Pioneers of the late 90’s Pop-Punk and Geek Rock movements, Nerf Herder are perhaps best known for their powerful theme to the iconic Joss Whedon TV show, Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Formed in Santa Barbara, California, in 1994, Nerf Herder was signed to major label Arista Records soon after their ironic tribute “Van Halen” stormed the Modern Rock charts in 1996. The video for their follow-up single, “Sorry”, featured Mark Hamill and Miguel Ferrer, and played regularly on MTV. Following years saw the band touring the world multiple times, and releasing a number of albums on various labels, including esteemed indie punk label Fat Wreck Chords and novelty powerhouse Oglio Records.

The current band features founding members Parry Gripp and Steve Sherlock, with newer members Linus Dotson (x-Size 14) and Ben Pringle (x-The Rentals). Nerf Herder’s 5th album Rockingham is an explosion of geekiness with songs like “At The Con,” a song written after a performance at DragonCon, “Ghostbusters III,” a lamenting tune about how the sequel will never be released, and “I’m The Droid (You’re Looking For),” which is made entirely of lines from Star Wars and was recorded at Skywalker Ranch. Other instant classics include “The Girl Who Listened To Rush” and “We Opened For Weezer,” a completely autobiographical tale of the band’s first tour with Weezer during the Pinkerton era.

The Copyrights play a stripped-down version of pop-punk in the tradition of fellow Illinois bands like and , with old-school punk and pop influences ranging from and to Sound Affects-vintage and the first couple of albums. Formed in the small southern Illinois city of Carbondale (much closer to St. Louis, MO, than Chicago) in 2002, the Copyrights originally consisted of bassist and primary lead singer Adam Fletcher, guitarists/vocalists and Ken Clifford, and drummer Luke McNeill. Signed to the Washington, D.C., indie Insubordination Records, the Copyrights released their debut album, We Didn’t Come Here to Die (produced by Illinois pop-punk legend Mass Giorgini), in 2003. It was subsequently followed by two EPs, 2004’s Button Smasher and 2005’s Nowhere Near Chicago (both through It’s Alive Records). Replacing the departed Clifford with new guitarist Nick O’Neil, the Copyrights returned with their second album, Mutiny Pop, in May 2006. Not wasting any time, various shows followed before the guys (now with Jeff Funburg on board in place of O’Neil) were back in the studio by the start of 2007 to commence recording their next album; Make Sound surfaced that spring via Red Scare. ~ Stewart Mason, Rovi

Dan Vapid & the Cheats is an exciting new Chicago punk rock quartet, formed several months after The Methadones’ breakup and fronted by the legendary Dan Vapid of Screeching Weasel, Riverdales, Methadones, Sludgeworth, Noise By Numbers, Mopes and Queers fame. The lineup features Dan Vapid (vocals/guitar), Mike Byrne (ex-Methadones/guitar), Simon Lamb (ex-Screeching Weasel/bass) and Mike Soucy (The Bomb/ex-Methadones/drums). After friends and fans from all over the world urged Vapid, he took to the stage May 27th at Chicago’s Cobra Lounge, performing a variety of songs he wrote in the last 20 years. The crowd had an overwhelmingly positive reaction and Dan Vapid & the Cheats had a ton of fun playing the songs. and have since been planning more shows. Dan Vapid & the Cheats will be recording a full length record in October. The Cheats’ debut album is too fresh for a title, but will be available to the world in 2012. Stay tuned to Dan Vapid & the Cheats’ Facebook page for up-to-date info and while you’re there, become a fan if you haven’t already. You will not want to miss hearing the arsenal of defining anthems we all know and dearly love that only Dan Vapid can deliver, as well as what they have in store.