Joe Firstman bought an $18 cross-country Greyhound ticket from his home in North Carolina to Los Angeles, arriving with a beat-up guitar and head full of songs. He quickly found the big stage. It all happened quickly: first came the big Hollywood gigs, then the industry buzz, then the big deal with Atlantic Records and national tours with big rock stars like Sheryl Crow, Jewel, and Willie Nelson.There was ego and excess and beautiful ladies and music, music, music. Firstman wrote it all down and sang his songs like his life depended on it.

“In the songs of Joe Firstman, sensitive young men prowl the hills of Los Angeles, searching for fame and beauty, only to find self-destructive behavior and egos gone wild…” wrote Jim Farber in the New York Daily News. “While Hollywood’s peaks and pitfalls have been prominently charted by songwriters from Don Henley, Stevie Nicks and Jackson Browne to Warren Zevon, Firstman aims to reinvent the milieu for his own generation.”

When the world stopped spinning, he’d landed a regular gig as the bandleader on the “Last Call with Carson Daly” show. For four years, this was his university – playing and writing songs in whatever style the show’s musical guests played and learning how to engage a studio audience, day in and day out.

Firstman released his 7th studio album, “Swear It Was A Dream,” on September 6, 2011. The album features 10 new songs written and recorded over the last year in studios in Charleston, SC, Mexico, Los Angeles, and Nashville. Of the album, Firstman shared, “You can really feel the year in the record, you can feel the whole journey in there and it’s my best piece. It’s my best thing thus far.”

The album’s first single, “Who’s Turning Your Light Out?” is Firstman’s exploration of straightforward, unadulterated songwriting. “It was just a very personal lyric, but I tried to make it into a pop song that everybody would get. Its got lyrics about South Carolina and falling asleep with your head in your hands—I thought the imagery was relatable, “ says Firstman.

“Swear It Was A Dream” is the follow-up to Firstman’s two 2010 releases, “El Porto,” and “Live At The Treehouse,” both released on Rock Ridge Music. In 2009, Firstman’s full-time, four-year job as bandleader on “Last Call with Carson Daly” ended when Firstman shifted his focus to his independent musical pursuits. Prior, Firstman put out a full-length (“The War of Women”) and an EP (“Wives Tales”) on Atlantic, plus another full-length (“DrAma”) and live EP (“Live at The Sandbox”), which were released independently.

As Firstman was wrapping up “Swear It Was A Dream” in Nashville, he formed a new band with longtime friends and collaborators Jaron Lowenstein, Toby Weaver, and John Lloyd, dubbed “Cordovas.” Their debut, self-titled, album features all new songs written and produced by Firstman in his first efforts at writing for a full-band and three part harmonies. Additionally, Firstman is currently producing Lowenstein’s forthcoming solo album.

On September 3, 2011, The Cordovas launched their first US Tour, featuring a solo Firstman as the supporting act. The Cordovas tour wraps November 15 in Yakima, WA and Firstman will immediately jump into his tour with Zach Myers (Shinedown, The Farewell.) Firstman usually spends over 200 days touring per year and has shared the stage with such acts as Sheryl Crow, Jewel, and Willie Nelson.

Armed with her hand-me-down ’78 Gibson Les Paul and powerhouse vocals that could shake walls, Chicago singer/songwriter Aly Jados performs with everything she’s got — her heart and soul and sweat and tears. Her voice is raw, soulful and bluesy with a rough edge, while her lyrics weave a story that almost everyone can relate to. Since the tender age of 13, Aly has been forging her way as a musician, playing screeching guitar solos in punk and metal bands, while dreaming of rock and roll stardom. But her impressive pipes were the reason she was hand-selected to compete in front of a national audience on Fox’s popular talent search “American Idol” in 2011, and NBC’s hit vocal competition “The Voice” in 2012. Still, Aly has kept her eye on the prize and her home-town roots strong, playing monthly residencies to her loyal fans all throughout the city while continuing to write and record. She recently even enlisted a few of her biggest fans to act as extra’s in the music video for her gritty rock single “Waiting,” which has caused an online buzz with its dark imagery and hauntingly catchy hooks. Aly’s debut EP Don’t Come Easy was recorded and released by Cassette Company Records in February 2012, and most nights you still can catch her, with her trusty Les Paul slung over her shoulder by a Kiss guitar strap, rocking rooms all throughout Chicago.

Zach Myers was born November 7, 1983. He was both born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. Zach began playing guitar at age thirteen. By fourteen he had a manager, a record deal, and began touring the world. He released two records under the band name Zach Myers Band. Zach also played with bands such as Fairwell, Saliva and Breaking Point. Zach Myers joined Shinedown in 2005. He has played both bass guitar and lead guitar. With influences such as Jimi Henrix and Jimi Page it’s no wonder Zach has provided fans an experience like no other.