Exit Ghost

Exit Ghost is a collaborative vehicle structured around the songwriting of Evan Holmes. The group’s debut Pony Soldier EP (2010) explores a vital reverence for the imagery and culture of the American West, with fiddle and harmonies provided by tireless multi-instrumentalist Rachel Kahn. Hailed by Performer Magazine as “like [Neil Young’s] After The Goldrush on steroids”, brothers Jordan and Julian Stacey provide a powerful rhythm section that resonates soundly through the group’s first full-length album, 2012’s Move Alone; a bold, at times orchestral effort engineered by Mike Hagler of Wilco’s Summerteeth. With a nod from Paste Magazine as one of “10 Illinois Bands You Should Listen To Now”, Exit Ghost entered recording at Chicago’s Engine Studios with the addition of avant-garde guitarist Michael Golas and engineer/instrumentalist Dorian Gehring. Engine EP documents a band reinventing itself in the space of a studio, and would see the group’s first commercial placement in the HBO series Single Long. Exit Ghost’s Daytrotter Live Session previews a distinct and cohesive set of new work, completed as Elston , the band’s second full-length, recorded at Chicago’s High Concept Laboratories in the summer of 2013.

THE SAPWOODS

“The Sapwoods pop and sparkle in a flare of sounds that span across a spectrum of power pop and anthemic alt-Americana. Propelled by a ceaseless energy, their sophisticated sensibilities glimmer in a spectacle of grooves, laments, croons, breaks, surges, bottle-breaking riffs and heartsick melodies, packed powerfully into fine, well-wrought songs.” – Aaron McNally (Pulse Magazine)

THE BOXERS

The Boxers are a rock nd roll band

MIDWEST

Music born out of cornfields, cold winters and rust belt love letters. Folk and roll songs about dead ends and new beginnings. Warm blankets and wet blankets. Heartbreakers and handwarmers.

Midwest is a female-fronted folk ‘n’ roll band from Chicago, born out of cornfields, cold winters and rust belt love letters. The sound is heavily inspired by Americana, Singer/Songwriter, and Motown music, with influences that can be traced from Patsy Cline and Heart, to the Head and the Heart and The Lone Bellow.

Formed in late 2012, principle songwriter and lead vocalist, Nicolette Verone, having written a new group of songs following the amicable break up of her former band (Tiger Cry), shared them with now back-up vocalist, Heather Bodie. From late summer to early fall, Verone and Bodie crafted the strong vocal harmonies and cultivated a truly home-grown, midwestern sound. It was around this time when Bodie brought in violinist, Dave Belden, whom added the touch of melancholy to their warm and rich voices. Soon after, they added upright bassist, Joshua Sauvegeau (formerly of Tiger Cry), guitarist, keyboardist and harmonica player, Andy Lutz, and percussionist Nate Ross. The sound is built around the foundation of those sweet, swelling 2 and 3-part vocal harmonies and driven by the strong backbeat of the bass.