, we landed on the young and talented Eddie Dec.
That’s about it.

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ATROPHY

Do people read this stuff? Go listen to our songs! Go thrash with your friends and raise some hell!

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CULTURE ABUSE

kinda grunge, kinda punk, kinda hardcore, definitely a good time. yes, we like to party.

PERPETUAL DEFILEMENT

Chicago Death Metal

Vocals- Eric
Strings- Alex
Strings- Sergio
Bass- Geedo
Drums- Izzy

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BLACKMARKET DEMOCRACY

Blackmarket Democracy is an American rock band from Chicago,IL. formed in 2009.
They draw inspiration from early metal and rock groups such as Bad Brains, King’s X, Pantera and Black Label Society, as well as post metal groups such as Alice in Chains, Tool and Soundgarden.

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6 PRONG PAW

Some people go their whole lives thriving on the recordings of a favorite band, with no intentions of seeing them play live. Others bloom and prosper from the pure erotic energy that they leave with after seeing a great live show. This surreal experience will be with them for the rest of their lives, becoming irreplaceable. Either way it does not matter. The listener still feels united and exposed to something they feel or have never felt before. This is why 6 Prong Paw exists. 6 Prong Paw’s name derived from a friend who worked at the dog pound. He learned that dogs have a sixth claw removed shortly after birth. This claw (prong) can cause serious injury in an attack to humans and other animals if not extracted. One of the founders of 6pp, Nick Williams, thought that the name was perfect. It symbolized the standards and rules that society has put on music, or anything for that matter, and going against the grain was another goal that sparked 6pps motivation.
The next endeavor was to record a full length CD. The band spent much of their weekends in 2001- 2002 recording at Thin Black Line Studios in Williamston Michigan. When it came to finally mixing the project, 6pp decided to send the tracks to Audio Hammer Studios in Sanford Florida. Nick had come in contact with Jason Suecof (Audio Hammer owner and engineer) through the band Summon, whom Nick has known for years. Suecof has recorded such bands as Trivium, God Forbid, Devildriver, Chimaira, and countless others. After listening to 6pp’s tracks, Suecof highly recommended that they come down, record 4 songs with him, and ditch the last year of recording. In January 2003, 6pp drove to Sanford Florida to record their self-titled CD (the blue album). They recorded 4 songs in a week and managed to save “World Without” from the tracks recorded in Michigan. The CD was then mastered at Morrisound Studios by Tom Morris in Tampa Florida. The band spent much of 2003 and 2004 writing new material and playing as many shows as they could. In late 2004, it was decided the band would go back to Suecof to record again. The CD would include 6 songs and be entitled “Victim of Mainstream America.” This time around the band spent 2 weeks in Florida. The band to recorded the drums at Morrisound studios, who has catered to such artists as Seven Mary Three, Obituary, Cannibal Corpse, Sepulture, and many others. After the drums where done they would bring the tracks back to Audio Hammer to do the rest. “Victim of Mainstream America” was released in the summer of 2005.
In March 2006, 6pp on to win “The Heavyweight Championship” battle of the bands competition sponsored by former radio station 107.7 wklq. The band beat over 200 entries. They also were approached b Joe Picasso films and had the winning show filmed in HD
On November 2011 6pp signed with Twisted Hillbilly Records out of Knoxville Tennessee. Shortly after signing, they began work on their first full length CD with Wayne Tourville at Twisted Hillbilly Studios. Now, after 2 years of back and forth between Michigan and Tennessee, they released “Auditive Levitation” in January of 2013, with three videos. The band is currently touring and writing material for their 2015 release.

DJ ABILITIES

Billy Freekin Dee. In the beginning… there were turntables on a hardwood floor. DJ’ing for the first six months was done on the ground with a case of beer. Eventually he got a table and a mpc. Since then he has released 2 mixtapes, produced 4 full length albums, won 2 DMC’s and played hundreds of shows. He is now combining all of these experiences together to create one performance that you can dance to or sit back and enjoy.

ANNE HARRIS

I write, sing, play fiddle and mandolin, and make indie records. Besides making my own music and recording for other artists, I’m currently touring with renown trance-blues innovator, Otis Taylor. I also play fiddle with Cathy Richardson and sometimes sit in with psychedelic legends Jefferson Starship.

END OF ANARCHY

We are END OF ANARCHY and we love to play metal and rock, our job is to bring back REAL metal! Might as well start at a young age! Rock on \m/

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WEHRMACHT

One the first extremely fast bands out of the mid -late 80’s thrash/crossover scene. Wehrmacht musicianship was a notch above most of the bands in the genre; where most crossover/thrash bands were generally playing hardcore punk box chord riffs; Wehrmacht utilized a more metal approach. Particulary M.Zorich’s melodic sensibility and Lehfeldts chaotic drumming.

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DÄLEK

Conceived in New Jersey from its emerging DIY scene from the late ‘90s, cult hip-hop trio DÄLEK were known as pioneers over the last fifteen years for their intriguing sound which fuses a blend of progressive hip-hop artistry supported by a rhythmic backdrop consisting of sonic experimentation through noise music and dark ambient gaze. Their singularity would be highlighted in five groundbreaking full-length albums: Gutter Tactics (2009), Abandoned Language (2007), Absence (2005), …From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots (2002) – all released on Ipecac Recordings – as well as Negro Necro Nekros (1998) on Gern Blandsten. DÄLEK supported those albums on tour for over a decade and have shared stages with influential artists such as KRS One, Tomahawk, The Melvins, TOOL, Grandmaster Flash, Jesu, Dillinger Escape Plan, Pharcyde, RJD2, DeLa Soul, Prince Paul, Lovage, ZU, Black Heart Procession, Gaslamp Killer, Earth, Flying Lotus, The Bug, Mastodon, Fantomas and more. In 2011, DÄLEK quietly went on hiatus for an undetermined amount of time, as the members needed a break from the rigorous schedule on the road.

Fast forward to Spring 2015, mastermind and producer MC Dälek (a.k.a. Will Brooks, with the blessing of ex-member/co-producer Oktopus) revived DÄLEK with a new lineup which now includes DJ rEk on turntables and co-producer Mike Manteca on samplers and effects. The trio have returned with their signature mind numbing, genre bending blend of beats, noise and lyricism and are preparing to release the highly anticipated first official DÄLEK release since their last full-length, 2009’s Gutter Tactics. Titled Asphalt For Eden, this new album sees a new creative peak for DÄLEK and will bring a new awareness for this cult hip-hop entity now resurrected and ready to show a formidable display of true hip hop artistry and experimentation. Asphalt For Eden also marks DÄLEK’s first collaboration with progressive music label PROFOUND LORE who will release the album on April 22nd.

Following Asphalt For Eden’s release, DÄLEK will hit the road in support of it. Their live performances are known as intense events that often end in a shoved mic stand and sonically assaultive layers of sound. Witnessing DÄLEK live is like coming face to face with the bastard child of Public Enemy and My Bloody Valentine; an amalgamation of the heaviest noise that the Velvet Underground or Merzbow ever unleashed and the knowledge spit by the likes of Rakim. The trio leaves you in a trance, sends shivers down your spine from the haunting beats intertwined with ambient textures and noise scales, and hits you with a powerful raw flow from one of the most charismatic MC’s of his, or any, era.

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LAURA JOY

Chicago-based singer-songwriter Laura Joy has been known to quell dark, angry bars full of ornery old Irishmen with her brand of acoustic pop. Drawing comparisons that range from Joni Mitchell to Jackson Browne, Laura’s percussive finger picking and buoyant voice have graced audiences from as far as the Sun Belt to the streets of Manhattan.

Laura’s latest EP, Between Our Words, was released on March 5, 2015. It was produced by fellow Chicagoan, Will Phalen, at Cold Ghost Studios. The album features Jamie Gallagher on drums (Kapsalis Trio, Weepin’ Willows, Republic of Lights), David Gallagher on guitar (Belleisle, Weepin’ Willows), and Will Phalen on bass (Stereo Addicts, Julie Meckler).

Laura is a frequent performer on the Midwest festival scene. She has played at the Independent Chicago Songwriter Festival, Metamora Folk Festival, Lakeshore Arts Festival, Cain Park Arts Fest, and Ravenswood Remix. In January, 2013, she was awarded as a top finalist in the Broward Folk Club Songwriter Competition in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Laura has also opened for Hammel on Trial, poet Staceyann Chin, Switchback, and Greg Brown.

Perhaps it should be noted that Laura’s recording of the ridiculously embarrassing Call Me Maybe parody, “Call Me Ishmael,” was featured on Huffington Post in September 2012. The music video has 20,000+ views to date. All because Laura and her friends just wanted to have a little fun. Asking Laura to play the song live is not advised. She will inevitably become flustered and possibly break out in hives.

Laura tours the nation strumming her guitar, petting puppies, and making folks smile. Her tales from the road (that includes pictures of the puppies) along with all other additional sights and sounds may be found at www.laurajoymusic.com