Joey Kneiser was a boy formed in the red-clay mountains of East Tennessee. Skinned-kneed and too blind to drive a car, he constantly searched for a place to locate his restlessness– playing in punk bands with instruments he taught himself to play, skateboarding with a pack of Oak Ridge ruffians, and writing his own songs amongst the humid Southern air.
The boy grew up and headed west to the small Tennessee town of Murfreesboro. There he met the group of people who would go on to form the band Glossary. As the singer/songwriter for the group, Kneiser led the band through seven albums of country/soul-infused rock-and-roll. He filled his downtime between Glossary tours with his own solo projects. In 2009, he released his first solo record, “The All-Night Bedroom Revival,” which he wrote and recorded in his Murfreesboro home. Two years later, he recorded and released the EP “Moonlight for the Graveyard Heart.” Meanwhile, Glossary’s drummer Eric Giles had begun what would become a long bout with shoulder and back problems, leaving the band unable to tour or make a record. “The five of us made a promise years ago that there was no substituting anyone in the band. If someone couldn’t play, we’d take a break.”
Moving to Nashville and building a small home studio, Kneiser began recording his third solo record “The Wildness” during Glossary’s hiatus. “I felt like I was starting over. I had no band and no money to pay one. I realized pretty quickly that if I was going to make a record I’d need to record it myself and play everything.” He called on Glossary member and ex-wife Kelly Smith to sing with him. “We’ve been singing our whole adult lives together. I don’t like to hear my voice without hers next to it.” What came out was a ramble of songs that echoes back to Kneiser’s youth by highlighting the illness that haunts musicians – an unrelenting restlessness. “I wanted to go back to the beginning and try to figure out what it was I truly loved about rock and roll.”
The songs that make up “The Wildness” hearken back to Kneiser’s musical first loves. Bruce Springsteen, The Replacements, The Band, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison all make their influence known on the record. “I wanted to make something simple and classic sounding with the writing as the centerpiece.” The record goes from rock and roll driven barn burners like “Run Like Hell” and “The Heart Ever Breaking” to folk songs like “Heaven Only Wants Us Once We’re Dead” and “Every Port In The Storm.” As to the overall vision for the record, Kneiser says, “These songs are a love letter to rock and roll and to the person closest to you who lets you pursue it.”
In addition to his own music, Kneiser has produced and recorded records for numerous artists, including Austin Lucas and Wooden Wand. He has also made music videos for artists like John Moreland and Jason Isbell.
The Wildness will be released in the fall of 2015.
First played acoustic guitar with ship’s bands in the Navy from 1979-1986 then dropped out of the scene. Started back up in March, 2007, and now working with Abby Ray and the Thc Afterburners around Bowling Green, Ohio. Check’em out!
The Moops are an up-and-coming folk/rock band from the Chicagoland area. The trio of Will Ejzak (vocals, violin, guitar), Tom Reynolds (vocals, bass, guitar), and Myles Edwards (guitar) have performed their unique blend of folk- and blues-rock at venues as diverse as the Double Door, the Woodstock Opera House, Martyrs’, Uncommon Ground, and the Gallery Cabaret. Their debut album, It Ain’t Easy Bein’ A Moop, is slated for release in March 2016.
COMMON ALLIES
Common Allies’ influences span the genres of psychedelic rock, folk, blues and country. We’re all of your favorite bands rolled into one.
Black Sabbath is the eponymous debut studio album by English rock band Black Sabbath. Released on 13 February 1970 in the United Kingdom and on 1 June 1970 in the United States, the album reached number 8 on the UK Albums Charts and number 23 on the Billboard charts.
STATION is one of the hottest new bands to come out of New York City. A high voltage stage show with electrifying melodies make STATION an unforgettable experience. They have shared the stage with rock greats such as Pat Benatar, Vince Neil (Mötley Crüe), Bret Michaels (Poison), Eric Martin (Mr. Big), Dio Disciples, Jake E Lee and .38 Special to name a few. Their first EP, “WIRED”, has gained international attention and rave reviews from notable publications such as Classic Rock AOR (also included on covermount CD), Sleaze Roxx and Rock Report.
-“Wired is like ear heroin…fills and thrills that makes your speakers flex and your windows rattle.” – Sleaze Roxx
-“…with melodies so infectious that they will stick with you for days on end once you’ve been exposed to them.” – Rock Report
STATION will be touring this summer and is excited to return to Rocklahoma in May for their third year in a row.
“NYC uber talented rockers Station are all about in their twenties only yet feature a sound and perform like groups they grew up listening to and admire – KISS, Aerosmith et al. Their latest album, self-titled, is a glorious rock journey into the ever creative, loud, melodic world of Station. If there is anything you get this year, make sure it is this album! These guys can hold their own with the best of them – and by that I mean all the nationals and a-list groups!” Matthew O’Shaughnessy, WVOX’s Metal Mayhem, Host/Producer
Mancho is the solo project of KAVA percussionist Marshall Greenhouse. Mancho fuses electronic and world music with psychedelic sounds, effects and drones. All music is performed live on the spot, looped and effected without the use of Ableton or other pre-set programs
ESSO (El Sonido Sonic Octopus) perform funky Afro-Latino and roots rock inspired dance music. The ethnically diverse crew of musicians establish rustic polyrhythmic grooves and combine biting twang guitars with the strength of brass horns, coro group singing, and urban poetry. Members: Armando Pérez, Kevin Miller, Dan Lieber, Ezra Lange, Julian Harris, Diana Mosquera, Puerko Pitzotl, Juan Lugo and Luis Tubens all bring a vital cultural contribution to the band’s unique “afrojam funkbeat” sound. Inspired by the Chicago streets that radiate: soul, jazz, house music, and global thinkers that praise unity through consciousness, the band unapologetically believes in the healing nature of music. The band just released their full length self-titled debut album on vinyl, CD, and digital formats in 2015.
Tim and Tim played together in a band a while ago. Tim and Tim played in a band together somewhat recently. Tim and Tim and Tim knew Tim from Tim’s old band. Tim and Tim liked being in a band together. Tim and Tim liked being in a band together. Tim and Tim and Tim like Tim. Then they practiced for six months and became a band.
“When I drove to LA when I was 18, from my parent’s home in Grosse Pointe, I never thought I would be standing on the stage with some of the world’s most renowned performers. I never dreamed I would be making records with bands I grew up listening to. I just wanted to play guitar. I just wanted to have a career as a session musician, make music and that would have been happiness enough. I can tell you honestly, I still grin from ear to ear completely humbled by what life, music has done for me. I feel like the happiest man alive sometimes – I kid you not!” – John 5, LA, February 2013.
John 5 is undoubtably one of the hottest shredders on the planet right now. His impressive resume of working with frontmen such as Marilyn Manson, Rob Halford, Dave Lee Roth and his current gig as the right hand man for Rob Zombie, show he’s impressive skills have not gone unnoticed, but it doesn’t do him justice to label John 5 as a shredder – he’s a guitarist, a great guitarist – and there’s little he can’t put his hand to.
Pavlov(3) began as Touch Guitarist and Chapman Stick player Matt Tate’s mechanism of musical expression. Aggressive Progressive. Since 2014, Pavlov(3) has existed as a duo, trio, quintet, and sextet, and now, at least for the time being, morphed back into a duo.
“Curvature-Induced Symmetry… Breaking” is the debut album. Long overdue, and after a good old-fashioned re-degeneration and protracted coma, an expansive and semi-bigly batch of aggressive and excessive new sonorous ebullience is being frantically created and furtively cultivated into an impending hemorrhage and glorious whatnot of audiation.
Pavlov(3) has shared stages and bills with the likes of John Zorn’s Bladerunner (w/ Laswell + Lombardo) and Simulacrum (w/ Medeski, Grohowski, Hollenberg), John 5, Secret Chiefs 3, Cleric, Sonar, Kayo Dot, Renaissance, Progtoberfest 1+2…
Dawn Richard, known professionally as DAWN, is a multi-platinum American singer- songwriter. Richard started her career after auditioning for Making the Band 3 in 2004, During this time Richard became a member of American girl band Danity Kane from 2005 to 2008, and in 2009 joined with label head Sean “Diddy” Combs and Kalenna Harper to form the group Diddy-Dirty Money.
Being in two groups, Dawn already has 2 consecutive platinum #1 albums under her belt with Danity Kane, a platinum album “Last Train to Paris” with Diddy-Dirty Money, a gold single “Hello Good Morning”, and a 3x platinum single with Diddy-Dirty Money titled “Coming Home”.
In 2011 following her departure from Bad Boy Records, she launched her solo career. Richard has released four solo projects (ATellTaleHeart, Armor On EP, Whiteout EP, and Goldenheart). Goldenheart, was released on January 15, 2013 by Our Dawn Entertainment. The album received universal acclaim. Both Armor On and Goldenheart reached #1 on iTunes R&B/Soul in a matter of hours, reached iTunes Top 20 All Albums, and charted on 5 or more Billboard charts (all doneindependentlywithnopush).
Goldenheartreceived universal acclaim from contemporary music critics, who hailed Richard as one of the best new acts in pop and R&B. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 81, based on nine reviews. Alex Macpherson of The Guardian gave it five stars and called it “dazzling and imperious”, writing that, “remarkably, Richard’s array of sonic weapons matches her epic, elemental vision. Jason Gubbels of Spin praised her “aesthetic appreciation” and versatile singing, which he credited for “springing finely placed surprises on listeners lulled into reverie, navigating tricky spots just effortlessly enough to mask her mastery”. Giving it four-and-a-half stars, AllMusic’s Andy Kellman called Goldenheart “sumptuous and grand”, and felt that, although its intensity and indulgence can be staggering.
In 2014, Dawn released her newest album as a member of multi-platinum girl group, Danity Kane. The album DK3, immediately shot to the number one spot on the iTunes R&B/Soul chart as well as reaching the Top 10 overall albums on iTunes. Richard was also a writer on the DK3 album making this her fifth number one album that she has been a writer on. Dawn wrote both “Tell Me” and “Two Sides” on the album.
After releasing the final and farewell album DK3 with her group Danity Kane, Dawn Richard readies The Black Era. “This project isn’t just about the musical experience but also the visual as well. From an incredible collaboration with visual artist Caleb Hahne for the Blackheart album cover, to a high fashion and choreography-heavy based music video for “Blow”, to the launch of her shoe line with Lust for Life; Dawn has set an entire brand around The Black Era.
Sonically, with influences from trip hop to electro pop to soul, this album solidifies Dawn as more than just a progressive R&B diva. This album takes her to Future Electro Stardom. The second installment to her heart trilogy differs drastically from her previous masterpiece, Goldenheart, as this work of art has much sharper edges, more experimental electro sounds, and is just more aggressive overall. You can tell Dawn chose fearless as this album’s lead companion. With Dawn producing and writing alongside her partner in crime Noisecastle III, these two make genres a thing of the past and future a thing of the now.
The release of Blackheart fell on January 15th, 2015 – which happened to be the second year anniversary of Dawn’s last critically acclaimed album, Goldenheart. Since the release of Blackheart, Richard has been receiving critical acclaim from Fact Magazine, New York Times/LA Times, and Billboard. Many are saying that this is her best work yet. Andrew Ryce of Pitchfork gave the album an 8 out of 10 saying, “Blackheart is the singular, visionary work that she’s been hinting at since she struck out on her own post-Diddy in 2011.” Alex Macpherson of Fact Magazine called Blackheart astonishing and gave the album 4.5 out of 5 stars. Blackheart peaked #1 on iTunes Electronic charts and Top 20 overall on the iTunes album charts. In addition to that, Blackheart charted as #1 on the U.S. Top Independent Albums chart on Billboard, #2 on the Billboard Electronic/Dance chart, and #3 on the U.S. Top Heatseekers chart – with no major label push (completely independent). To accompany the album, Richard released a black and white animation visual titled “Tide: The Paradox Effect”, which is also available on iTunes. Since the album’s release, Richard has also unveiled four additional visuals for songs from Blackheart via VEVO and iTunes. This is surely a great year for the “HEARTS” (Dawn’s fanbase), as they’ve gotten an album and multiple visuals to some of their favorite songs from this era.
Depending on how far he wants to take this, Buddy Peace has earned a lifelong position as SFR’s resident remix/scratch/mixtape DJ. His talents don’t end there, but that is how we were introduced to him. SFR now has the honor of releasing the first official Buddy Peace digital album, “Late Model Sedan.”
Time and time again Buddy volunteered his DJ services to our projects and every single time he threw the fuck down. Hard. Whether contributing to a remix contest, a mega-mix, or a self-produced CD with hand-written artwork (meticulously detailed), Buddy Peace always went above and beyond the call of duty. Case in point, feel free to download his “Holy Chrome” EP on SFR’s digital store. It’s new, it’s free, and it’s just a taste of what he’s bringing to the table in 2009. For further evidence, check out his handiwork on the new B. Dolan mixtape, “House of Bees Vol. 1.”
I first met Buddy Peace in London, England (his hometown) around 2004. His demeanor was ultra humble. I was like, “Wha? Come on, fool. This ain’t real. You’re motherfucking BUDDY PEACE! When you shake my hand I want it to hurt.” It’s almost as if he doesn’t really know that he’s as great as he is. And that’s probably true, which makes him even more awesomer. Bearded, lanky, smiley and nasty as hell on the decks.
Everything that Buddy Peace does displays a great knowledge and understanding of hip-hop in all its incarnations. Old school, new school, whatever…there’s great expansive knowledge there and he utilizes it well. His love for music doesn’t stop at hip-hop though. As with most crate diggers, and as anyone who has followed his career knows, his contributions to hip-hop are the result of understanding what’s great about all genres of music and MAKING them hip-hop.
Buddy Peace has put in some serious work over the years, doing DJ gigs around the world and playing some of Europe’s biggest festivals. Some of his most notable efforts as of recent include the beats he did on Buck 65’s “Dirtbike” trilogy, DJing for Prince Po on tour, and contributing remix work for labels like Warp Records, anticon and Needlework.
Rebel Soul Revival is a modern take on some age old ideas. Matt Keen is a rocker at heart and has finally formed a band that matches his nature in every way. From soulful, southern rock, with a grit and kick that would rival early Skynyrd and Allman Brothers Band to classic reggae and R&B. Keen brings an intensity that skews the lines between classic and current. This band truly can do it all and prides themselves on a progressive approach to music without forgetting their roots.
Arclight’s music can be described as a meld of genres resulting in an electronic, psychedelic, alternative rock sound that pushes the boundaries of modern music. This Chicago-based project is comprised of Amith Bokka (guitar/vox), Jim Tashjian (guitar), Charles Williams (bass), and Pete Tashjian (drums). The band started as Bokka’s solo project in 2014. In 2017 he met Williams, who brought the Tashjian brothers into the group the following year. Arclight’s sound can be compared to such artists as Radiohead, Tool, and Warpaint.
“The official description is “Alternative Rock.” But I think that’s a bit too boxy for what they really are. The sound is… dreamy. Relaxing, sometimes, and a bit unsettling at others.” – Sound Citizen
Formed in 2012 by seven friends hungry for a little something funky, The Civil Engineers is a Madison, WI based high-intensity groove machine of funk, rock and soul. The band prides itself on raucous live shows complete with audience sing-alongs, dance-alongs, and more funk than you could lift with a bulldozer.
The Leeds Project is a Chicago-based rock band who focuses on the story of Tommy as performed on The Who’s Live at Leeds album. The Who’s performance at this historic concert happened at the height of their tour in 1970, and the recording captured lightning in a bottle. Our Project’s vision is to capture the spirit of their performance as a result of many months of closed-door rehearsals. The journey has produced a result that does not seek to replicate, but to present Tommy in what we hope will be a powerful, unique, and vital way. The signatures of the musicians may differ from The Who, but the reverence to the band and their music will shine through as Tommy is blasted at new and present heights.
2000: I pick up the guitar at age 15. My teachers: Nirvana, Metallica & Chevelle.
2008: Revelations is finally released after years of crashed hard-drives, no money and spending over a year of my life homeless. It does well enough to catch the attention of 40 Below Summer; we join forces with members of FLAW to create Black Market Hero.
2010: The Speed of Dark is released in January. I continue to perform tons of dates with both Black Market Hero and AV. After two years with BMH, I leave and begin to write my next solo record.
2011: Universal Language is released. This begins my working relationship with Will Putney/The Machine Shop who produced, mixed and mastered it. The album was very well received with much, to my surprise, critical acclaim.
My first video is shot for “A Mercurian Summer” at an outdoor art museum in front of a stunning sculpture by one of my favorite artists Bruce Beasley. #RunOnSentenceFTW Thanks T <3
Then I decide it was a good idea to shoot a music video in a 5 degree freezer for “A Martian Winter”. Fun Fact: We couldnt hear playback so Jason had to plug in and play the rhythm guitar live to a click. No equipment was harmed in its making… thank fucking god.
I begin writing for Away With Words Parts 1 and 2.
2012: I’m approached to join Vext, a supergroup consisting of Tommy Vext (Divine Heresy, SNOT) and members of Mutiny Within (including my drummer Bill Fore). We write and record our debut release titled Impermanence. We shoot a video at New York’s Beauty & Essex with a mighty fine braud. We started to play out often, many dates with AV on the same bill. We had an absolute blast however when it came time to sign deals your homeboy just wasnt ready.
2014: Away With Words Part 1 is crowd-funded, released and again produced by Will Putney and Randy Lebeouf at The Machine Shop. I document the experience in a 4 part video documentary. I come back with a humdigger of a video for the song “.. _ _ _” (Two). I embark on my first out of state tours. I shoot another video for “. _ _ _ _” (One).
I lose my best friend, Rich Forcellati to ALS in December of 2014. Losing him was such a wake up call; I realized that the only thing worst than living with regret was to die with it. So 5 months later….
2015: I quit my day job, put all of my trust in my fans and co-headline my first full US tour along with The Algorithm.
So far, I’ve independently recorded & released a trilogy of EPs, a split-EP with Scottish artist Sithu Aye, and numerous singles, all of which you can hear on Bandcamp, YouTube, iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon and even, if you like, using the ancient technology of a Compact Disc Player.
Though essentially a solo project, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with a number of very talented people, including Marco Minnemann, Chris Letchford, Troy Wright, Rick Graham and many others. I have also appeared as a guest soloist on recordings by a number of amazing artists, including Skyharbor, Intervals, Modern Day Babylon, David Maxim Micic, Jakub Zytecki, Novelists, Sithu Aye, and The Helix Nebula.
–Major Threat consists of members and ex-members of such Chicago bands as: 88 Fingers Louie, The Static Age, the Hallow, FULL, Rise Against, Soft Lies, Young Distractions, IronFinger, Myopia, The Old Comiskey’s, Break The Silence, Kradakis, Set Fire To Reason, etc… You get the point.
Cult Leader is an American rock band that formed in 2013. The Salt Lake City, Utah-based band was founded by three members of the group Gaza following its break up. Cult Leader signed to Jacob Bannon’s Deathwish and by the end of 2015 will have released two EPs and a studio album.
Listening to Primitive Man is a devastating experience of Doom as performed by just three members. Their discography of agonizing personal and universal hell is spread across three albums, two EPs and a raft of splits released over more than 10 years. 2020 saw the release of the groups most recent full length album ‘Immersion’ (Relapse Records), a terrifying and confrontational record that expressed resentment and the unbearable during uncertain times. The tension through out the record is palpable. McCarthy’s foul roar feels wrenched from a cavern so deep that it defied language itself. The riffs are vast slabs – edifices dragged and erected to stand tall against the outrages of ‘humanity rotten on the vine’ (‘Consumption’). With 2013’s Scorn and 2017’s Caustic, Primitive Man raged against religious dogma, elitism, capitalism and the creature within, desperate to burst out. They keep the animal inside at bay with a rancorous and cerebral blend of the heaviest sounds. Splits with Hell and Unearthly Trance, and a host of others, have seen the band branch out into experimental noise. Other projects from members of the band – Black Curse, Vermin Womb and Many Blessings – show how they are bursting at the seams to express their outrage at the state of things, in different mutations.
2022 brings the release of the groups latest album, Insurmountable. Four new suffocating tracks totaling over 38 minutes of Primitive Man in their strongest and most crushing artistic display to date. Mixed and mastered by Arthur Rizk and featuring the artwork of Ethan McCarthy (Hell Simulation).
Dan Whitaker & The Shinebenders are a modern day honky-tonk band from Chicago, IL. They have been entertaining audiences since 2003 with countless performances in Chicago and the Mid West and two full length albums to date.
The Shinebenders, the band that makes the magic flow, includes Earl Powers on bass and occasional vocals, Belden “Trip” Kimball on acoustic guitar and vocals, Chase Jackson on drums and Gabriel Stutz on pedal steel.
Dan Whitaker is a long time Chicago based singer, song writer,and guitarist. Whitaker’s past associations go back to the late 1980’s with DeKalb IL. punk-funk-rockers June Bug Massacre, 1990’s with the Americana/blues/rock band Great Plains Gypsies, and most recently Chicago jam-rockers The Gyps. He currently also plays in Western Grand, a Chicago Americana/rock band featuring Jay Harris.
“Filled with abrasive guitar, riot grrl-like vocals and hard-rock-meets-punk rhythms, So Pretty (consisting of Holman, Rachel Manter, Stefan Lindgren and James Seminara) has found footing in Chicago by pushing against the most popular local music trends (jangly guitar rock, pretty synth pop) to create a sound that is at once familiar and unique.” -Chicago Tribune
Swerving through the fine lines of melody and cacophony, Monzie Leo & The Big Sky throw down acoustic-electric folk tunes as big as the Kansas Sky. A cappella numbers punctuate a set that fuses traditional folk and Americana arrangements with the stones
Hailing from the deep South in Gainesville, FL, Big Shoals has staked their claim as a serious band with a range that goes from a loud roar to a beautiful whisper. With thought provoking lyrics and songs that stick in your mind and hold on for days, the crowd always walks away wanting more.
One More Moon is a four-piece from Chicago that got it’s start in early 2015 when singer/songwriter Eric Quigley decided to take his solo work to the next level. Guitarist Roger Smit, bassist Chris Rawlins, and drummer Aaron Schapiro fill out One More Moon’s line up. Their mix of folk, blues, and rock – along with the many differing influences each member brings to the table – transform Quigley’s foundations into songs wholly unique to the band. Since their debut, One More Moon has played various venues in and around Chicago, including the Cubby Bear and the Metro, and a debut EP is in the works.
Denver Funk Band is both an amazing Denver based funk rock explosion and an attitude. Their music taps into an innate wildness where some primal part of the body wants to simply feel good, be free and share that sensation with others.
THE SENTINELS
The Sentinels combine the best elements of their post-punk influences – great songwriting and quirky lyrics, tossed with bombastic rhythms, and an ear for the melodic. They love this band. They think you will too.
From the city by the lake comes Chicago’s own Mystery Actions. An all-female lineup delivering punk rock ‘n’ roll music with everything they’ve got and more. Capturing the feel of 70’s punk rock and modernizing the Runaways, these ladies are bound to grab your attention with the first note. Inspired through a broad range of influences covering the Avengers to the Damned these gals are ready to rock.
They have shared the stage with Cock Sparrer, the Buzzcocks, Lower Class Brats, the Queers, Protex, Go betty Go, Murphy’s Law, Peter and the Test Tube Babies, Shonen Knife and the Freeze! This is only the beginning…
The Bad Engrish. Punk Fucking Rock by Punx for Punx. if you like it Cheers, and if you dont like it Piss off! were hear to play some shows, drink some beer Have a laugh, and have some fun.
Ambient rock track from experimental project The Black Atlas, is a translucent and often times cunning project. There are moments in the song that are forthright and loud, and other moments that are atmospheric and ethereal.
The Black Atlas mastermind Pete Koronios said, “creatively, the lyrics and tone of the song come from a combination of that symbolism, and a sort of interior recollection of personal events.”
We are the music makers, We are the dreamers of dreams. Chicago native Biz is the dopest rapper not yet discovered. His intricate flow demolishes any track he touches! Crossing genres as he mesmerizes eager fans at his energetic shows backed by live drums and a DJ. With world wide spins and four albums under his belt, it’s time to experience what the game’s been missing!
Civil Youth is more than just band. Civil Youth is having a voice to what you believe in. It’s yelling at the top of your lungs your biggest troubles plaguing you. It’s being a part of a family who will have your back no matter what, because we’ve been to the bottom and back. Civil Youth uses the power of music as a vehicle to try and change the world, to save a life, & to make the common uncommon. Civil Youth is you, and you are Civil Youth. With that comes the ¥outh, the fans, because without you, we seize to exist. We’re a movement lead by the ¥outh who believe in hope, humanity, and humility. We try to give definition to those who cannot define how the feel or how the fit it. This is not your average youth group. We are Civil Youth.
Kid Cousin is a versatile 5-piece rock band from Lancaster, PA. Combining elements of alternative, progressive, jam, folk, post-rock, and indie genres, the band has created an eclectic sound that attracts fans of all backgrounds, ages, and preferences.
Imagine as if The Stooges and Ol’ Dirty Bastard were in a musical fist fight with a young version of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the WHO. The blood that would stain those streets would be the sound of Sausage Brain.
Aeraco Originally formed as Mosaic in late 2013, Aeraco has developed into a hard rock act that has a love for rocking out. “I was trying to recruit Ace and he was recruiting me.. I’m not sure he really wanted to join but then he heard Spidey play”, says Misfit. After a name change, a search for a bass player was underway. After going through a few bassists, Beast was recruited. His playing ability, look, and attitude fit the bill with what Aeraco was all about. With all the key pieces to the puzzle found, Aeraco is now ready for action. With Spidey, Ace, Misfit and Beast at the helm, madness and mayhem will reign.
As Kyle and Dominick caught eyes at an all-male hot dog eating contest, their beef-riddled mood brought the first two band members together like a pair of famished dogs to a piece of thick-cut bologna. Kyle’s ability to ferociously down a dozen dogs caught Justin’s eye as a contest judge, and he was brought into the band strictly as a pre-show masseuse. At the time, Marty was living behind the Music Garage inside an abandoned refrigerator and hopelessly surviving on warm tonic water. The boys found him after practice one day and told Marty if he could touch his toes, he was in.
And boy, did he touch them.
At the Music Garage emulating questionable acts like NOFX, The Vandals and other bands your girlfriend pretends to like under the name Double Feature, the band was formed.
Today, Dominick and Justin live quiet lives managing an erotic rollerblading forum, Kyle works at a prosthetic leg factory, and Marty is a handsy canine physical therapist. They’ve truly made it.
Amy Hart was born and raised in Chicago. She began her musical career at the family piano at age 2. When she was in high school she began playing guitar and writing songs. Her first professional gig was in 1979 with Flash Point, a west side Chicago Blues Band. Her first appearance was at Mayor Jane Byrne’s Summertime Chicago Concert Series on Broadway at the Armory in Chicago. She was soon a regular on the Blues stages, playing at Kingston Mines on Lincoln Avenue and at B.L.U.E.S. with Junior Wells. She has also opened for Koko Taylor and James Cotton. She entered and won the WLUP sponsored Chicago Rocks Contest twice and released two compilation records with the radio station. She took her music to California to work with producer John Ryan (Doobie Brothers, Santana) and released a song on the Mercury Records Soundtrack “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” in 1985. The song “Too Cruel” was co written by Tim Tobias and Amy and Tim were a duo for some time performing in L.A. In the early nineties Amy moved to Lake Tahoe and played the ski resorts and casinos for a season before heading to Nashville to develop and record her own sound.
Who’s Who is the ultimate tribute to The Who, and consists of talented musicians and vocalists who recreate the sound, energy and excitement of The Who. From The Who’s first hit single, “Can’t Explain” through the Live at Leeds, Tommy, Who’s Next and Quadrophenia albums, Who’s Who covers The Who’s greatest hits and best-known classics! Who’s Who has had the privilege of playing at all of the best clubs and venues in Chicagoland including the Arcada Theater, Viper Alley, The House of Blues, Navy Pier, Live Chicago Music Fest, and many others.
The Sun Parade is “crafting the kinds of traditional guitar-pop songs that people might still be singing 50 years down the road (National Public Radio Songs We Love ).” The band’s latest EP Heart’s Out (2014) is a catalog of love collisions, casual sandwich obsession, load-bearing grooves, and Northern psychedelic guitar licks. It’s grunge-soaked power-pop. Influenced by Big Pink, the Black Ark, the White Album. and Meth Beach. Based in the great DIY scene of Western Massachusetts, The Sun Parade has opened recently for Lake Street Dive, Dr. Dog, and And The Kids. Their third release is due out this summer.
At a time when Los Angeles is commanding the Hip-Hop spotlight once more, the city’s Derek Luh is poised to play a critical role in the musical landscape. Previously Signed to Fly America label, 21 year-old Derek embodies a generation that knows what it wants out of life. Derek has been featured on multiple collaborations with artists such as Skate Maloley, Dizzy Wright, Wale, and French Montana. With his videos reaching six figures on YouTube and year-round touring, Derek aims to be Rap’s next household name.
Skate (Nate Maloley) has always had a passion for sports and hip hop music. He grew up loving all sports and kept himself busy participating in any sporting activity he could, while still exploring hip hop music. Legit on the court, Skate went on to play basketball in college for a year, but as the year went on his focus and passion began to turn towards his music. Born in Omaha Nebraska, family has always been a big part of his Lebanese heritage. Skate’s siblings (Kaylan & Stewart), along with his mother and father (Kami & Monte) have all been big supporters of his goals and efforts. During the summer of 2014 Skate had the opportunity to create some great music for a rapidly growing fan base. He then began working and creating songs with Sammy Wilk, a close high school friend. In August of 2014 Skate was asked to travel with the “Jack & Jack Digitour” to perform several of his and Sammy’s new songs. From there, his fans began to write the rest of his beginning. As Skate’s movement continues forward the more music he writes and publishes the stronger his passion for making music becomes. Music is now Skate’s life and he is pouring his heart and soul into it. Skate has released 4 songs on iTunes; “Nothin to a King,” “Signs” featuring a close friend Ty Alaxandar, “Party People” and the Jack & Jack track “Like That,” featuring Skate.
BARBATOS
“War ! speed and power” CD on ISO666 releases 01
“Rocking metal motherfucker” CD on From beyond prod 03
“Fury and fear, Flesh and bone” CD on Agonia rec 05
“Let’s fucking die !” CD on From beyond prod 06
Angelcorpse was a blackened death metal band.They formed in 1995, with a line-up of bassist/vocalist Pete Helmkamp, guitarist Gene Palubicki, and drummer John Longstreth, and recorded a demo, Goats to Azazael, which led to a contract with Osmose Productions. The band’s debut album, Hammer of Gods, was released in 1996, after which rhythm guitarist Bill Taylor joined, playing on second album Exterminate (1998). Drummer Tony Laureano joined shortly after its release but Taylor left. The band’s third album, The Inexorable, was released in the fall of 1999, after which Taylor rejoined. Between 1997 and 2000 the band had done extensive live shows and touring with bands such as IMMORTAL, IMPALED NAZARENE, KRISIUN, CANNIBAL CORPSE, INCANTATION, MARDUK, and SATYRICON… as well as several festival type events with other contemporaries of the time…
In early 2000, due to various circumstances, ANGELCORPSE disbanded…
In 2006, the band reformed(HELMKAMP/PALUBICKI/LONGSTRETH) and recorded a new album, “Of Lucifer and Lightning”. Longstreth, however, was not to continue for any live activity after the recordings…
The band then proceeded to do headlining tours with a few session drummers throughout 2007 and 2008 in the USA and Europe with prominent bands such as REVENGE, ARKHON INFAUSTUS, WATAIN, CEMETARY URN, GOSPEL OF THE HORNS, ARES KINGDOM and others…
In April 2009 the members announced disbandment, citing “musical differences” as the reason.
Who is the singular figure that definitively transforms the cello into a thrilling, cathartic rock instrument? Alison Chesley, that’s who. That is, if you can even call the acclaimed music Chesley makes under the moniker Helen Money “rock”; that’s a little too pigeonholing for the relentless, maverick sounds she creates. As such, on Arriving Angels – the third Helen Money album, to be released February 5th, 2013 on landmark heavy-music label Profound Lore – she shatters genre limitations with groundbreaking fervor anew.
Recorded by iconoclastic recording engineer Steve Albini with brutal precision, Arriving Angels embraces any number of sounds and references – organic, ambient doom à la SunnO))), prismatic noise/post-rock evoking Sonic Youth and Rachel’s, new-music minimalism spanning Górecki to Branca, sinister orchestral trills that would give Bernard Herrman pause – all the while becoming none of them, creating a new whole out of Chesley’s distinct point of view. And while Helen Money has up to this point consisted of Chesley performing primarily solo, on Arriving Angels she’s joined on various tracks by Jason Roeder, the thundering drummer/percussionist for legendary Bay Area post-metal ensemble Neurosis. Roeder’s spiraling rhythms and relentless attack give Helen Money’s already ominous, intense compositions new drive and dimension like never before.
Of course, going to uncharted sonic waters is to be expected for Chesley, for whom Arriving Angels tops an incredibly diverse, surprising career in music. She first came to national consciousness via the ‘90s alt-rock revolution as a member of beloved Chicago band Verbow, which she co-founded with guitarist Jason Narducy (who would go on to play with Bob Mould, Guided By Voices, and Telekinesis). Verbow would play with the likes of Frank Black, Liz Phair, and Morrissey, and put out two albums on Epic Records, one of which was produced by Amerindie icon Bob Mould. Chesley would go on to play on Mould’s own solo efforts, launching her career as a studio musician/arranger for a startlingly varied collection of the most influential, vanguard artists working today. As such Chesley’s cello has appeared on recordings by Broken Social Scene (the Canadian collective’s great Forgiveness Rock Record), Japanese post-rockers Mono, pioneering metallicists spanning Anthrax to Russian Circles, and the solo recordings of The Sea and Cake’s Archer Prewitt. Fugazi bassist Joe Lally has also taken Chesley on tour for his solo shows, with her playing in Lally’s band and opening the shows as Helen Money. Indeed, support for Helen Money among her peers proves noteworthy. Ferociously independent indie-noise trio Shellac had Helen Money open a series of West Coast dates with her volcanic, sonorous live show. As well, Shellac included Helen Money in the prestigious All Tomorrow’s Parties festival the band curated in England for winter 2012, as did Portishead when they put together their version of ATP in July 2011. Helen Money has also shared stages with Earth, Meshell Ndegecello, and Nina Nastasia, indicating the broad stylistic range of her appeal.
That unconventional aspect is clear on the prismatic, challenging, affecting sounds captured on Helen Money’s latest effort, Arriving Angels, arriving highly anticipated after the renown of previous album, 2009’s In Tune, which Greg Kot of The Chicago Tribune called one of the “Best Independent Releases of the Year By A Chicago Artist.” Arriving Angels showcases Chesley’s willfully irreverent approach to the cello, which she aggressively amplifies, loops, and distorts with an array of pedals and audio equipment like none other. Opener “Rift” commences with a series of Eno-esque undulating hums before the calm is disrupted by slashes of mid-range violence and abrupt dynamic shifts. The title track, meanwhile, hums like an onslaught of locusts looming in the distance until it devolves into a kind of twisted boogie; likewise, “Upsetter” builds tension unspeakably with torturous repetition until exploding into orchestral release. Arriving Angels also continues Helen Money’s tradition of unexpected covers. On In Tune, Chesley performed a raucous, symphonic version of The Minutemen’s art-punk classic “Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing”; on Arriving Angels, meanwhile, she essays a disarmingly minimal, human take on Pat Metheny’s “Midwestern Nights Dream,” reducing the famous jazz guitarist’s original to its stark compositional essence, its plucked notes resonating into unexpected open spaces.
The addition of Jason Roeder on drums on four of Arriving Angels’ tracks, however, provides the album’s revelation, taking Helen Money’s sound into unheard dimensions of power. On “Schrapnel,” Roeder’s loping beat stalks Chesley’s deliberate scrapes of the bow like a vulture circling a carcass, adding untold dread and propulsion. Elsewhere, Roeder infects moody Chesley compositions like “Radio Recorders” with tribal, jazzy deconstructions of blast beats, creating a hybrid groove that proves pointedly individual. Is it metal? Ambient? Post-rock? Classical? Avant-garde? No, none of these labels apply. This music remains just Helen Money: intense, brutal, emotional, virtuoso yet playing by its own rulebook – as such, Arriving Angels just may be unlike anything else you’ll hear this year.
The Capones are an upbeat street rock ‘n roll band from Chicago’s suburbs. With more than 5 years together as a band, they’ve really nailed down their own hard-hitting but catchy style of music. Singer Chris Russo was in the Marine Corps from 2006-2014, but the band stayed together and continued to write new music the entire time. Since the 2006 release of their first full-length album (The Birth of Rock-n-Roll), The Capones have been pushing forward constantly, and recorded the 3-track So Long Chicago EP in early 2009. This recording sealed the deal and gained the band a fanbase that has been steadily growing ever since. The band took a 3-year break to take care of some things, but now they’re back at it with new lead guitarist Jerry (Guitarist for Jetbirds), writing a new record and playing some gigs.
It was back in 1978 in their native Belfast that The Defects first started. Playing covers of classic punk songs to a few friends at legendary clubs like The Harp Bar and The Pound led to a healthy local following and the band’s name proudly sprayed across the backs of numerous studded leather jackets. The original line up was, buck Murdock on vocals – Glenn Kingsmore on drums – Marcus Duke on guitar and Geoff Gilmore on bass, in 1980 Geoff made way for Gary Smith.
The Defects debut 7 inch vinyl single ” Dance until you drop ” was released in 1979 and sold well enough to attract the attention of Melody Maker’s punk journalist Carol Clerk, herself a native of Northern Ireland. Clerk told promoter John Curd about the band and he signed them to his WXYZ label without having even met them!.
A support slot to Chelsea at London’s 100 Club,The Defects first UK gig, convinced Curd he’d signed a hot band and so he secured them the support slot on labelmates The Anti Nowhere League’s legendary ” So What ” UK tour to coincide with the release of their second single ” Survival ” (ABCD 3).
A second UK tour,this time supporting The Meteors, preceded the release of the debut album ” Defective Breakdown ” with favourable press reviews for the LP the band again undertook a UK tour.
The Defects third single was a cover of the old Elvis classic ” Suspicious Minds ” it was a change of direction for the band and spelt the end of an era.
The band did play one more gig with Buck as their frontman, it was a support slot to THE CLASH in their favourite venue The Ulster Hall.
The remaining members played one more gig with 999 as a trio (with Glenn singing and playing drums!) before the short but eventful career of The Defects came to an end in 1984.
Fast forward to 2009. Buck and Glenn were asked to reform the band to play in australia and they agreed. They have been jamming hard with Roy McAllister on guitar and Aidy on bass and have already played a few gigs in Belfast.
