JEANNIE TANNER
Jeannie Tanner is Chicago’s multi-talented vocalist, trumpet player, pianist, and composer, joining Chicago Women in the Blues for the first time this year.
LIZ MANDEVILLE
Chicago Blues Hall of Fame Master Artist, Liz Mandeville, has been a force of nature on the Chicago Blues Scene for over three decades. Known for her power house voice and prolific songwriting, Liz won both the International Songwriting Contest and the USA Songwriting contests and was named 2008 Blues Songwriter of the year by the American Roots Music Association. Last month she was named to “The Top 40 Modern Blues Artists” list by Alternate Root Magazine.
With her recording debut on 1996’s “Live from Buddy Guy’s Legends,” as a singer with the Aron Burton Review (house band at Blue Chicago for 5 years) Liz Mandeville was a featured artist on 3 other releases from internationally recognized Earwig Music Company. She released 4 CD’s of her own music for Earwig between 1996 and 2oo8. Liz also contributed her talent to Johnny Drummer’s CD, Unleaded Blues and is featured on two Earwig Boxed Sets as well. Liz’s original song, “Scratch the Kitty” from her 2008 Red Top CD spent 22 weeks at #1 on the Cashbox Charts. Most recently, Liz is featured on Earwig’s 2015 release, “Angles Sing the Blues” with Shirley Johnson and Mary Lane.
Liz Mandeville released two CD’s on her own label, Blues Kitty Music and has plans to release a third this year. Her current release, Heart ‘O’ Chicago, is in regular rotation on Stingray Music and SiriusXM. Liz is not only an award winning singer, songwriter & record producer, this year she was nominated for a Jimi Award for her guitar playing, which has been compared to the legendary Chet Atkins and, in some circles she is almost more famous for her washboard playing!
Liz Mandeville has performed in every major blues venue in Chicago, holding down long tenures at Blue Chicago, Rosa’s, Bill’s Blues, Kingston Mines. She’s toured in 11 countries on 3 continents including headlining festivals such as the Durban South Africa Blues Festival (twice) Maastrich Queen’s Day Fest NL, Sasquatch Reunion in Alberta Canada, Chicago Blues Festival, Riverfest NM, and many others. She’s played nearly every state in the lower 48 and Hawaii as well.
JULIEN-K
Amir Derakh and Ryan Shuck have been musical partners for 15+ years. During their time together they have weaved in and out of mainstream music like a constantly evolving musical fashion house. In the late 90’s they were responsible for massive radio and sales hits such as “Blind” (Korn), “Blue Monday”,” Stitches”, and “Fiction” (Orgy), and recently “Crawl Back In” and “Let Down” (Dead By Sunrise with their pal Chester Bennington). After enjoying years of traditional music business success, they have spent the last 10 years methodically moving away from the mainstream approach that put them on the map, opting to carefully steer their fans in a new direction, towards their new independent alternative electro rock project Julien-K – which sounds more at home with the likes of modern acts such as M83, The Kills, LCD Soundsystem, The Naked and Famous, Empire of the Sun, and even the Black Keys (see Derakh’s sleazy electro-blues guitar playing on “We’re Here With You”).
PIG
<PÎG> is Raymond Watts, a British musician whose brand of electronic rock is danceable and deadly serious in turn. Watts’s words spring from the well of gallows humour in a world of corruscating cruelty and truth. <PÎG> climbs peaks and mines troughs, and musical genres slide and collide like tectonic plates.
The live band will comprise Raymond Watts, En Esch, Guenter Schulz, Z. Marr and Galen Waling.
THE VIADUCTS
Original Power Pop/Rock Band From Chicago
THE ALPHONSO JOHNSON BAND
The ALPHONSO JOHNSON BAND brings to you Metaphors, a high powered fusion quintet lead by renowned bassist Alphonso Johnson, featuring famed drummer Chester Thompson, reminiscent of their years together with the band Weather Report which brought about a musical revolution for years to come. Johnson’s Quintet commands a rich repertoire of an array of compositions ranging from Black Market and Mysterious Traveler material, to John Coltrane’s iconic compositions, to tunes such as “Amor Artificial” by Ray Baretto and “Cameleon” by Ruben Blades. These songs capture the essence of Latin Music that is reminiscent of Johnson’s time with “Santana and Abraxas Pool.” The band also plays the now standards of Johnson’s that gave the genre of fusion it’s shape, some Genesis and other material. The quintet includes accomplished American Jazz pianist Gary Fukushima, Israeli Hard Rock guitarist Nili Brosh, and Uruguayan World Music guitarist Federico Ramos. Together they explore the intricacies of modern complex improvisation techniques with a contemporary worldly approach, crossing genre boundaries and merging them in symbiotic synergy as metaphors of musical compositions.
CRANFORD HOLLOW
It’s a boot stomp on a dusty bar floor. It’s the clang of a whiskey bottle at last call. It’s grit. It’s the sounds of the South. It’s Cranford Hollow, a blended mix of Southern Rock, Appalachian Fiddle Music and American Rock and Roll.
The Hilton Head Island quartet, comprised of vocalist and guitarist John Cranford, bass man Phillip Sirmans, drummer Randy Rockalotta, and fiddler and vocalist Eric Reid, have won over thousands of loyal fans with what they call Lowcountry Stomp, a sound that is at once eclectic but uniquely their own. Elements of Blues, Old-Time Country, and Southern Psychedelic Rock come together with ancient mountain melodies in an energetic, engaging musical root bag sprinkled with some Sea Island hoodoo. Since 2011 Cranford Hollow has been playing upwards of 200 shows a year, steadily expanding from the South Carolina Lowcountry to places as far afield as Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Livingston, Montana and Taos, New Mexico.
St. Telluride, Cranford Hollow’s fourth studio album, was released on August 18th and features ten new original tracks. The album was recorded over the first five months of 2015 on the Hastings Mesa just outside of Telluride, Colorado, and at Retrophonics Studios in St. Augustine Florida. St. Telluride was engineered by John Cranford, Preston Havill, and veteran producer Jim Devito and includes two songs featuring Telluride songstress Ellowyn Kane. Cranford Hollow is touring the South and Midwest this autumn promoting St. Telluride.
WHISKEY BOB TAYLOR & THE TWELVE STEPS
Chicago-based five-piece Whiskey Bob Taylor and the Twelve Steps are a self-described “modern jug band” whose music recalls the hokum of the 1930s tinged with genre-jumping modern influences.
SIMPLY SAUCER
Emerging from the industrial city of Hamilton, Ontario in the 1970s, Simply Saucer created a distinct, original sound that was decidedly out of step with the current musical climate. The band played edgy rock & roll that was a combination of early punk pre-cursors (Velvets, Stooges, Modern Lovers), krautrock (Can, Neu, early Kraftwerk), and U.K. prog/psych (Hawkwind, Pink Fairies, Syd Barrett – both with and without Pink Floyd).
Thurston Moore dedicates sets to them when he plays Hamilton…..
JOHN BALLANTYNE’S CRAZY HEART
Although he’s the leader of a rowdy honky-tonk band, John Ballantyne is also becoming recognized as one of Chicago’s premier country songwriters. Ballantyne was born and raised in Scotland, though you’d never know it from his earthy vocal delivery and snarling lead guitar. Both resonate with the twang and raunch of classic country and Americana.
Besides being staples of the Chicago country music circuit, John and his band Crazy Heart (Gus Noble, Leslie Walle-Santos and Mike Fleming) regularly bring their high-energy honky-tonk sound back home for tours of Scotland, including main stage appearances at the prestigious, award-winning Tiree Music Festival.
DEAD FREDDIE
Dead Freddie is a Chicago-area band, known as the Pop-Punk Phenomena, playing original music based in early punk and power pop.
BURIAL RITUAL
Burial Ritual is a five piece death metal band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin that was formed in 2005. They are comprised of Chris Brooks on vocals, Jason Dykas on guitar, Matt Holtz on Guitar, Gary “Oso” Crawford on Bass, and ”Metal Fuckin’ Pete” Kissane on drums. They have released three full length albums and one EP, and have shifted their focus away from blood and guts themes to a more political nature, instead focusing on societal horrors, corruption, and conspiracies. They have long been a staple in the midwest death metal scene and have branched out across the United States, touring the nation multiple times.
SALLY MARVEL
Sally Marvel is a Chicago-based sideshow and burlesque performer, producer, and published alt model. She embraces that which is bizarre, dark, and sensual, combining the beautiful and the visceral.
VIVA LA RASSLIN
A One of Kind Wrestling Event!
AMALGAM EFFECT
Amalgam Effect is a progressive rock band from Colorado. We formed in an amorphous stage some time in 2011, from which point the gestation has been long delayed but ever-progressing. The initial formation of the band began with Mathew Spivack and Chris Childress as they set out together on a professional and artistic venture. This would become Amalgam Effect in its earliest stage: style being negotiated, initial composition taking place, and the spark of artistic kinship igniting the flame of the band that would be. Over the subsequent couple of years and through several minor line-up shifts – one of which saw Kody Little’s initial induction into the group and subsequent departure – the band slowly formed. The difficultly with keeping a full line-up eventually resolved itself as everything started to fall into place; it was in 2013 that Calvin Merseal joined the band – an event that was steadily followed by a surge in writing and composition within the group. It was shortly thereafter that Kody Little rejoined the band, and the progress and productivity has only come even further with his addition. As we are now, we still need to find the keyboard player to complete our band’s formula, but we have nonetheless found solidarity as a unit in its own state of completeness for the moment.
FIVE OF THE EYES
A blistering assault of melody and energy from Portland, Maine. Having received such high praise as being called “The Mars Volta fronted by Jeff Buckley”, the band pays homage to the past while seeking to forge their own path. Blending elements of Funk, Rock, and Metal into one nimble, flying sonic behemoth, Five of the Eyes delivers their powerful sound with grace and precision.
Five of the Eyes has self-released two EPs and had the pleasure of touring the Eastern US opening for such acts as Rival Sons, Chon, The Contortionist, Auras, Intronaut, Moon Tooth, and Entheos. They are currently writing their first full length album, set to release summer 2017.
NEW! PERFORMING NEU!
NEW! celebrates the music of innovative German Krautrock legends NEU!.
RANDY MCSTINE
Randy McStine is the founding guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter of Lo-Fi Resistance. He is also a member of Meridian Voice (instrumental jazz-rock), Red Spring (pop/rock), and The Great Conniptions Of Saint Ignatious (experimental/improv)
DRAI THOMAS
NP PRESLEY
N.P. Presley has been making records and touring independently since 1993. Releasing 13 albums with legendary Lexington punk band, Infected, he took the band across the nation multiple times. Infected released their final album, a 3-CD box set aptly titled “Complete”, in 2013. Nate (N.P.) also crossed the pond that year, playing guitar for The Brassknuckle Boys on a European tour and joined roots/folk rock band Paper Bridges, in which he still plays bass.
Going back a little further, Nate’s mother, Paula Marie Helton, toured with her cousin Elvis Presley in Nashville in the mid-70’s. She later recorded singles in Nashville, attempting a music career and was featured on Nashville’s “You Can Be A Star.” Nate was born into the business in the early 80’s. These deep roots and the rock and roll royalty bloodline are the driving forces behind N.P. Presley & The Ghost of Jesse Garon.
THE DEEP HOLLOW
“An incredibly promising debut” -Maverick Magazine
Winners of the American Songwriter 30th Anniversary Song Contest!
TEACH THE FIRE
Best friends since the 4th grade, started rocking together at the age of 13 and never looked back since. We’ve played our share of metal and pop punk music in the past, but our passion for the oldies stuck with us…until this day. Teach the Fire is a combination of Blues and Rock’n’Roll jammage. Anyone with an openmind should give it a listen. It’s fun, fast, and powerful. We love what we do and we show it in our music..especially live! .
FEED ME TO MONSTERS
KANSAS is an American progressive rock band that became popular in the 1970s initially on album-oriented rock charts, and later with hit singles such as “Carry On Wayward Son” and “Dust in the Wind”. They currently tour in North America and Europe. FEED ME TO MONSTERS is much better.
WANYAMA
Wanyama is an energizing 5 piece band creating music that entertains the grooves of funk, vibes of reggae, and the elements of hip-hop. With soulful licks and lyrical flow, Wanyama uses live bass, drums, guitar, horns, synths and voice to cultivate their own experimental sound of Conscious Funk For Your Mind! Formed in Cleveland Ohio, Wanyama has a goal to separate themselves from other musicians, delivering a unique fusion of styles often accompanied by freestyle improvisations, making each show different from the last.
“My first reaction to Wanyama: “Hey they are from Cleveland, OH! I am here in Cleveland, let’s see what they are all about!” Second reaction after listening to their album: Head nodding, body swaying, toe tapping and a big smile. Third reaction: Hitting the replay button when the album was finished (rinse, repeat)!
“Wanyama has crafted a blend of political awareness (with an occasional side of humor), feel good-vibes, life commentary and observation, ska, reggae, punk, funk and hip-hop all delivered in a solid musical package. Released at the end of January, the six man band that created “Cleveland Zoo” all add their own magic in the mix. Tim Sawchik, Charlie Wilson and Brandyn Lowry’s vocals flow in a fresh way which makes you eagerly anticipate what is coming next (Tim and Charlie also play guitar and the Sax). Throw in the amazing bass of Zack Zimmer, drum skills of Niko Yup and the triple wizardry of AJ Therins (piano, synth and keys!), and you have a sweet blend for your ears. As I was listening to the album, I occasionally glanced at the cover and appreciated how they captured the sometimes gritty Cleveland vibe (graffiti art on the side of a brick building that has started to succumb to urban decay), yet added somewhat of an up-beat feel to it.”
-TrueBlue Magazine
“East Coast meets West Coast reggae, blended with roots rock reggae. With a large helping of HipHop tossed in. Mixed with some original flavor. Best served live and on fire!” -Cleveland Scene Magazine
FROM BEYOND THESE WALLS
Experimental Post Rock / Shoegaze / Post Doom Soundscapes from Chicago
Jeff Ulbrich
Erik Kikke
Jacob Ennis
James Genenz
BARREN HEIR
Heavy, atmospheric post-metal. Chicago. DIED DOWN – OUT NOW
ABRAMS
Fusing melody and dissonance, ABRAMS blast forth a cathartic mix of catchy, driving rhythms, soaring vocals and ethereal ambiance. Wielding elements of heavy rock, shoegaze, grunge and post-metal with ease and fluency, they create a crystalline heaviness that’s bittersweet and nostalgic yet also gazes forward.
The Denver band’s arresting sound finds them sharing terrain with the likes of Torche and Cave-In, while their penchant for crunchy, irresistibly hooky riffs recalls alt-rock icons Hum and Quicksand. Even so, their swirling meld of influences isn’t the totality of ABRAMS.
Blue City is where genre-defying heaviness and perfect melodic songcraft converge, a sojourn through lush, cinematic passages and contemplative psychedelia. Its lyrics describe a metaphorical prison, a cold but familiar place where fear of change and the impossibility of action lead to paradoxical, crushing comfort.
Zachary Amster – Guitar/Vox
Ryan DeWitt – Drums
Taylor Iversen – Bass/Vox
Graham Zander – Guitar
WON’T STAY DEAD
Horror-themed punk band with grunge and new wave influences from Chicago, blending catchy hooks and harmonies with macabre lyrics.
Won’t Stay Dead formed in 2017 and has been playing with the current lineup since late 2022.
WSD released their first full-length album ‘Purgatory’ October ’21 on Don’t Panic Records & Distro. In February ’23 they released the ‘3 Hits From Purgatory’ EP with We Are Horror Records. This EP featured outtakes from the “Purgatory’ recording session.
The band has played all over Chicagoland, at Subterranean, Beat Kitchen, Schubas, Reggie’s, Cobra Lounge, Liar’s Club, and more, opening for local and national acts such as The Falcon, Teenage Bottlerocket, Blitzkid, Days N Daze, Flatfoot 56, The Dopamines, Calabrese, The Bollweevils, and Huntingtons.
WSD has played outside the Chicagoland area in Midwest cities Cleveland & Toledo, OH; Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay, WI; Indianapolis & Valparaiso, IN; Rockford, IL; and Grand Rapids, Lansing, & Saginaw, MI.
FIN ZIPPER
UW Madison Student Formed Rock Experience. Blending funk and psychedelic ideas with our own flavors. We play because we love jamming, and you.
DIFFERENT PLACES IN SPACE
Different Places in SPACE may sound like an ambiguous destination, but the journey originated from a very specific terrestrial plane. Different Places in SPACE is a group of four artists who pull together diverse elements of jazz and rock and mix it with an interactive performance style to create a sonic, and decidedly psychedelic, musical experience. The band has only a brief history in time, dating back to its genesis as a duo in the city of Los Angeles where Michael McCabe Palladini and Daniel Lawrence Ruffolo were roommates.
If LA produced the Big Bang, then the expansion of the Different Places Universe occurred when the pair discovered two other like-minded musicians back home in Pittsburgh. This new connection pulled them back in the PA orbit, although Ruffolo currently maintains a satellite position in Chicago. In addition to Ruffolo, who plays lead guitar, and Palladini, who plays rhythm (they both share vocal duties), the band features Douglas (DJ) Joseph Hitchman on bass and Matthew Austin Newmeyer on percussion. As a unit, the four weave together a pastiche of sounds, styles and rhythms for recording and live performances which incorporates sound with visuals and audience participation. At their shows they encourage audience members to add their own artistic energy through painting and dance which creates a fully interactive experience. Energy is taken from the crowd, then fed back to the audience so that everyone can lose themselves in the experience.
XTX Xie Tianxiao
Legendary Chinese rocker XTX (Xie Tian Xiao 谢天笑) brings his explosive live show to the US in April. The tour, produced by seminal Chinese label/promoter Modern Sky, hits nine cities including Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, New York, and Indianapolis.
Originally from Shandong, XTX got his start in Beijing in the mid-1990s, forming the grunge act Cold Blooded Animal 冷血动物 and releasing the band’s self-titled debut on Chinese underground rock label Scream Records in 2000. A 2002 tour of the US, during which Cold Blooded Animal became the first Mainland rock band to perform at SXSW, and two years living in New York City, honed the vision for XTX.
Nearly two decades of wild live shows and a bad-boy reputation have made XTX a mainstay headliner at major Chinese music festivals, and a legend among Chinese rock fans.
PROJEKT F
Montreal-based industrial rock group, Projekt F, are well-known for their emotionally intense music and powerful stage presence. Founded in 2009, the band is comprised of lead singer and main composer Jonh M. Miller, bassist William Hicks, guitarist Simon Sayz and drummer Fred Linx.
Coined by one reviewer as “the heavy brother of Nine Inch Nails”, Projekt F have over the years evolved into a group that commands as much visual attention as it does musical. They have played to audiences in Canada and the United States, sharing the stage with internationally known artists such as Motionless in White, Combichrist, Dope, and many more. They have also played a variety of festivals in North America, including Kinetik Festival, Montreal Fetish Week-End, GothFest, among others.
In addition to Projekt F’s live performances, their song “Oophorectomy” was featured in the 2013 Cannes Film Festival short movie “Purpl Love” (Les Films de la Muerte), and they appeared in a science-fiction TV pilot, performing their song ‘’Room 13’’.
Projekt F’s music has been played by radio stations around the world. To date they have released 1 album and 3 EPs, to numerous rave reviews. “Stunning”, “powerful”, and “brilliant” are just some of the many words that have been used to describe the music of Projekt F – a band with an all-consuming dedication to musical excellence and vivid live experiences.
DAWN OF ASHES
The very name calls to mind the legend of the Phoenix, a god-being born anew from the ashes of its own destruction. It unites the Alpha and Omega, signifying that every end is a beginning and vice versa, that life and death are one. So goes the destiny of this musical form: to die unto its first self, passing through the agonizing fire of purification, only to rise again to a new dawn, with renewed purpose.
The fans who stood by DAWN OF ASHES from their earliest incarnation in 2001 know exactly what founder-frontman Kristof Bathory brings to the equation: music of violent power, unrelenting destruction, and cinematic sweep — a ruthless horror show for the ears, eyes and mind. Hard-edged and terrifying soundscapes driven by pummeling beats propelled savage lyrics across multiple albums; the introduction of crushing metal riffs and epic production elevated the music’s scope to its ultimate realization with the acclaimed 2013 album Anathema. It was at this stage of the band’s career that new opportunities loomed… or so it seemed at first.
With the prospect of a new label and a potentially higher global profile on the horizon, new business alliances were made that resulted in the formation of URILIA, an extreme metal unit which incorporated many sonic and thematic themes already familiar to DAWN OF ASHES fans, as well as new and diverse musical elements, united under a new philosophy and a heightened awareness of the Left Hand Path. While this concept grew creatively from Kristof Bathory’s own personal and spiritual journey, the aforementioned business alliances would ultimately prove to be less than sound, and a decision was made to sever ties with those parties.
In late 2015, URILIA was laid to rest after its brief but memorable time on Earth… and from that ending, DAWN OF ASHES rose once again in 2016 with the release of Theophany, the band’s first album with Metropolis Records and first collaboration with Mick Kenney of ANAAL NATHRAKH.
DAWN OF ASHES is set to release yet another diabolical musical milestone in 2017: Titled Daemonolatry Gnosis, their next full-length DOA release through Metropolis promises the band’s most brutal fusion of Extreme Symphonic Black Metal in their long history. Among the album’s 12 tracks, it will feature a special cover of legendary Black Metal band Mayhem’s “Freezing Moon,” as well as a featured guest vocal performance from Cradle of Filth’s Lindsay Schoolcraft. Daemonolatry Gnosis also marks the return of Mick Kenney as mixer and producer. The album art was done by Machine-Room, whose body of work includes DOA’s 2010 release Genocide Chapters, along with artists such as My Dying Bride, The Foreshadowing and many more.
A new year brings a new DAWN, and the rising has already begun. Prepare for the light… and for the burning.
LUME
Chicago three-piece with Michigan roots.
GREEN
Drawing his initial inspiration from a bipolar quartet of influences — the Kinks, Small Faces, Prince and Motown — Chicago singer/guitarist Jeff Lescher has been the mainstay of the group Green since the mid-’80s. An ace pop songwriter with a knack for assessing the ups and downs of romance without malice, he possesses a phenomenal voice that can shift between stirring pop-rock singing, an ear-pinning shriek and a gospelly falsetto.
On the debut EP (a four-song 7-inch) entitled THE NAME OF THIS GROUP IS GREEN, the trio overcomes rudimentary production values to skirt nostalgia and introduce Lescher’s mix of ’60s Anglo-melodicism (“Gotta Getta Record Out,” “Better Way”), punky rock (“Not Going Down (Anymore)”) and soul (“I Don’t Wanna Say No”). Amateurish but inspired.
Remakes of those songs join ten new ones on GREEN, an inadequately produced but brilliant collection of weirdly derivative originals played with spirit and power. Occasionally pedestrian lyrics (as on “Big in Japan”) don’t interfere with the rugged pop tunes, a uniquely energetic pairing of Merseybeat and punk. “She’s Not a Little Girl” seemingly takes its chorus straight out of the Hollies songbook; “Technology” employs a catchy Bolanesque bop; “For You” and “Curry Your Favor” are ballads that display a tender, sensitive side. “I Play the Records” introduces the group’s Princely side, while “She, Probably” is achingly beautiful.
With a new rhythm section consisting of Ken Kurson (bass/vocals) and Rich Clifton (drums), the group’s second album ELAINE MACKENZIE improves the ambition and results on all fronts and sports a neat cover painting by Lescher. It was produced by Green and released by Pravda Records in 1987. Upon it’s release, glowing reviews ensued from several rock critics (who seemed to be tripping over one other in an effort to stake claim to discovering the band). PopCulturePress extols the virtues of the album remarking that “By Elaine MacKenzie, Lescher had found his voice, and it remains a mystery why Material Issue and The Posies are fixed in the collective memory as the era’s prime bands when Green was offering up such frothy guitar pop as ‘She’s An Addiction’ and the riff-happy ‘Up All Night,’ which could’ve been a nice mod-rocker in the hands of Steve Marriott.” Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune described the album as “a minor masterpiece.” Away From the Pulsebeat magazine’s review proclaimed, “Best American band, best songwriter, best singer, best LP. Sweep year.”
ELAINE MACKENZIE was followed by the “REM” 7-inch, the necessary response to R.E.M.’s GREEN album. This release represented an expansion of the ambition displayed on ELAINE MACKENZIE and their self-titled debut. The slower tempos and more considered arrangements of “My Tears Are Dry” and “Love On Thin Air” show a band that’s maturing but without losing any of the manic energy of their previous releases. It also got them a mention on MTV News and a shout-out by Peter Buck on Chicago radio.
Hooking up with a Dutch label and a new drummer (Mark Mosher), Green released another great collection of memorable romantic pop songs. WHITE SOUL (which, ironically, downplays the group’s R&B side) benefits from two significant steps forward: improved production quality and the consistency and maturity of Lescher’s songwriting. Subtle emotions and striking melodies fill simply executed gems like “She’s Heaven,” “Night After Night,” “Monique, Monique” and “I Know.” Kurson’s boppy “My Sister Jane” is a delightful pop-punk vestige of his hardcore background, but it was his swan song with the group.
The group’s first release with ex-Slammin’ Watusis bassist Clay Tomasek in the lineup, the BITTERSWEET ep consolidates all of Lescher’s stylistic impulses into five fine new songs. The ’60s-soul title track gambles with lush strings and horns but laces it all up with a spectacular vocal; “I’ll Have Her” is alluring pop; the brutish hard-rock guitars and punky backing cheers of “Maybe UR Right” are topped off with an inveigling Kinksy melody and Gary Numan synth for a really strange effect. Lescher unloads his professional frustrations in “The Record Company Song,” a wry torrent of regret (“I’ll do anything you ask/My will is broke and I’m tired and sad”) set to a catchy rock tune.
At that point, the indie-label stalwarts — Lescher, Tomasek, and Mosher (all of them inexplicably dressed in drag on the cover) — moved onto a bigger small record company and made THE POP TARTS with Chicago studio hound Iain Burgess, a keyboard-playing guest and a horn duo. The uneven effort fares well on several fronts: the simple soul of “Broken Promises” handsomely introduces the Zombies and Style Council to Antonio Carlos Jobim, “Hear What You Want to Hear” expands a snippet of Elvis Costello melody into fully formed brisk British Invasion pop and “Marga-Marguerite” deftly appropriates the high-toned sweetness of Curtis Mayfield.
After THE POP TARTS, Green returned to Widely Distributed with a new drummer (Gregg Potter) and made the stylistically diverse PATHETIQUE ep, which included the surprise country swing of “If You Love Me (Part II).” Brad Lips reviewed it in OPTION (May/June 1994, No. 56). Lips draws comparisons to the Kinks with Lescher’s songwriting (“three songs as poignant as anything on the Kink’s KRONICLES”) and also compliments his singing (“Alternating between vulnerable falsettos and throaty growls, he uses the sadness of the former and the anger of the latter to show us that he knows about heartbreak”).
Green’s first new album in six years, GREEN 5, is an underproduced but encouraging collection improved by Tomasek’s emergence as the group’s second strong songwriter; the chorus of his “Thinking” — a blunt ’70s rock funk breakup throwback — is especially impressive. The rejuvenated quartet (with Mosher’s brother Jason on guitar) balances Beatlesque tunefulness (as on the gorgeous “Lying in the Grass” and the acoustic “Jimmie”) with ambitious arrangements (between the organ and wailing backup vocals, “Mother” nearly reimagines “Hey Jude” as gospel) and blasts of garage power. As ever, idiosyncrasies — as well as wailing guitar solos — abound. Green deftly dashes off a disguised cover of the Bee Gees’ “Holiday” (as “Photograph”) and titles a crazed arena-leaning Bolanesque boogie “Seize the Means of Production.” On “Tuesday,” Lescher sings the jacked-up romance rock with a frenzied edge that threatens to upend the lyrics.
Three years later, Green (now a trio) spent a week in France, recording EAU DE VIE with Burgess, who sharpens and clarified the sound as never before. Lescher reins in his unmelodic impulses and lets his restrained and tuneful flag fly to heartening effect, mostly rooting around in the popcraft of early-’60s England (so much for any overpowering Gallic influence) for such originals as “I’ll Be Waiting” and “Pardon Me,” which get the album off to a sweet start. Like an echo of the Gram Parsons album, Lescher sings the shit out of a stirring and gorgeous minor-key original, “Memories.” Even the two punky singalongs are mixed within safe sonic borders and owe more to the Move than Motörhead.
In 2009, Green (once again a quartet) released their latest album THE PLANETS. Though Jason Mosher returned to the fold, it was the final album to feature Mark Mosher on drums. Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune reviewed the album and wrote, “Green has been around since the ’80s, making the kind of records prized by power-pop connoisseurs. After drawing early attention for his gifts as a singer and songwriter, Jeff Lescher has led Green through many incarnations, each producing worthy albums. The band’s latest release, “The Planets” (GangGreen), is one of their best yet, with Lescher digging as deep as he ever has for emotional payoffs. The arrangements brim with the expected hooks but have an epic, anthemic quality that ranks with the band’s most ambitious work.”
In 2010, Mike Zelenko (drummer for Material Issue) joined the group, who continue to play to enthusiastic crowds in the Midwest and Europe. Recently, Jeff and Jason of Green performed an acoustic set as the opening act for The Zombies on 05/29/2016 at the band’s request. Blaine Schultz of Scene reviewed the group’s performance in Chicago on 06/17/2016 and gushed, “Eight albums, plus a handful of singles and compilation appearances in three decades, Chicago’s Green may be the best band you never heard of.”
CLIFF JOHNSON AND THE RAINE
Power Pop Icon Cliff Johnson, the driving force behind legendary Chicago bands Off Broadway usa, Pezband and d’Thumbs returns home, backed by his new band, The Raine to showcase timeless signature songs “Stay in Time”, “Hang on For Love”, “Full Moon Turned My Head Around” and more in a career spanning set of classics.
Johnson, who cut his teeth in the clubs of Chicago, went on to release two discs for Atlantic Records. Off Broadway’s “On” featuring the hit, “Stay in Time” sold over 300 thousand copies in Chicago alone and propelled Cliff and the band into the world of stadiums and arenas, sharing the bill with the likes of The Beach Boys, The Babys, Cheap Trick, Lover Boy, Ian Hunter, Alan Parsons and Jefferson Starship.
The Raine members are veterans of the Chicago rock scene playing along side local heroes such as The Kind and The Insiders as well as national acts like A Flock of Seagulls. A rock music critic recently suggested that The Raine is “the best kept secret in the Chicago Music scene, today”.
Cliff and members of The Raine met individually over the years under casual circumstances. Having great respect for his music and what Cliff has accomplished throughout his career, the band was on an unconscious course to hook-up with Johnson musically. In 2015, Cliff agreed to join The Raine on stage to perform a handful of Cliff’s tunes in a one-off performance. There was magic in the air that night. Terry Flamm of the Power Pop blog “Broken Hearted Toy” was in attendance, and said of The Raine, “they’d be a perfect match for Johnson”. A month later, Cliff Johnson and The Raine launched. A night of fun turned into a more serious project for The Raine, who enjoy their status as the “who are these guys?” four piece engine supporting the most dynamic singer/songwriter/performer in the history of Chicago Power Pop.
PAT EGAN & THE HEAVY HEARTS
Hailing from Chicago’s south suburbs, Pat Egan & The Heavy Hearts are a rock & roll band formed in 2015 to bring you indie music that echoes with hooks, passion, and nostalgia. Pat Egan & The Heavy Hearts aim to create music highlighting love, loss, and loneliness through the characters and stories within their songs. Coming off the release of their first record “Love & Disruption”, Pat Egan & The Heavy Hearts take a look inward and begin growing and writing together more so than ever before. “I think I was just afraid of letting people into my world when I’m writing.” Says Pat Egan of his creative process. For Love & Disruption, he would bring most of the song to the band and the Heavy Hearts would write parts to the established song. This time around, Egan would come together with guitarist Adam Chorak and bassist Pat Leonard to work out ideas.
HALF FULL
Half Full brings an Organic Rock N Roll sound to the Chicago music scene. Fronted by Frank Bongiorno and David Estey, the two musicians have finally found a band to excel with after a decade of performing together.
The group has been building their fan base and honing their skills by performing regularly at Chicagoland bars, venues, and festivals.
Songwriting is a gift and labor of love to them.
In order to pursue that gift, Half Full has learned to entertain audiences with both original and cover songs which funds their dream. Relentless hard work allows continual growth in a competitive music industry.
Most importantly, the band members have come together with one common goal…to have fun performing music for a living!
Be on the look out for a collection of new singles releasing in 2018!
THE DEAD LIZARDZ
Raw and unapologetic, The Dead Lizardz combine Blues with influences of their Southern upbringing and individual musical tastes, creating a style of music that blurs the lines of what you thought “The Blues” were.
FACE TO FACE
Face to Face is a punk rock band from Victorville, California, formed in 1991 by front man Trever Keith, bassist Matt Riddle and drummer Rob Kurth. The band rose to fame with their 1995 album Big Choice, featuring the radio hit “Disconnected” that was first played by KROQ and appeared in the movies Tank Girl and National Lampoon’s Senior Trip.
Face to Face officially split up in September 2004, allowing the band members time to focus on other projects. During that time all the band members played in a number of post-Face to Face projects including Legion of Doom, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, The Offspring and Saves the Day. In April 2008, after a four-year hiatus, Face to Face performed together for the first time at The Glasshouse in Pomona, California. Since then, the band has continued to perform and has released three more studio albums.
Current Lineup:
Trever Keith – Vocals, Guitar
Scott Shiflett – Bass
Chad Yaro – Guitar
Danny Thompson – Drums
GREG HOWE
GREG HOWE “Lost and Found” Tour 2023
Line-Up:
Greg Howe: Guitar
Ernest Tibbs (Allan Holdsworth, Simon Phillips): Bass Joel Taylor (Al DiMeola, Allan Holdsworth): Drums
Legendary guitarist, Greg Howe, will kick off his North American tour ‘Lost and Found” this July 2023, which will feature tracks from a new upcoming studio album, in addition to many of his classic fan- favorites.
The 2023 touring band features renowned bassist Ernest Tibbs (Allan Holdsworth, Simon Phillips) and drummer Joel Taylor (Al DiMeola, Allan Holdsworth) joining Greg Howe on guitar.
Lost and Found marks Howe’s eleventh solo album and follows his 2017 Wheelhouse release, which was voted #6 of the top 20 best guitar albums of the decade by Guitar World Magazine.
Throughout Howe’s long career, he has developed a solid reputation as a technical innovator, particularly for his “hammer-on from nowhere” technique, legato runs, unusual time signatures, and linear tapping approach. His self-titled debut album Greg Howe is ranked as one of the top 10 best shred albums of all time by Guitar World Magazine.
Greg has also played key roles in numerous collaborative recording and touring projects along the way, partnering with the likes of world renowned musicians such as Dennis Chambers, Victor Wooten, Billy Sheehan, Jordan Rudess, Eddie Jobson, Tony Levin, Marco Minnemann, Richie Kotzen, Dave Weckl, and Tetsuo Sakurai, to name a few. In 2018, Howe recorded all the guitar work for the GRAMMY® nominated album Protocol IV by legendary drummer Simon Phillips, which also featured Ernest Tibbs (bass), and Dennis Hamm (keyboards).
In addition to his personal recording career as an artist, Greg also made a name for himself as a stellar sideman and touring session musician with some of the biggest pop artists of all time such as Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Nsync, Enrique Iglesias, Christina Aguilera, and others.
Musical trends may come and go, but you always know what to expect with a new Greg Howe album and tour – and this veteran guitarist certainly won’t disappoint with what will undoubtedly be a breathtaking showcase featuring one of the best Rock/Fusion players in the world.
Audiences will experience Greg Howe doing Greg Howe like no other. The show will include material from the new album, as well as, his most popular tracks such as “Jump Start”, “Kick it all over”, “Sunny”, and many more.
GORPHANAGE
Gorphanage is a comedic death metal three-piece with a strong emphasis on humorous lyrics and groove oriented, old school riffage that operates out of Lake County Illinois. They’ve gigged regularly since 2013 around the Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin area. Their debut, full-length album “May Cause Birth Defects” was released in Feb of 2016 independently and is available through CDbaby, iTunes, and Amazon. The band’s second full-length recording “Swank” is currently in the pre-production phase.
CHICAGO OUTFIT ROLLER DERBY
Founded in the fall of 2007, The Chicago Outfit is a democratic, not-for-profit organization run by the skaters, for the skaters. The Outfit is an all-female flat track roller derby league based in the city of Chicago. The Chicago Outfit strives to create a positive female community dedicated to contributing charitably to other nonprofit organizations. Each year, partial proceeds from the Outfit’s bouts and events are donated in support of a nonprofit organization, voted on by the league. As proud members of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, The Chicago Outfit represents roller derby nationwide with class, sass, and dignity.
DJ VADER
DJ ALL THE WAY KAY
Caryn Robinson, or KayKay for short, maintains a dual DJ & Graphic Design practice, which are both influenced by the cultural aesthetic of her hometown, Chicago. She matches beats with seamless transition and produces sets that are as sonically varied as her city’s streets. Designer by trade and DJ by craft, KayKay produces experiences that seduce the audience and lures them into her meticulously cultivated audiovisual realm. She believes that while a DJ’s skills can be sharpened, musical taste cannot be taught. While her first love is House, she is an open format DJ with an extensive collection of music that represents the best of Disco, Hip-Hop, R&B, Slow Jams, Dancehall, Baltimore Club, Vogue, Blog, Rock & Roll, Trap, Twerk and Chicago’s homebred sounds Drill and Juke.
She has been the reigning queer female DJ of the Chicago scene for more than 10 years and has held residency at numerous Chicago bars and nightclubs, including, but not limited to: Not Safe for Wallflowers at the Shrine (Lesbifriends), Illuminaughty at Progress Bar (Lesbifriends), Honey Pot at Progress Bar (Chicago Twerkit Authority), Cirque de la Femme at Lincoln Tap, Menace2Sobriety at Subterranean (Lesbifriends) and the infamous Dirty Girl Thursdays at Berlin and the Lakeview Broadcasting Co. (Chicago Dirty Girls).
Her most recent mixtape “Roller Rank” (in collaboration with Rabid Vinyl Monks’ White Owl) is currently featured on the JUGRNAUT (Chicago’s premier street wear boutique) website. Her music is also featured on the Chicago based queer erotic calendar Q-We’re’s homepage, and has been broadcasted on WCRX Chicago’s Underground Radio on their programs, “Masters In the Mix,” and “The Scene.” She was also featured by the Chicago Reader for their column “In Rotation,” in which local music scenesters share their current interests with a citywide audience. KayKay also has an upcoming cameo in season 12 of Oxygen’s the Bad Girl’s Club, which contains footage of her residency at Progress Bar’s weekly queer ladies night, Honey Pot.
Her events are frequently advertised in the press, including the Huffington Post, Do312, the L Stop, the Windy City Times and the Chicago RedEye. From the confines of the booth she has orchestrated the convergence of dancing bodies at parties like: Slo Mo’ at the Whistler, Bump & Grindcore at Beauty Bar Chicago, Dollhouse Fridays, Dusty Grooves at Cobra Lounge, ISTILLLOVEHER at Subteranean, Stardust at Berlin, Femistry by BBliss at the House of Blues Foundation Room and Queerer Park at Beauty Bar Chicago.
She has worked as the headlining DJ for several events, including: Back Lot Bash: Chicago’s Ladies Pride Weekend (2013 & 2012), the Chicago Reader Pride Cruise and Chicago Reader People Issue Party (2012) and the Halfway to MichFest Party (2011-2014). She has also shared the stage with the likes of Flosstradamus, Kid Sister, Psalm One, Hollywood Holt, Million Dollar Mano, DJ Tittsworth, DJ Gant-Man, Zebra Katz, Njena Reddd Foxxx, Big Dipper, God-des & She, Aneesa of MTV’s The Real World Chicago, Leisha Hailey of The L Word and Uh Huh Her, and Whitney Mixter of The Real L Word. All the Way Kay has also been an official DJ of the Chicago Outfit Roller Derby Team.
PSYCHO SOCK HOP
Psycho Sock Hop began in the summer of 2016. Members Pete Manzella, Charlie Stanley, Tim munester and Dave Cherrick were looking to fuse their punk rock/metal/rock n roll influences into a style that could get the ladies dancin and the fists pumpin. Raw and rockin, PSH was born.
RODNEY “PIE MAN” HENRY
Rodney “Pie-Man” Henry, of Dangerously Delicious Pies in Detroit, DC, Baltimore and Austin. Also legendary frontman of the Glenmont Popes, a rockabilly band out of Baltimore.
ROCKIN BILLY AND THE WILD COYOTES
Rockin Billy and the Wild Coyotes are a three piece rockabilly/psychobilly band that have been gigging in the Chicago area since the early nineties. Known for a hard driving bluesy dance beat,and have recorded with well known producer Steve Albini. Rockin Billy- guitar/vocals Steve Uppling-Drums Dave Smith -Bass .Known for songs like Snake Woman, Zydeco Baby, and Rockin Pharaoh. They have been stalwarts of the chicago rockabilly scene for close to 30 years.
DEVIL TO PAY
Channelling a hefty dose of heavy lyricism via metaphysical realms of consciousness, for Devil To Pay’s Steve Janiak the past decade has predominantly found the front man unearthing lyrics from what many might consider the “Other Side”. Attributed in no small part to the hallucinatory visions and flashbacks he experienced while hospitalized after falling deep into a drug-induced coma a few years ago, despite the doctor’s grim prognosis, Janiak thankfully survived with tales to tell. Albeit ones pulled from a well of perilous inspiration.
Following the release of the band’s retro-inspired, down-tuned debut Thirty Pieces Of Silver in 2003, Devil To Pay persevered, releasing the Crowbar-by-way-of-Kyuss influenced Cash Is King in 2006, and Heavily Ever After and 48 Minutes DVD in 2009, building a legacy through the slow burn of countless festival appearances, songwriting and relentless gigging.
After a mind-expanding epiphany in 2011, Janiak also began to explore links between the normal and paranormal, devouring anything he could find on the subject from eastern philosophies to books about the hunt for alternate universes. All of which bled profoundly into Devil To Pay’s lyrical themes. Through ten years of soul searching and survival – crawling out from the dank underbelly of the Indianapolis heavy music scene – Devil To Pay eventually established themselves in the underground rock community after signing to Ripple Music to release Fate Is Your Muse in 2013.
Recorded in 2015 by Mike Bridavsky at Russian Recording in Bloomington, Indiana, A Bend Through Space and Time picks up where its predecessor left off and further develops Devil To Pay’s songcraft and explorations in heavy, riff-oriented rock and roll. By now, followers of the band should have already heard ‘Your Inner Lemmy’ – the quartet’s fitting tribute to Motörhead legend Lemmy Kilmister and the first track lifted from this new record – released earlier this year. Described by Classic Rock Magazine as sounding like an authentic, “long-lost Motörhead song,” it serves as just one of many reference points, dotted across a constellation of hard rock influences at play on this, their best album to date.
A Bend Through Space And Time will be released on 12th August 2016 through Ripple Music.
— Sheltered Life PR
VAJRA
Vajra’s music is a tapestry of hauntingly dark and hypnotic, melodic, progressive, foreboding and mysterious lullabies.
KING BUFFALO
“King Buffalo is a psychedelic trio in the classic format of bass, drums, and guitar, whose expansive and thunderous music is anything but easily definable.
Formed by three long-standing members of the blooming Rochester, NY rock scene, King Buffalo gathered in September of 2013 to start working on a new musical collaboration in a heavy rock vein. Their efforts spawned a demo release and several splits and one-offs which, coupled with their impressive live show, quickly gained them an international audience.
Nearly exactly three years after their formation, King Buffalo shows the world its first long-player creation – a powerful concoction of heavy psych, blues, and stoner rock in stunning cohesion. Orion’s flow is surprising giving the relative youth of the band, but King Buffalo seems to be a rare breed capable of fusing loose-knit and spacious pieces into a tightly-focused package. Written during and out of jam sessions, Orion’s nine tracks are texturally rich and oozing with psychedelic goodness, yet honed and driving in the next blink of an eye. Lush, shimmering melodies á la Dead Meadow and free-flowing grooves that recall All Them Witches meet with the full force of fuzzed-out stoner rock riffs, all coinciding organically. impressively, King Buffalo’s focus extends beyond composition and into the technical realm; Orion was recorded entirely by the band in the very same rehearsal room that played host to the songs’ creation. After a successful self-release, Stickman Records is proud to present Orion to the world on 180 gram vinyl including CD as well as a standalone CD release.” – via Sludgelord
LENNOX
BRYAN SPERRY’S WARRIORS OF THE APOCALYPSE
From a small work studio, Chicago-based artist Bryan Sperry has created a small army of Warriors of the Apocalypse. His twenty strong (so far) army of futuristic warriors are replete with illicit weaponry, from grenades to blades, from guns to gas masks.
These highly decorated soldiers are constructed from mannequin forms and found objects, which the artist quite meticulously selects from a myriad of depots. This ensemble of futuristic warriors includes sirens, ninjas, shape-shifters, cyborgs, battalion chiefs, black ops specialists, a highly decorated general and more.
Sperry states ‘‘The warriors are to protect myself and humanity from the tribulations of a one-world government and a one-world bank – they are to protect civilization from greed, government, power, politics and economic slavery.’’ Each warrior is a highly-chiseled, well constructed, super-strength soldier – hand-crafted from its original mannequin base. Through acute attention to detail, each sculpture is unique to its individual purpose.
All materials used in the construction process are archival as a demonstration of what Sperry considers ‘‘their immortal quest’’ – a well-placed hand for a well-placed blow.
Every warrior has been constructed to fulfill a different purpose, each independent from the other, yet still demonstrating its primary purpose – to protect humanity.
THE FLASH HITS
Fresh noise from Lost Angeles. THE FLASH HITS are now. Suturing angular guitar stabs with seething bass lines and precision time signature shifts with almost math-like exactitude. These are songs for the heart-stabbed and heaving, the bitter, the hopeless (and fans of Unwound, Polvo and the acid-ier bits of the Elephant Six catalog).
DEAD MEADOW
Dead Meadow formed in 1998 with Jason Simon on vocals and guitar, Steve Kille on bass, and Mark Laughlin on drums. They began to combine 70s hard rock and 60s psychedelic rock with far out and sometimes mystically minded lyrical themes occasionally even hinting at the obscure genius H. P. Lovecraft and other far out writers of the bizarre and weird. The first album, Dead Meadow, was released in 2000 on Tolotta Records, a label run by Fugazi bassist Joe Lally. The LP version was released by Planaria Records. This was quickly followed by 2001’s Howls from the Hills, also released on Tolotta Records. At the completion of “Howls from the Hills” John Peel asked Dead Meadow to record a Peel Session which was recorded in Fugazi’s home studio, the first time a Peel Session was recorded outside the BBC studios.
n Spring 2002, Laughlin parted ways with the band in order to pursue a career as a lawyer. He was replaced by long-time friend Stephen McCarty ). A live album, Got Live If You Want It, was released in mid-2002, which documented one of the last shows with drummer Mark and was produced by Anton Newcombe of Brian Jonestown Massacre. In early 2003 the band signed with Matador Records and released Shivering King and Others. Along with the heavy song and blues-influenced songs as on the previous two records, the band continued in their psychedelic style, with acoustic elements and ballads. With the addition of second guitarist Cory Shane, Feathers was released in 2005. Simon’s guitar virtuosity is influenced by the droning modal character of Eastern music as by classic rock riffs.
Jason Simon is the nephew of The Wire creator David Simon. Dead Meadow’s music was used briefly in the episode React Quotes in season five of The Wire.
In 2007 the band has reverted back to a three piece, made an appearance at the 5th annual Green Man Festival in Crickhowell, Wales and relocated from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles, California.
In the beginning of 2008, Dead Meadow released Old Growth on Matador Records. A collection of songs that brought the band back initially to the same farm that their second release Howls from the Hills was created and eventually finished up at the legendary Sunset Sound studio in Los Angeles. As with the last three albums Old Growth was produced by bassist Steve Kille.
Later in that same year a brief session with Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother led to the reinterpretation of the Dead Meadow song “Everything’s Goin’ On” as a new song “Pilgrim” landing on the second release for Wolfmother, “Cosmic Egg”.
In March 2010 the band released a feature length live film and soundtrack, “Three Kings”, that spotlights their stage show along with psychedelic dream scenarios. The live footage and audio was captured at the bombastic final show of the five month “Old Growth” tour. The film premiered at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California and was released on the NYC label Xemu Records, co-run by Kille.
Jason Simon also announced his September release of his first solo “self-titled” acoustic album on TeePee Records.
The song “Sleepy Silver Door” and “Greensky Greenlake” were featured in the skate video “Emerica, Stay Gold.”
SACRED LEATHER
Sacred Leather is a Metal Band from Indianapolis IN
VITA DEVOID
Touring Showgirl, Burlesque Performer, Event Emcee, GoGo Dancer, Creative Mastermind, Celebrity Impersonator, Occasional Vampire, Fire Eater, Snake Handler, Spark Grinder, and General Oddball.
JEZZIBEL
SAMANTHA SIREN
Raised in the woodlands of central Wisconsin, Samantha Siren has, since childhood, drawn inspiration from the natural environments surrounding her. While studying in the nationally acclaimed sculpture department of the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point, she was able to hone in both her technical and conceptual skills as a visual artist. It was during this time that she also began to take her participation in the performing arts more seriously, including dance, circus, aerial, and vaudeville. After graduation she chose to forego graduate school in pursuit of continuing her education and career in the performing arts. Samantha moved to Chicago in January 2016, with the full intention of attending a full-time contemporary circus training program. While that dream quickly proved itself unrealistic, she chose to harness her pure determination to work harder at developing her craft- on her own terms. Samantha was fortunate to have fallen into the laps of a few exceptional mentors while in this pursuit, and has since had the opportunity to perform at the Edwardian Ball in San Francisco, CA, Theatre Bizarre in Detroit, MI, Electric Forest in Rothbury, MI, and has also performed on tour throughout much of the American south and midwest. Her work often references the natural environments she grew up in, placing emphasis on organic movements to play with the themes of time, tension, and contrast in order to express the concept of transformation- something she sees as neither good nor bad, but surely inevitable to all things.