n the great tradition of The Monkees, The Partridge Family and Josie and the Pussycats comes a band actually built around a TV series. Not only does Flabby Hoffman star in their own weekly television series in Chicago (Thursday nights from 11:30pm to 12:30am on CAN-TV Cable Channel 19), but the titular figurehead of the band, Flabby H. himself, is a true activist who believes in and is attempting to instigate a modern day revolution driven by the empowerment of the righteous as a methodology for change in a world gone horribly wrong due primarily to the co-opting of media by elements of the pathological aristocracy. One can of course find the Flabby Hoffman Trio (which depending on the evening is anywhere from a four piece to eight piece band) performing and/or tooling around at nearly every decent club in town once in a while, where the Flabby Hoffman team of volunteers and cross-dressing harlequins are responsible for booking each of the bands that perform at the club for the evening in what is called The Flabby Hoffman Caravan. The Flabby Caravan is a series of shows throughout the Chicago rock circuit with about 300 gigs under its belt which features tons of great organically driven music (usually a four band line up) as well as prize giveaways, occasional comedic and acoustic tweener acts, a freaky host, customized event programs and more all of which is videotaped to gather footage for the Flabby TV series. The Flabby Hoffman Trio itself, unlike the TV bands mentioned at the top of this description who were primarily designed for teeny boppers and lumberjacks, looks to appeal to all of the disenfranchised of the world. Those pushed to the side by a mainstream media which seems like an electronic Spanish Inquisition forcing us to conform or be tortured. A mainstream cultural indoctrination device that seems more concerned with turning everyone into a mindless robot than encouraging truly creative people to create. With their hard rock, riff oriented, axe blistering antics and soul stirring lyrics, there is no doubt that this band is not in the mood to compromise. Will this trio get crushed by the weight of the imposing forces in control of our culture, or will they learn how to thrive in a world run by sociopaths that seek to crush every last vestige of individuality… If you would like to be part of this effort, join us on the TV series, join us on our efforts at movies productions and webisodes, fool around at a Flabby live show, do some original productions and help make this thing resonate…be my guest.

KJ Johnson is a one woman, folk-rocking machine — this June saw the independent release of her debut album, Natural Progression. Having written her first song at nine years old to comfort the restless baby in her aunt’s belly, she now shudders at the “singer-songwriter” label. At 18 she traded her home in New York for the Midwest. Now KJ is student at Columbia College Chicago, where she is constantly pushing herself to learn new techniques and refine her own natural style as a vocal performance major. As part of The Little Giants, a student pop-rock ensemble, KJ has shared the stage with Joan Osborne and Nash Kato (Urge Overkill). .. .. Natural Progression is the culmination of six years worth of poetry and self-exploration. The album’s quirkier moments are reminiscent of a sunny day spent laying in the grass or an off-beat conversation with your best friend. Darker tracks reveal a fascination with human nature and the psychological motivations behind action. The album follows KJ’s search for honesty, intimacy, and coping mechanisms. What has she discovered in the process? “Happiness. I believe that’s the ultimate goal and if you’re not happy, then you’re doing something wrong.” .. .. Natural Progression available for listen/download at ..kjjohnson.bancamp.com..

Jack Straw was born in the winter of 2000 as the result of a meeting between guitarist Jon Gram and keyboardist Barry Brown, brought together by a music-loving mutual friend who saw some possibilities. Jon added to the mix bassist Ryan Churchill and drummer Joe Kunkle. With Jon and Barry leading the way, Jack Straw brings forth a richly diverse array of music, mixing together songs by the likes of Phish, the Grateful Dead, Eric Clapton, the Allman Brothers, Jerry Garcia’s bluegrass band Old and in the Way, and Jon’s original music.