With a sound that combines the classic strumming of 1960s surf music---reminiscent of Dick Dale's guitar work---with the element of punk, LOS STRAITJACKETS have carved a successful niche for themselves in the world of alternative rock. Comprised of Eddie Angel and Danny Amis on guitars, Pete Curry on bass, and Jimmy Lester on drums, the instrumental band has performed original as well as classic tunes, while always focusing on pop culture and fun. Their trademark Mexican wrestling masks, matching clothes, and custom-made matching guitars have made them one of the more visually exciting bands to see in live performance.
Since forming in 1988, BIG SANDY & HIS FLY RITE BOYS have emerged as one of the world's most respected practitioners of American roots music, western swing, rockabilly, and traditional country—playing it like they invented it. "I think of us as just a rock and roll band, a rock and roll band that's letting the roots show," says bandleader Big Sandy. Whether they're playing the Grand Ole Opry, Late Night With Conan O'Brien, or simply climbing out of a bus after rolling into your town, these guys are bringing us some great old-time rock and roll.
TICKETS AVAILABLE THROUGH: (800) 594-TIXX
RECORD RELEASE Saturday, Oct 23 - 7pm - $10adv/$12door Kevin So
Recorded in September 2008 in only three days, “Best Foot Forward” captures the essence of Kevin So in his most intimate and perhaps most vulnerable setting – solo acoustic. Never one to repeat himself, So puts forth a collection of 15 never-before-recorded original songs (17 for digital release). Included are the politically charged “Letter From Guantanamo,” the anthemic and socially relevant “Stronger Side By Side,” a post break-up “Forever Friend,” and the soul-searching “Hollywood, Cherokee & Vine” – the latter two recorded and mixed in Nashville by longtime friend Russell Wolff. “Best Foot Forward” marks the reunion of So and Steve Rapson, producer of So’s debut CD, “Pendulum,” in 1996.
HELLO DAVE was accidentally formed at Eastern Illinois University by singer/songwriter Mike Himebaugh. Set on being a Veterinarian at the time, Himebaugh curiously picked up an old acoustic guitar he found in the garage one day and taught himself to play. Himebaugh decided being in a rock and roll band was way better than Vet school, and soon started rocking the Midwest and beyond. Big Al Wetzel (bass player) and Mike MAGOO McGohan (electric guitar) joined Himebaugh and made Chicago their home in 1993. HD rocked clubs, bars and festivals in Chicago, toured the country, and even the world, gathering fans everywhere they went. Vans, groupies and six-packs came and went, but HD kept rocking on. In 2006 Peter Bauschke joined the band as the new drummer, and shortly thereafter, guitar-player Marty Williamson. Together, the unique band created a fresh new sound dubbed “Chicago Twang.” Hello Dave is known for their addictive melodies, ringing harmonies and heart-felt and memorable lyrics, When the roaring guitar riffs mesh with the thunderous rhythm section, people can’t help but get up and dance. A fan favorite, smiles will definitely linger when Hello Dave rolls into town.
Built around the considerable talents of the instrumentally gifted Kuhl brothers (sounds like "cool") and Ukrainian maestro Dima, The Dirty Blue is a sprawling band in both production and concept. A storied musical past provides the foundation for a remarkably polished outcome. The Kuhls have been writing and performing music since their early teens, even appearing many times on local TV and radio shows. Now, utilizing a rotating arsenal of instruments, the trio offers a sound that simultaneously references classic Pop/Rock simplicity and intricate Prog Rock complexity, creating a fascinating contemporary hybrid in process.
Chicago-based vocal stylist Typhanie Monique, known for her power throat days fronting Peking Turtle, Improv outfit - SUMO, and gracing the stages of Chicago's top jazz venues, had an itch to get back into the "big band" improv funk scene. So, who is this Booty? This booty is phat, funky, beat-droppin, improv stylin, horn wailing, low-end bumpin', power throatin, tribal groovin, never knowin what's coming out next. The Coalition is Chicago. Musicians who have hit every stage in & out of the city. Performing with talent like: Destiny's Child, Boz Scaggs, Mike Manson, Poi Dog Pondering, SUMO, Mr. Ali, Mr Egg Germ, Peking Turtle, Joss Stone, Rapheal Sadiq, Brian Culbertson, EXO, Tributosaurus, Jazz Mata, Cassuis Clay, 911 Mambo Orchestra, Fareed Haque Group... On last Monday's, they come together not to blow over your head, not to bore you with ballads, but to spontaneously combust with "us"... as we funk it out, you shake it out.
Founded by Chicago guitarist Anthony Allamandola, Vertikal is a 8-piece group bridging the gap between hip-hop and jazz, drawing influence from funk, soul, latin, rock, and blues. Their live shows are dynamic, fusing soulful female vocals and hip-hop lyricism with DJ tracks, horn hits, and a grooving rhythm section. Expect to hear anything from rocksteady reggae rhythms and soothing vocal ballads to funky deep house grooves--and everything in between. Vertikal is creating a stir in Chicago's live music scene, drawing a diverse following that grows larger by the show.
LAST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH - TIX AVAILABLE AT DOOR, NIGHT OF ONLY
The Moth StorySLAMs are open to anyone with a five-minute story to tell on the night's theme. Half an hour before the show, we put the names of all the folks who want to tell a story in a hat. At the start of the show, we start picking names. The 10 featured stories are scored by teams of judges selected from the audience. Each Storyslam generates a Storyslam winner. After ten slams, the winners face off in our Grandslam Championships. Come sign up to tell a story, or just to enjoy the show! Chicago Moth StorySLAMs now join weekly StorySLAM events in New York and twice a month StorySLAMs in Los Angeles.
With J-SAN AND THE ANALOGUE SONS we are united, reminded of struggle, inspired to seek resolution and yet left content... upfull and bright... Dub-Rock music is born. J-san And The Analogue Sons (JATAS) have been making heads nod and bodies groove for over a decade. Imagine the lover's rock stylings of reggae legend Gregory Isaacs, the socially conscious world/rock of Michael Franti & Spearhead, the energy of Ozomatli and you may begin to understand the Word-Sound-Power that JATAS will take you to. Son of radical vietnam vet father and Okinawan native mother J-san was raised on the road. Living at times with artists and musicians - and other times with ganja growers and hustlers - music was always a companion. J-san's incredibly powerful vocals are reminiscent of the great soul singers of any era. Deftly moving from love songs dripping with emotion to fiery protest songs that send fists pumping and spines tingling! “Thick beats, smooth guitar, playful horns, and vocals that melt your heart and put a fire in your soul… a musical mix that makes you want to move, grind, and pump your fist all at the same time. - Blogcritics.org
KEITH & THE COMPLICATIONS don't think they do things the hard way; but when you have a dozen people being led by their fiery frontman, things just become complicated. The songwriting is intricate, employing lyrics that are simultaneously timeless and modern, with just the right amount of snark; not everyone can pull off the lyric "While you sell yourself on ebay.com!" The subject matter can range from simple love songs like "A Fool 4 U" or "Darling Come Back" to bitter vengeance songs like "If It's A Whuppin' You're A-Wantin'..." or "You Can't Fool Me" to sultry come-ons like "The Song That Dare Not Speak Its Name" or "Every Time I'm Flying Blind." The arrangements are complex, tipping their hats to the likes of Motown, Stax, and... Aerosmith? The live shows, though, are a bit simpler. They are sweaty, joyous, and intense for both the band and the audience. While most people's eyes are naturally attracted to Keith's antics, it's hard to turn away from the crisp reds and blacks worn by the whole band. Sharp suits for the boys, demure dresses for the girls. At the back of the stage, Troy's propulsive drumming and Matt's soulful basslines drive the music, while Mari's keys, Ryan's tambourine and cowbell, and the horn section of Danny, Erik, and Kat add the frills. Jen and Rani fill out the vocals, leaving just enough room left in the arrangement and on the stage for Adam's blistering guitar. Meanwhile, as the musicians work, Keith plays. He runs through the audience, encouraging them to sing and clap along. He climbs back onto the stage, onto a bar, a table, or even a Complication. He mugs, he shakes, he jumps, he twitches, he never stops moving until long after the show is over. It's clear by his energy that Keith loves what he's doing, and it's clear that he's not alone; the band routinely gets a rowdy "Noooo!" whenever they announce their last song. As far as the audience is concerned, the shows are never long enough, and as far as the band is concerned, the audience is always right.
Two retro rock and power pop guitarist/songwriters join forces after spending ten years each in Chicago with various bands (Loomis, Ellen Rosner, Three Fifths, Red Plastic Buddha, Hop on Pop, Trakan). Their vision: to hone a well-crafted batch of new, tightly written songs chock full of hooks and choruses around a strong, dynamic, up and coming vocalist/songwriter. The result is ROXY SWAIN.
VEIPA CRAY is a four-piece rock band following the whispers of an intangible muse. They throw new wave, prog, alt-rock, jazz and a dash of paprika into a cauldron, stir heartily and offer a taste of whatever comes up. Their 2009 release "Who Is Veipa Cray" remains beyond classification.
LOOSE POOCH is: Eric Enger - Lead vocals & Guitar Garret Johnson - Lead Guitar & Vocals Erik Olson - Bass Alex Reeves - Drums
GROOVATRON will be performing a "musical costume" on the 10/29 show. They will be covering SUBLIME as part of the Halloween event. Groovatron will rock you, plain and simple. While total schizophrenia and blatant attention deficit disorder might seem like unwanted ailments in modern times, Groovatron embraces these so called disorders to create a form of music that is part funk, part progressive, and all rock. Powered by the thumping bass of Tony Qualls, the rhythmic intensity of Andy Dumaresq and Steve Pesich, the wailing guitars of Marc Quagliara and Nick Ferrer, and the soulful, sultry saxophone of Tony McCullough, this six-headed beast is sure to satisfy the most savage of musical lusts and entertain even the most discerning of fans. To say a Groovatron concert is more like a kick ass rock show is accurate, but that is not the wholestory. Bringing together 6 attention hungry 20-somethings with twisted senses of humor has atendency to instigate some very outlandish theatrics. A Groovatron show is just that, a show. It is anexperience to behold, a veritable feast for both the ears and eyes. The members of Groovatron feel that it is important to entertain, as well as rock your socks off. Playing off their desires to entertain, Groovatron has developed a stage show that is constantly evolving. Now, this isn’t some sort of rehearsed play like your high school’s version of the Music Man. The Groovatron stage show can take any number of forms, from synchronized dancing, matching (and sometimes non-matching) costumes, or full blown skits including pajama jammy jams, beach parties, interstellar robot fights, and 70’s funk parties. Voted the "Best Breakthrough Performance" of the 15,000 person Wakarusa Music Festival by Jambase.com in 2006, Groovatron has begun to be nationally recognized as a must see band. Their exploits have become a huge part of burgeoning summer festival scene. Additionally, members of The String Cheese Incident, moe., Umphrey’s McGee, and more, have all appeared as guest musicians at a Groovatron show. With over 600 live performances under their belts, the Groovatron show continues to get stronger and stronger.
STRANGE ARRANGEMENT, a Chicago based Quartet, is a band combining a wide array of musical styles, from jazz to rock; raggae and funk to bluegrass; as well as Afro-Cuban and West African Music. Their high energy performances bring a fresh sound to the stage and always draw people in to experience something different. They have been reaching new audiences across the Midwest, playing venues in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan. In January 2008, they released their debut record, Side by Side, which combines their unique musical landscapes into tightly knit, well-crafted songs that somehow go from Folky/Indy to Progressive Funk Fusion, meeting in the middle somewhere to create a new path.
Whereas the idea of a "new sound" might seem like wishful thinking to the modern day music connoisseur, that concept is exactly what keeps Land of Atlantis fans coming back for more. LOA tastefully mixes intricate, progressive song writing with simple hooks and melodies, all the while infusing a healthy dose of improvisation and virtuosity. With their open-minded approach to creating music, each member adds their own distinct flavor to the recipe. Guitarist Dan Rucinski and bassist Josh Hanchar keep it solid with their swanky grooves, yet embellish enough to make things unpredictable. Drummer Nemanja Djorovic and guitarist Nikola Djorovic use an intuition that only twin brothers can share to seamlessly link up and propel the music to new heights, while saxophonist Kevin Davidson blends it all together with his seductive melodies. LOA is known for having a very impressive live show that combines the band's energetic rhythm and harmony with a hypnotic light show for a full night of sensory overload.
DUAL CORE: Brought together by the power of the internet (and perhaps a touch of musical providence), Cincinnati-based computer programmer int eighty and Manchester-area graphic designer c64 have been rocking the more studious side of the hip-hop underground since 2007. Their debut release Zero One – featuring Counter-Strike anthem “Hostage Down” and club banger “Give Me Wings” – was summarily embraced by the tech set as a welcome shift in the contemporary hip-hop paradigm.
Keith A. Moore (born December 15, 1985), is a Nerdcore rapper from The Tri-Cities, WA better known by the stage name BEEFY. In 2005, Moore produced two independent EPs, The Whitesican EP and nerd. He created animated music videos for the songs "Whitesican" and "David's Sister" (both from The Whitesican EP), which gave him notoriety after they appeared on Albino Blacksheep. In 2006, Moore, in conjunction with Nerdy South Records, released his first full-length album, Tube Technology. In August 2008, he released his album Rolling Doubles as a digital download through Amazon and iTunes. In February 2009, Beefy attended "Glitched: The Dutch Nerdcore Event,"[16] the first major nerdcore event to be held outside the United States. It was held in Club Panama in Amsterdam and featured the film Nerdcore for Life[17] as well as performances from his fellow rappers MC Router, MC Lars, and YTCracker. In July 2009, Beefy performed at Nerdapalooza, the largest nerdcore hip hop event in North America.
FORMER FAT BOYS Says frontman $ucksex of himself and the group, ”I'm awesome. I'm basically a superstar in waiting. I take Hard Corey and DJ Tanner beats and I elevate them to greatness. I'm the best mc in Chicago and probably the western hempisphere and I prove it constantly in my every day life on the streets or in the back alleys where I'm being. I sell tons of records, I fuck realllllllllly hot girls, I regularly meet with people way more famous than you and do things that only really awesome famous people do, I'm just not quite famous yet. My cock is 10 feet long and I have infinite lives. True story.“
Producer, Supermodel, and professional dancer Hard Corey is more coy about the group's purpose saying, ”Well, $ucksex is definitely a talented mc, but without my beats he'd be just another white kid on VH-1 claiming to be a rapper. I give him the sugar, flour, and eggs to bake his cakes and pies, if you will. He wouldn't be boning so many hot chicks after shows if not for me. But, in conclusion, there's really no more awesome combination than the two of us and a bottle of Formula 50 Grape Vitamin Water and a waffle.“
Why would a diverse bunch of musicians get together to do a benefit for someone whose expertise is officially “PHP Development in Rich Media such as GD, PDF and Ming”? Whatever that means. It’s because he’s given so much to the music community in Chicago and now we can finally help him. Rich Lynch has had day jobs most of us can’t comprehend but you could also find him running soundboard at a concert, attending a musician’s meeting, booking a show, transferring an antiquated database, creating nifty websites back when no one we knew owned a laptop or owned a smartphone, putting up posters, or generally promoting his favorite artists. And often his reward was just the music itself- and maybe a beer. If asked how we could repay him the answer was usually, “Don’t worry about it.” Well, now we got worry.
A few weeks ago Rich was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Surgery is done and it’s worse than they thought: big bad and malignant. Most of the cancerous tissue was removed with no resulting damage to motor skills or his amazing mind. But most likely it’s gonna come back. Unlike a lot of musicians, Rich’s day job at Rasmussen College had pretty good insurance but he’s still thousands of dollars short of what he needs. And hey, we just want him to know how much we appreciate all he’s done for us and music in Chicago.
So a benefit concert is being organized by Ellen Rosner who has worked closely with Rich for over a decade. Musicians include Suzy Brack & The New Jack Lords, Ellen and her new band The Bubbly Creek All Stars, Ripley Caine, Jeffrey Altergott, Persephonic, Jade Maze, and headlining is a for-this-night-only re-united: Ulele. Michael Cameron of Uncommon Ground is gathering donations for the silent auction which so far includes dinners, exclusive concert tickets from WXRT, theatre admission from the Neo-Futurists, studio time, massages and art. There will also be a raffle with the winner announced just prior to Ulele’s 10pm set. We expect Rich will attend and say a few words.
Jesse Palter and The Alter Ego is the brain child of Jesse Palter (Detroit/Chicago) and Sam Barsh(Chicago/New York). After meeting in 2006, they began collaborating on original music that has been making waves amongst their audiences and contemporaries alike. Both established musicians and dynamic performers in their own right (Palter received honors as "Outstanding Jazz Vocalist" 3 years in a row at the Detroit Music Awards and Barsh has toured and recorded with the likes of Cassandra Wilson, Avishai Cohen, Boyz II Men, Bobby McFerrin and The Brand New Heavies, among others), The Alter Ego is creating a niche for themselves by blending catchy hooks, club-worthy beats, and captivating lyrics while maintaining the spirit of their jazz and soul roots. They spent a month in 2008 performing in Asia, where their high octane performances received rave reviews; since then they've been showcasing their exciting project at various venues throughout the States, including a main stage performance at Comerica Cityfest in downtown Detroit, private events for David Barton Gym and actofgood.com, and packed club shows in Chicago and New York City.
A Chicago native, London established herself as an artist at a young age. Singing at age 3 (we have the cassettes to prove it) it was only a matter of time before she started writing music of her own. On her 13th birthday, London picked up a guitar and taught herself to play. Eight short months later, London snuck into a 21 and over open mic and took the stage for the first time. From that moment on, there was no turning back. London recorded her first single “Better Left Unsaid” in October of 2005. “Better Left Unsaid” earned her the number one requested single several weeks in a row on Mixx Studios Radio. With the success of her first single, London quickly gained a loyal online following. In 2008, she was the #1 unsigned folk, and #2 unsigned acoustic/indie artist on MySpace for Illinois. She achieved 3 million plays on YouTube and over 1 million plays on MySpace - all as an unsigned artist. In the summer of 2009, London’s internet success translated to her first record deal when she signed to Severe Records out of Nashville, Tennessee. “I threw my life in a suitcase, couch surfed around Nashville and made my first record. I can’t imagine a better way to do it” London said.
In August 2002 they became The Who. September was Sly & the Family Stone, followed by CSNY and then The Police. TRIBUTOSAURUS is not just a band…it is a musical event, a happening. Tributosaurus is the Jurassic beast of multiple musical faces, and every month, the beast morphs into a different rock group. Every set is tweaked with the lineup essential to accurately re-create the recorded material of an amazing array of artists. This mandate draws the finest musicians from Chicagoland and beyond to join the core group to sing and play songs they’ve wanted to cover all their lives. For Paul McCartney, we had members of the CSO and 30 people on stage, for Ray Charles we had a full big band, for Paul Simon we had an ensemble of native South American flutes -- whatever it takes. If there's a song that requires 2 keyboard players, 3 guitarists, a mandolin and a 6 piece horn section -- you can bet we'll have 'em. The Tributosaurus Core is comprised of 4 of the top musicians in Chicagoland. These players consider themselves the Civil War re-creationists of rock and roll, as they skillfully learn a brand new set of material every month, note for note. If you're in Chicago on the first Wednesday of the month, look us up - you won't regret it!
In August 2002 they became The Who. September was Sly & the Family Stone, followed by CSNY and then The Police. TRIBUTOSAURUS is not just a band…it is a musical event, a happening. Tributosaurus is the Jurassic beast of multiple musical faces, and every month, the beast morphs into a different rock group. Every set is tweaked with the lineup essential to accurately re-create the recorded material of an amazing array of artists. This mandate draws the finest musicians from Chicagoland and beyond to join the core group to sing and play songs they’ve wanted to cover all their lives. For Paul McCartney, we had members of the CSO and 30 people on stage, for Ray Charles we had a full big band, for Paul Simon we had an ensemble of native South American flutes -- whatever it takes. If there's a song that requires 2 keyboard players, 3 guitarists, a mandolin and a 6 piece horn section -- you can bet we'll have 'em. The Tributosaurus Core is comprised of 4 of the top musicians in Chicagoland. These players consider themselves the Civil War re-creationists of rock and roll, as they skillfully learn a brand new set of material every month, note for note. If you're in Chicago on the first Wednesday of the month, look us up - you won't regret it!
A night of drinking, dancing, socializing, networking and non-stop music For die hard rockabilly devotees and civilian fans since 1991. Over the last decade, this highly organized vibrant jam session, held the first Thursday of every month at Martyrs', has become rockabilly central for many of the musicians & fans of Chicago's American roots scene. Although the monthly jam is devoted to rockabilly, the Big C Jamboree has also offered the span of '40's-'50's American roots music from Hillbilly Boogie to Western Swing, Jump Blues and 1st generation Rock-n-Roll. The rotating line-up onstage usually features the raucous sounds of pompadoured rockabilly musicians wailing away on upright basses and hallow-bodied electric guitars; and there's NEVER a cover!
The Lustre Kings' front man, Mark Gamsjager, "remembers when "rock 'n' roll" actually used to signify something," raved The Beat about the band's live show, "and his band sounds like it just left Sun Studios yesterday."
Chicago's COLD WATER MYSTIC blends skunky reggae with funk rock and hip hop, mixing a musical cocktail that brings their ever-growing fan base to their feet every time they perform live. Formed in 2007, Cold Water Mystic have released two albums, 2007's "Last Call" and in July of 2009, "Cooler By The Lake". Cold Water Mystic have played hundreds of live shows in Chicago and around the Midwest. Of these shows they have headlined House Of Blues (Chicago) twice, opened for Pepper at Metro (Chicago) on Halloween 2008, opened for Kottonmouth Kings at The Rave (Milwaukee), and at smaller venues opened for Sugar Ray, Tonic, SOJA, John Brown's Body, Passafire, and The Cool Kids to name a few. Cold Water Mystic continue to grow tighter as a musical unit live and expand their fan base daily. They are poised and committed to do big things as they bring in a fresh sound, vibe, and style to a currently mundane music industry and scene.
AKASHA: the best of roots reggae, ska grooves and rich vocal harmonies. Stylistically, Akasha sounds like they stepped out of a 1972 session at Studio One. Their ska and reggae is powerfully authentic but also is accessible to the contemporary ear. Akasha’s distinct approach is refreshing and earnest. They are courageously trailblazing a path for a new generation to receive the gifts of the Jamaican musical canon. The Akasha sound gives birth to an unmistakable variety of heavy, raw grooves reminiscent of The Skatalites, The Maytals, Desmond Dekker and The Wailers.
KATIE TODD BAND: Having shared the stage with such music scene luminaries as Juliana Hatfield, Patti Labelle, 10,000 Maniacs, Steve Winwood, Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s, Kenny Loggins and The Wallflowers, the Chicago Arts and Entertainment Magazine has recognized Katie Todd as “a breath of fresh air that the Chicago music scene has been waiting for.” Lauded by iTunes.com as having one of the “top buzz bands in the country”, Katie claimed a spot as the website’s “Artist of the Week”, earning nearly 300,000 downloads of their single “Face Down”. On her album: Make Some Time For Wasting, Katie’s captivating voice and signature percussive keys-playing are showcased most boldly on her haunting single, “Leave," which tells a tale of woe that has radio and TV programmers hailing it as “one of the most perfect pop songs to come along in quite a while.” Many of Katie’s songs have been chosen as themes for major motion pictures including: Leave in the soon to be released movie, Chasing the Green, staring Jeremy London; The Polite in The Mini; and In And Around in Other People’s Parties. The National Geographic Channel chose Katie’s song In And Around as the theme song for their ‘Go Green’ campaign. And Larry Smith, author of Six Word Memoirs, chose The Polite as the theme song for his book tour. The video is available for viewing at www.smithmag.net/lovevideo. Katie returned to the studio and completed her third album, Mumbled Speech. This summer, Katie has been supporting the release of this album, performing at SummerFest, Lilith Fair, as well as many other notable venues/festivals. The video for the single off of this album "Love Love Love" is also completed and up.
JOHNNY & ROBBIE Having met while studying abroad in Rome, Italy back in 2005, Johnny Robinson and Robbie Mueller began their music career playing at local Italian bars mainly just to say, "yeah, we gigged in Rome." However, since being reunited in Robbie's hometown of Chicago, Illinois, they decided to try their luck in the windy city. Without a demo, myspace page (until now), or any real proof that they were any good, this duo was able to finagle their way into a gig at a bar in the famous Wrigleyville area. As a result of that fateful night, Johnny and Robbie have been able to secure monthly gigs at some of Chicago's most prominent venues. With the aid of their study-abroad following, family, and local friends they have been able to consistently draw big crowds that defy the laws of an economic recession. This laissez-faire attitude has worked well for them so far, but because of their success and ability to make new fans wherever they play, they have decided to take their craft more seriously and plan on recording an EP sometime this spring/summer. With the strength of Johnny's vocals/guitar play and Robbie's tasteful guitar accompaniments and occasional successful harmony attempts, this band is bound for big things.
The Spares make twangy, bluesy, roots music—call it alt-country or Americana. The Chicago duo writes and sings about characters in hard places whose stories hint at love and truth in ways that the characters themselves don’t always recognize. Their lyrics are thoughtful and honest, just as their acoustic music is raw, beautiful, and compelling.
Jodee Lewis and Steve Hendershot formed The Spares in 2004, and in 2005 released the group's first CD, Hand Me Down. Roots Music Report called the CD "one of the finest Roots Rock/Americana albums to be released in 2005," and the lead song, "Mexico," was named Best Song -- Country" for 2006 by the International Academy of Independent Artists. The Spares toured throughout the Midwest, garnering comparisons to Allison Krauss & Union Station, and Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons.
Now The Spares are releasing a second CD, Beautiful and Treacherous Thing. As on Hand Me Down, the pair shares songwriting duties on this collection of songs about the volatility, longing and worth of the heart.
PUSH: Something has gone seriously wrong. we have become something uncontrollable... hopeless. spinning. growling. grinding. speeding on a radioactive wave out into the ether.... into the black hole... to where only the monolith can find you... through the stargate.... through what you thought was a wall of cool into a world of irresistible beauty, quotation, theft, expectation. Like a bird chasing a cracker, grabbing it, wrestling it to the ground only to smother it with Easy Cheeze(tm) and serve it with wine to the cosmos... productions. Then, to make matters worse, we’ve found a way to rehearse much more often, which has subsequently caused us to start trying things that serious bands shouldn't try.... like quoting 80's hair metal drum solos and/or the Theme to "2001, a space odyssey" (Richard Strauss), drum parts on keyboards, headset microphones.... we're lost in a vortex of uncool. We have no "indie" ethic, we don't even know what "the kids" are listening to these days... we don't dress well and we're not interested in impressing anyone BUT people who want their faces melted. Push is a battery of percussion instruments, a rock rhythm section tied together with loops and synths. It’s a progressive, maybe audacious, time-traveling monolith. Push aims for the wormhole and begs you to come see the sights. Images of the frontier, atom bombs and atom bomb shelters, satellites and “tellys”, loving and punching, sobbing and dancing... you'll come across these things. We even manage to get the whole group to sit down/sit-out an entire song during our set (it's like movie time in our own show, cause we're lazy? cause we like being the audience as much as we like performing?? does it matter? the movie is cool.)
HORSE IN THE SEA is the moniker for the lyrical and musical compositions of Joel Janis. Since its inception in 2007, the project has been produced and engineered by Nashville producer and recording artist Kyle Andrews. Janis and Andrews first met in grade school and began trading demo cassette tapes in the mid-1990s. Horse In The Sea’s debut album, “I Order The Sun To Shine On Everyone” was released in December 2007 to critical acclaim. Substantiating reviews came from media outlets such as the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader, Time Out Chicago, and countless blogs. This modest self-release, recorded in the band’s basement, has sold over 15,000 downloads. The album singles, “Vegas” and “I Order The Sun,” continue to receive airplay support from Chicago radio stations such as WXRT and Q101. Horse in the Sea has played over 200 shows in support of this album, including multiple sold-out performances in Chicago.
ART GALTS WIDOW Weathered by traditional rock, this quartet finds its inspiration not in pop culture, but in the sweat and grit of its brow. After taking a break from Chicago’s music scene for a few years, songwriter Jon Jakubowski and Kevin Dudey paired up alongside bassist Jeff Mulligan to begin a new musical endeavor. Anchored in influences such as Smashing Pumpkins, Sunny Day Real Estate and Imogen Heap, the group once again takes the stage under a new name and new direction. Passionate, focused and willing to leave it all on the table, this rock band does not seek the limelight, but instead remains honest to the integrity of the music and dedicated to the fans that support them.
The gentlemen of CITY STATES are a slow bunch. Not slow as in dim-witted, but gradual, careful, deliberate, like the gourmet who savors his meal, or the professor who considers intently before answering a student's question. Following the dissolution of the Modern Temper in March of 2008, keyboardist Steve Lund and vocalist/bassist Joel Ebner disappeared for a solid eighteen months, writing, demoing, rehearsing, evolving. Results were hard-won but well worth the wait, and those who were fans of their former band will certainly recognize the qualities that made them such a compelling local act. However their new project isn't a total retread. Though City States continues with the tightly-wound pop tunes of the Modern Temper, Lund and Ebner have primarily traded in the '80s dance-rock references of their previous act in favor of something more, shall we say, arty? Increasingly complex arrangements, ghostly synths and looped samples, IDM-inspired drum programming, hints of post-rock and Berlin-era Bowie are the name of the game. And now with the inclusion of Mike Burmeister (Pontius) and Matt Deming (the Goddamn Shame) as co-conspirators, they are thrilled to bring it with all new material in their debut show.
Says CANDY TOWN's Sean Guinan: "When I was a little kid, my grandfather used to read stories to me from an enormous old book entitled CANDY TOWN, which he?d held onto since his own childhood. The tales within described the adventures of a band of clown musicians, who traveled from town to town, playing their melodies and offering the brokenhearted an opportunity to come away with them back to their mythical home, a land where everything was made of cake, candy and ice cream. My grandfather told me he kept the book in the secret hope those clown musicians would come to his town, one day. I confess, it's the same reason that I myself have continued to hold onto it, so many years later." "The musical numbers...composed by Guinan, recall Yankee hymns, minstrel music, early Beatles, and Kurt Weill, and generate a sweet, nostalgic, at times sardonic tone." -Ted Shen, Chicago Reader
Tim Seisser Quintet is one of Chicago's most exciting up and coming instrumental groups. Tim's newest band aims to join jazz harmony and improvisation with contemporary grooves and melodic hooks. The group performs all original compositions of bassist/band leader TIm Seisser. The band consists of Tim on electric bass, Matt Nelson on Keys, Jonathan Marks on Drums, Rich Moore on Tenor Sax and Luke Malewicz on Trombone.
Hood Smoke is an eight piece funk rock band lead by bassist and composer Bryan Doherty. The band features John Mclean, Rob Clearfield, Michael Caskey, Javier Saume, Allison Orobia, Sarah Marie Young, and Greg Ward.
Tiny Magnets, featuring Brian Cremins on bass and vocals, Allison Felus on vocals and hand percussion, Kevin Henretta on guitar, and Jake Montgomery on drums, bring their love of rock together with sweet boy/girl harmonies for a power-trio explosion of widescreen Midwestern sonics informed by East Coast wit. The band released their debut EP, Daughters of the Frontier, in October 2010.
Pet Robot was formed by three individuals with an extensive history in the Chicago music scene. With each band member bringing in their own styles and influences, they've cultivated a experimental rock / hard rock / indie rock sound that has been compared to bands such as Sonic Youth, Stereolab, Hovercraft, and Radiohead.
Chewheart's "six-song EP is energetic, intense and beautiful all rolled into one." Innocent Words Magazine
Virtuosity? Overrated! Telepathy? We got it! Kites was born from the ashes of a satanic girlscout's campfire. This monstrous entity, incubated in the wastelands of Chicago's southside, now runs wild on a devastating rampage, spreading sweet pop noise at back-breaking velocity.
KITES is formed by two earthbound cosmonauts and one belligerent flautist! During a hibernation period, they occupied themselves by crafting songs that contain the perfect balance between loud and catchy, weird and melodic, obnoxious and beautiful.
ANDY DAVIS's smart and seductive blue-eyed soul music weds indelible hooks to sly, incisive lyrics, creating songs that sound like newly minted pop-soul classics. A Louisiana native, Davis released his first album, "Thinks of Her," in 2004. "Thinks of Her" struck a chord on college campuses, selling out its initial print run. The original pressing of the CD -- with Davis's hand-written lyrics and stenciled cover art -- became a collector's item within months of its release. In 2005, the remastered rerelease of "Thinks of Her" gained Davis national exposure and brought him to the attention of legendary music producer Mitchell Froom (Paul McCartney, Sheryl Crow, Elvis Costello). The result of their collaboration was "Let the Woman," a sophisticated, sonically adventurous album that ignited a bidding war. Barnes and Noble won the exclusive rights to distribute "Let the Woman" online and and in their stores all over the world. The album's single, "Brown Eyes," became a staple on AAA radio stations nationwide, and "Let the Woman" became a #4 bestseller. Davis toured extensively in support of "Let the Woman", both headlining and opening for Colbie Caliat, Jakob Dylan, Mat Kearney, Will Hoge, Howie Day, and NEEDTOBREATHE. The following year, Davis became a prominent member of Ten Out of Tenn, a critically acclaimed collective of Nashville singer/songwriters who joined forces for a collaborative tour that was documented in the award-winning documentary film, "Any Day Now." In 2009, Davis returned to Nashville to record his latest EP, "New History," which was featured in -- and inspired -- a recent episode of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy."
Named after and recorded on the street where he grew up, CARL HAUCK’s fourth album, Windjammer, is in many ways a reconciliation with adolescence. Hauck penned the songs at college, where all too often he’d find himself sitting at a coffee-stained desk as term paper deadlines approached, unwittingly soaking up the muffled cries of late night drunks, the melodies of waking birds, and the distant crashes of early morning dustcarts. After years of performing the songs in raucous bars and foreign living rooms, it only felt right to record them back home. Yet he wasn’t there for long before he found himself buried in a different set of deadlines, one that he himself had created for his students as a beginning high school teacher. The challenge arose for Hauck to thoughtfully explore, through music, his anxieties surrounding ambition and failure, the selflessness of love, the exploitative nature of personal comfort, and the meaning of home – all while putting on a confident front about the same issues when they surfaced within the context of classroom literature. As this challenge became both more demanding and more engrossing, Windjammer transformed from a labor of love into a labor of necessity. The resulting sound is that of a man assembling a dream in place of sleep, an effort made more worthwhile by contributions from a talented ensemble of friends. There’s a genuine sense of beauty in that sound, an honest sparseness about it, adorned by richly-deserved moments of cathartic splendor. Whether it’s the triumphant horns in “Martial Riesling,” the wistful strings in the title track, or the delicate interplay of the electric guitar in “Rooster,” each and every note that rises beyond Hauck’s traditional acoustic fare is intended to complement the poignant lyricism for which he has become known. Hauck doesn’t claim that the songs on Windjammer are universal or even widely accessible; in fact, some of them are irrevocably personal. Yet there are still treasures within them for those who share a desire to go beyond the obligatory motions of everyday life, those more interested in anchoring down to create something than in sailing on with the current.
Early bird tickets go on sale Monday, September 13 at Noon CT at www.kylehollingsworth.com and continue on sale here on Wednesday, September 15.
30 years ago, Kyle Hollingsworth set out on a career in music. Since then, with a wealth of desire and an abundance of ability, Hollingsworth has established himself as a formidable and versatile music talent, with the ability to contribute, collaborate, compose, and communicate on a number of levels and within a vast spectrum of musical environments. Today, as a member of acclaimed jam masters The String Cheese Incident, Hollingsworth is revered by both peers and fans for his ability to write and perform in a mosaic of styles, from rock to classical, ragtime to bebop. Playing in SCI has allowed him unrestricted access to the world of music, and has bestowed on him the kind of fearlessness a composer needs to flirt with such disparate genres. Those who’ve seen SCI know that they can jerk from funk to bluegrass on a chord change. “In the jam world, where there are no set ways of doing things, we’re not afraid to move in and out of genres,” he says, “and because of that I’ve learned to be creative, not only onstage but in the studio. I can get on board with something pretty quickly. You have to.” While his versatility and quick-study nature have become his signature skills with SCI, they have also proved tremendously helpful on stage during collaborations with a bunch of major acts, including Paul Simon, Bruce Hornsby, Bob Weir, Little Feat, and banjo master Bela Fleck. One summer he toured with Phil Lesh in a band that also included Steve Kimock, John Molo, and Warren Haynes. In the summer of 2008 he spent the summer touring with the “mickey hart band”.This group featured Mickey Hart,George Porter,steve kimock and many others .In another amazing highlight, Kyle also toured with Mike Clark in a band that starred nearly all the original Head Hunters. These gigs prove that Hollingsworth is as unafraid to step out of the limelight as he is to step into it. “When I play with these performers it’s about showcasing them, to support the main role in the best possible way. Seasoned musicians can be tasty and laid back, too!” Kyle’s first solo album release in 2004 reflected his jazz tastes. Titled Never Odd or Even, Joshua Redman and Robert Randolph guested, among others. Never or Odd or Even was the recording Hollingsworth had always wanted to make since he was a kid. In addition to his jazz influences, the album’s music demonstrates Kyle’s ability to seamlessly fuse genres. His new Summer 09 release, titled “The There’s Now,” finds the musician coming in to his own. With solid song material and a slamming new band, Kyle is making his mark in the new, always-evolving music scene. “Then There’s Now” delivers a blend of vocal and instrumental tunes and seamlessly displays his growth as a musician and as a songwriter. Also look for Kyle on tour with his trio DNA Land this spring throughout the Midwest. DNA Land offers loop based funk and hip hop beats and features Damien Hines (drums) and Dan Schwindt (bass/guitar).
From the stacks of basement record collections and the soundtracks of 70’s and 80’s era cult films comes Messy Jiverson, a blast from the past that’s timelessly vintage, yet modernly applicable all in the same. Inspired by the sounds of dusty vinyl, dirty guitars, dangerous drum breaks and dynamic synthesizers, the band explores elements of funk, hip-hop, rock and soul in their completely original style. Heavily influenced by the loop digga movement and decades of musical history, Messy Jiverson is psychedelic rock with a hip-hop flair and hard dance beats.
Originally from Iowa City, IA, Eufórquestra (pronounced: yoo • FOHR • keh • struh, think Euphoria+Orchestra) relocated to Fort Collins, CO in August 2008 and has made a splash on the Colorado music scene with its progressive, genre-crossing funk fusions and a relentless tour schedule. Emerging as a musical powerhouse, Eufórquestra is quickly spreading its self-proclaimed “Afro-Caribbean-Barnyard-Funk;” a unique, rhythmic blend of sound, integrating such genres as Afrobeat, Reggae, Afro-Cuban, Samba, Soca, Funk, Salsa, and Dub. Eufórquestra’s music is igniting dance floors across the country, with a sound that “explodes, dances and melts in your ear with sheer bliss” (Chris M. Slawecki; AllAboutJazz.com). As percussionist and lead vocalist Matt Grundstad puts it, "we just want to make people dance.”
SAVVY is a Chicago-based Strangefunk band. Sometimes danceable, sometimes confusing, most often both, and always interesting. In short, Savvy tries to combine Daft Punk, King Crimson, and XTC into one tight package. In slightly longer, the band consists of several members of This Must be the Band, the only and best Chicago-based Talking Heads Tribute (probably one of the first well-known Strangefunk bands). As such, Savvy understands the necessity for many members of society to get down on a weekly or monthly basis, and they seek to provide such opportunities. July 23rd is Savvy's CD Release show for their new record, "Dictated Not Read." It is stuffed with important information, which will be distributed liberally throughout the show.
Más Trueno is a ancient-futurist dancehall party band. They play music for all liked-hearted partyers, rockers and dancers who passionately enjoy reggae, funk, rock and roll, dancehall, house music, dub music, body music, body music and body music.
Formed and forged in Chicago, Más Trueno includes Dina Harrison (vocals) who also plays with Dan Tedesco and used to play in Getaway Cruiser, Seth Hitsky (keyboard, vocals) who has also played with Maschina and the Daniel Givens Age Ensemble, John Maloney (drums and percussion) who also plays with Them vs. Them and the Ghettobillies, Bruce Krippner (bass) who also plays with Uele! & played with Las Toallitas and Neil Dixon Smith (guitar, vocals) who also plays with Los Guitarristos.
Dave Hamiton’s musical roots were planted by his family in central Illinois. Even back then he was into capes. Many memories involved rocking out with his siblings. He fondly recalls being used as a puppet in home shows orchestrated by his sisters. Today they are still known to perform for a crowd. From a very young age, David shined in all things musical. Some of his merits include winning national awards in choreography & vocals during high school sporting a wicked mullet, Dave was the first to bring hip hop to the Castle Stage in Walt Disney World Orlando performing as a finalist on Ed McMahon's Star Search. Dave showed 'N Sync a few moves. At 20, Dave met his best friend “Gui-tar.” Together they have been performing & creating magical lyrics for the past 15 years. You never meet one without the other.
THIS YEAR, REEL ROCK TURNS FIVE, AND CO-FOUNDERS SENDER FILMS AND BIG UP PRODUCTIONS ARE CELEBRATING BY TAKING YOU ON A GLOBAL RIDE LIKE NEVER BEFORE. FROM DEATH-DEFYING SPEED LINK-UPS OF THE WILDEST FACES IN THE ALPS, TO OLYMPIAN DISPLAYS OF STRENGTH AND TENACITY ON THE HARDEST BOULDERS EVER CLIMBED, REEL ROCK 2010 FEATURES A BREATHTAKING JOURNEY THROUGH THE VERTICAL REALM WITH THE HEROES OF ROCK AND SNOW.
Providing unique alternative sound since 2002, THAT SATURDAY has evolved into one of Chicagos premiere rock bands. Lead vocalist/guitarist Marlon Aguilar and rhythm guitarist Jimmy Bellavia founded the band, and after a short acoustic coffee shop circuit That Saturday jumped to the local club/bar scene with the additions of drummer Noel Curran and bassist Jon Escondo. The group is comprised of, not only musicians, but also students of music. While their musical talents are mainly self-taught, their knowledge of music theory, audio engineering, and music business has been obtained through several years of combined study. After a year of experimentation, That Saturday developed their first self-titled album which featured their first original song Euphoric; a glimpse into a growing musical unity. That unity was never more apparent then in their 2005 EP "Closer to the Truth" featuring the song that the band believes to be their most progressive work to date, "Cool Air Night." The 2005 EP quickly developed into a full-length album entitled, "We Go Livin On." This 2007 extension of "Closer to the Truth" featured such tracks as "Help for Us," "We Go Livin On," and "Friends and Enemies." The success of That Saturdays music has allowed them to perform in diverse venues including, but not limited to: The Bottom Lounge, The Double Door, The Elbo Room, The Blue Note, Martyrs, Western Illinois University, Excalibur, and Lakeshore Theatre. The Band continues to explore new and creative ideas, always looking to improve their sound, stage presence, and ever-growing fan base.
Over the past 15 years DEMILOS have recorded 9 Albums, 6 Music Videos, and have performed at some of the best clubs in the city. At this point it would be fair to call them one of the "Chicago's best kept secrets". All veterans of other long running bands (Tenki, Ceiling Stars, Turnerjoy, Soft Speaker, and The Saturday Nights), and fresh off their new TV Documentary Revolving Doors - the History of the band Demilos. The 5 members bring their unique brand of self funded experimental rock/pop to Martyrs, with a brand new live set that chronicles 15 years of local Chicago music.
"If shoegaze ever restored the pair My Bloody Valentine had, stopped giving a fuck about how arty it seemed and just concerned itself with rocking instead, it would sound a hell of a lot like SISSY MENA. Pulsating with fuzz while also floating with gorgeous angular melodies, the energetic local trio manages to inject surf-rock levels of reverb into its washes of distortion without ever sounding overly busy or contrived..." -A.V. Club
Come celebrate Ireland's greatest rock band & their leader, Phillip Lynott. Tin Lynott digs deep into the catalogue playing tunes from every record from the band's 1971 debut to Phil's solo pop releases of the '80's. Hear why " IN PHIL WE TRUST"
Blazing a trail since their inception, YER MOTHERS LOVERS turned the Chicago music-scene on it’s head for years combining elements of classic rock, psychedelic, folk, punk, grunge, stoner, goth, prog, jazz and pop into a molten cocktail of visceral power with a flow like pure mechanized lava. Dynamic, melodic, catchy, heavy and more distortion than your favorite news channel. A force of nature. An act of God if you will. Unpredictable and always devastating.
As one of the two finalists to open for the 2005 Bon Jovi “Have a Nice Day” tour, LOADED’s sound is a badass mix between Danzig, The Cult, Soundgarden, and the Doors.
With a sound and style reaching back to the early 90’s grunge explosion, the Illinois Entertainer’s Patrick Conlan promises that Loaded "steers clear of grunge cliches in favor of smoldering blues-based rock...steeped in traditional sonics, their fuzzy riffs are rendered in mid-pitched guitar tones that are set against edgy rythms”.
With lead singer George Carson exploding on stage with a sex appeal and presence that's reminiscent of Jim Morrison, Loaded makes an immediate impact. Formed in the beginning of the 21st century, lead guitarist Dr V, bassist Niko Beloyeannis, and drummer Jimmy Vouris round out what legendary Sun-Times music critic Jim DeRogatis describes as “furious guitars and robust baritone vocals that pack a nice wallop.”
SONS OF THE WEST was formed in Columbus, Ohio by three friends who have been growing up and making music together for over five year now. The decision to become a band happened before anyone had figured out what instrument to play, so they all learned at the same time. Shows and recordings were put together in basements, living rooms, bars and anywhere else they could find where people might be listening. This persisted until a year ago when the band made a record, packed up and moved to Chicago in hopes of meeting more people, playing more shows and making more music.
PHOTOGRAPHERS are young, energetic and artful kids with a quirky harmonious edge and easy instrumentation. The vocal melodies compliment poetic songwriting and an awkward stage presence makes a Photographers performance what it is. Hailing from Traverse City, Michigan these young bloods are fresh on the Chicago scene. They songs they play are fun, calm, moving, poetic and cynical. Harmonies are strong and melodies unique.
KELLEN & ME is a one man musical experience based out of Chicago Illinois, and is one of the most promising singer/songwriters of the folk rock genre in the city of Chicago. His music embodies blues finger picking, rock chord progessions, and pop melodies. His wonderful lyrics and conviction as a performer never fail to capture the attention of audience members. Kellen & me has played at Gallery Cabaret, Q4, Subterranean, The Elbo Room, The Globe, and Uncommon Ground. Kellen & Me has been a part of several chicago.com/music events at La Salle Power Co., Myour House, Q4, and Double Door.
Composed of veteran rock and jazz/fusion drummer Steve Smith (Journey, Vital Information, and innumerable rock, pop, and R&B sessions), saxophonist and composer George Brooks (Summit, Bombay Jazz with Larry Coryell), and guitarist and composer Prasanna, the Raga Bop Trio play a fluidly inventive music that bravely and insightfully combines improvisational traditions from around the world. Drawing upon the urgency and harmonic density of jazz, the rhythmic complexity and melodic richness of classical Indian music (encompassing both Northern and Southern traditions), and a range of pan-African grooves, the uniquely-constructed trio’s self-titled debut album is simultaneously groundbreaking and refreshingly listenable, capturing three masters engaging in a conversation with each other and the great range of their inspirations.“From the Indian side,” Smith explains, “George Brooks brings his expertise in northern Indian Hindustani music and Prasanna – being from Chennai, India – is an expert in southern Indian Carnatic music. I grew up with the American jazz/groove concept, but starting in 2002, I’ve incorporated northern and southern Indian rhythms and rhythmic concepts into my playing.”While Raga Bop Trio is the group’s first studio recording, the musicians have been exploring these hybrid musical concepts for some time. Since 2004, Smith and Prasanna had pursued their own version of the Indian percussion-plus-melody duo format, while Smith has also performed in Brooks’ Indian/jazz fusion outfit Summit since 2003. A direct extension of these endeavors, the Raga Bop Trio uses its unusual, stripped-down lineup (two melody instruments, one rhythmic instrument, no bass) to highlight the rhythmic intricacy of the compositions, while allowing for maximum interplay. Instrumental roles are re-imagined and transformed, with Brooks’ saxophones occasional taking on the role of the droning tanpura, Smith’s toms functioning as a bass instrument, and Prasanna’s guitar taking on a disarming, almost vocal quality. In the hands of amateurs, this delicate balance of compositional sophistication, improvisational intensity, and international influences would be unthinkable – yet the Raga Bop Trio delivers it with overwhelming grace and aplomb. “For me,” Smith concludes, “the distinctive quality of the Raga Bop Trio is that the writing and playing employ a seamless amalgamation of all the individual components.”
Who says one band can't run the gamut from jazz to metal, classical and bluegrass? THE HUE, an instrumental progressive rock quartet, strives to create a wholly unique brand of electrified instrumental music from a diverse palate of influences. As their blistering sound continues to evolve, the band constantly finds new ways to create action-packed songs that tell a story, even without lyrics. From tight progressive rock tunes and wild dance-till-you-drop numbers to expressive and melodious jazz pieces, a fiery dose of dueling guitars mix with the on-point rhythm section attack to reach explosive peaks. Emerging out of a weekly stint at Chicago's legendary Wise Fools Pub in January 2007, The Hue has played alongside some of the nation's best acts including The Wood Brothers, Karl Denson, Garaj Mahal, New Monsoon, The Motet, The Breakfast, and members of Umphrey's McGee. For the past two years they've brought their aggressive progressive fusion to venues across the Midwest, making stops at the 2008 Summercamp and 10,000 Lakes Festivals along the way. Since releasing the debut EP, Unscene, to a near-capacity crowd at Chicago's Kinetic Playground in November 2007, The Hue have been busy writing for a full-length album to be released later this year. The unnamed project will capture the intensity of the band's live shows, while showcasing the strength of the compositions themselves.
District 97 is the only Progressive Rock band in the world to feature an American Idol finalist and a Chicago Symphony Orchestra virtuoso cellist. The band was formed in the Fall of 2006 by drummer Jonathan Schang, keyboardist Rob Clearfield, bassist Patrick Mulcahy and guitarist Sam Krahn. The foursome from Chicago honed a no-holds barred style of Liquid Tension Experiment inspired Instrumental Rock before deciding the right vocalist was needed to complement their sound; enter 2007 American Idol Top 10 Female Finalist, Leslie Hunt. With a look, sound and stage presence comparable to a young Ann Wilson from Heart, Leslie's dynamic performances pushed the band into a new direction that forged a unique marriage between accessible, catchy vocal melodies and an adventurous instrumental prowess. After attending a show and being highly impressed, Katinka Kleijn, cellist extraordinaire from the world-renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra, joined the band. She was followed shortly thereafter by one of Chicago's finest young guitarists, Jim Tashjian. With this new lineup of peerless musicianship in place, District 97 began wowing crowds and establishing a devoted fanbase through packed shows at legendary Chicago venues such as House of Blues, Schubas and Martyrs'. In May 2010, the band signed with Laser's Edge, the foremost home of new Progressive music. In September of that year, Laser's Edge oversaw a worldwide physical and digital release of District 97's debut effort, Hybrid Child, to universally rave reviews. Recorded with two of Chicago's best engineers, Manny Sanchez and Chris Harden (Billy Corgan, Fall Out Boy, Umphrey's McGee etc.), the album balances a meticulous attention to detail and studio-craft with the visceral power of a rock band that is firing on all cylinders. Running the gamut from Meshuggah-inspired metal, the epic majesty of Yes, and the melodicism of the Beatles, Hybrid Child unveils District 97 as a true force to be reckoned with, and one that is poised to take the music world by storm. With fans ranging from high school students to world-class musicians, this process is clearly well underway.
Fostering an atmosphere that relies on composition and a larger sonic palette, Algernon creates a fusion of indie rock, jazz, and classical chamber music. The effect is that of a distinctly modern band, providing musical clues to our modern landscape. The rhythm section consists of John Londay on guitar, Tom Perona (Morningsides, Tractor Kings) on bass, and Jamie Gallagher (Andreas Kapsalis Trio, Oucho Sparks) on drums.
If you want a lesson in organic chemistry, take notes as you watch the sparks fly between the acoustic downhome duo, COYOTE GRACE. This folktastic phenomenon is the result of combining one guitarist Joe Stevens, a transman from Northern California, with one upright bassist Ingrid Elizabeth, a sassy femme originally hailing from the hills of Southeastern Ohio. Together, they capture the eyes and the hearts of live audiences nationwide with their bluesy folkroots sound, sweet harmonies, poignant songwriting, and mid-song dance moves.
The FIRE AT ENDSVILLE’s Post-Apocalyptic-Pop is dark fantastic lyrics and moody, melodic rock. “Our canon includes Placebo, Guano Apes, Shakespeare and Homer. We’re definitely rock, but it’s a mash-up of pop, goth, metal, and indie,” says vocalist/guitarist Craig Winston. With Adam Hubbell (bass), Mike Pryzgoda (drums), Renee Serritella (guitar), and Mark Winston (synth), the band lends energy to a sound reminiscent of groups like V.A.S.T. and Paradise Lost and draws on contemporary influences: Sandra Nasic, IAMX, and H.I.M.
Chris Bernhardt- Bass As a versatile player with eclectic tastes, bassist Bernhardt has never been content to stay in one musical style. Before BMR4 became his main project he was hired extensively in the blues, rock, and hip-hop fields. As a founder of the roots rock band, The Buzz, he has toured the country in support of the groups's releases "Highway" and "Live At Buddy Guys Legends". These recordings have received airplay on over 200 radio stations,garnered favorable reviews,and sold over 10,000 copies.The band toured under established booking agencies, such as Monterey International, and The Billions Corporation. Jay Moynihan- Saxophones As a graduate of Berklee College of Music in December of 1993, Jason has been actively working in the music community in Chicago for well over 10 years. Jason or "Jay" as many in the business call him, is equally as comfortable playing rock, jazz or the blues as he has playedand recorded with Buddy Guy (A Grammy and Rock Hall of Fame Silvertone Recording Artist) for the past 5 years. Jason Has played with the likes of B.B. King, Santana, John Mayer, Robert Plant, Robert Cray and many other top names. Mike Rodbard- Drums As a graduate of DePaul University's School of Music (BM '93), Mike Rodbard has been working steadily in Chicago for the last 15 years. He has a versatility in styles that makes him one of the city's most called drummers, whether its playing jazz, the blues, or straight rock and roll. For the past eight years, he has been the drummer for the Lonnie Brooks Blues Band, international recording artist for Alligator Records. Neal Alger- Guitar After graduating from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor's degree in jazz guitar performance, Neal moved to Chicago and has freelanced with many major jazz artists including Lin Halliday, Ed Thigpen, Howard Levy, Fareed Haque, Grazyna Augusick, and Blue Note recording artist Patricia Barber. Neal's versatility has also enabled him to perform R&B/soul with KFox (DefSoul records), classic rock covers with Cast Iron Skillet, and 20th-century classical music with HardArt Groop. Recently, Neal has released a duo CD with vocalist Typhanie Monique on BluJazz records titled Intrinsic. The great majority of the national and international performances that Neal participates in are with Patricia Barber.
Eiffel Tower was born at a psychiatric hospital in the Chicagoland area where Alex (bass), Matt (handclaps) and Pete (sweat) were working as orderlies. The three were in a seclusion room holding an aggressive patient who, in a last-ditch retaliatory effort, took the liberty of urinating on the floor. With the patient somewhat subdued, the three made a gallant dash to exit the room before the patient, hot on their heels, could egress. Things only went further awry when Alex lost his footing and slipped three feet across the slick, linoleum floor through the puddle of tepid urine. Matt and Pete instantly tumbled over Alex and found themselves equally soaked. The three spent the rest of the shift donning patient pajamas and questioning their chosen career path. The three bonded over their work with psychotic patients and obsessively collecting their clients’ personal narratives. They found the coping mechanisms of the patients not far removed from many of their own misguided efforts to make sense of the world around them. They came to treasure these stories as the stuff of myth and legend. As the band began to write music, they focused on how alienation often leads to obsessive or delusional thinking. Musically, the band’s exultant energy was been characterized as “Frank Sinatra meets Bad Brains,” and as “marr[ying] the jangle-pop of Feelies with the playful self-loathing of Stephen Merrit.” The trio quickly settled on the name Eiffel Tower, after the French monument. Upon its completion, the tower had widely been considered as a mistake and an eyesore. Guy de Maupassant, who reportedly hated the tower, was known to have lunched in it daily. When asked why, he remarked that it was the only place in all of Paris where he could not see the awful structure. The band Eiffel Tower celebrates the grandiose courage necessary to pursue seemingly foolhardy ambitions.
Indiana native and Chicago area favorite, Josh Holmes, melds guitar-driven rock and roll with insightful lyrics and no-holds-barred live performances. The dynamic performances vary in format from playing solo, to the high energy and sound of his full band shows. The band has been described as "impressively cohesive and a group beyond their years." Reviews like these, combined with an ever-growing fan base, it is no wonder that this project has left such a huge impression on his fans.
A native Californian, Christina has lived in the Chicago area for ten years where she continues her career as a songwriter and guitar teacher, having included a detour to Boston where she received a degree in composition from Berklee College of Music. Christina has always been a songwriter, with her first ASCAP composition for a film “The Boss’s Son” at the age of 17. She has worked both on her own and collaborated with writers from around the world, including Rique Pantoja (Brazilian pianist with Milton Nascimiento), Don Grusin, and Kate Markowitz (vocalist with James Taylor). In the early ’90s, she had a platinum selling single in Germany.
Bold! Daring! Shocking! Tru! Witness the unforgettable Chicago premiere of SCUMBABIES ~ The Slapstick Horror Musical Fairytale about Love & Death! It’s Halloween and Tru Holliwood is having a party, but nothing is what it seems as murder, musical numbers, nightmares, and a Fairy Godmother become part of Tru’s surreal celebration.
WINNER – Best Film, Harrisburg Artsfest 2010 Director, JOSEPH R. LEWIS in attendance
BUT THAT’S NOT ALL FOLKS
See firsthand the haunted gallery of Scumbabies 3D comic books! Be dazzled by a grand medley of exciting trailers and short films! Xperience the chortle of comedic theatre acts and the sensuous sounds of special musical guests! And then top the evening off with our feature film presentation of the new Low-Brow musical, SCUMBABIES!
But beware, it is said that those who gaze upon the horrors and ecstasies to be found within Scumbabies may be cursed! Attend if you dare! Awards and raffles!
Twelve bucks!? What a steal! ½ price cover with a costume!? Aces! Be there at eight? Absolutely!
Fronted by Afro-Boricua MC/songstress Lah Tere, and Chilean brothers Rodstarz and G1, Rebel Diaz shows us the true global power of Hip Hop. After first performing at an immigrant rights march in New York City in 2006 in front of a half million people, the bilingual trio has taken the international community by storm with their explosive live shows. With influences ranging from dirty south bounce to south american folk, Rebel Diaz combines classic boom bap tradition with Hip Hop’s global impact. Having been likened to a bilingual Fugees, the group’s versatility has allowed for them to share the stage with the likes of Common, Mos Def, and Talib Kweli, while feeling right at home with acts like Rage Against the Machine, Sergent Garcia, and Obie Bermudez. Recent tours in Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Guatemala, and Chile, have only solidified their international appeal.
On the heals of their critically acclaimed Otro Guerrillero mixtape series, Rebel Diaz will soon be releasing an all-spanish EP in March 2010, to be followed by their debut full length LP in the Summer of 2010.
TICKETS ONLY AVAILABLE WHEN PURCHASED WITH TICKETS TO THE SHOW AT THE RIVIERA THE FOLLOWING NIGHT.
Lotus — Steve Clemens, Jesse Miller, Luke Miller, Chuck Morris and Mike Rempel — formed in 1999. Through non-stop touring, Lotus’ astonishing instrumental tracks quickly garnered a huge and loyal fan base. This lead to Lotus's 2002 debut album, VIBES, recorded live in concert during the Fall of 2001. The first pressing of VIBES sold out in February of 2003. Follow-up albums released on Harmonized Records — Germination (2003) and Nomad (2004) — cemented Lotus’ close-knit relationship with their fans and provided a tasty appetizer of what was soon to come.
The Strength Of Weak Ties (released April 2006 ) digs deep into musical connections and explores where the familiar meets foreign - glitch-hop programming meets rock ‘n’ roll drums, overdriven guitars meet overdriven synthesizers, primitive drum machines meet funky back beats, and post-rock meets electronica. “Musically, we wanted this album to contrast raw and dirty sounds like guitar feedback, roomy sounding drums, with obviously electronic sounds like drum machines, and analog synths,” says Luke Miller. “We worked to give it a loose yet tight feel; have the details of a headphone trip, but still rock out.”
THE AUGUST'S members include a dog walker, a substitute teacher, a South African professional arm wrestling champion, and the great-great-grandson of a deep-sea Arctic fisherman. Everyone brings something different to the band's laid-back mix of roots rock, folk and country. "We all have different styles and tastes, but our differences are complementary," says the band's singer and rhythm guitarist, Jacky Dustin. The Midwest quartet - Dustin, Wojtek Krupka (guitar/vocals), Petey Kapp (bass/vocals) and Tim Good (drums) - came together in a northern suburb of Chicago, where they developed their sound in a local bar filled with a mix of hard-to-please regulars who weren't afraid to speak their minds. Within these walls, The August perfected its distinctive folk-rock songs tinged with a Nashville patina. Within the year, the band was playing to capacity crowds in some of Chicago's most famous venues. The August's debut, Thistle, Sparrow, and the Tall, Tall Grass, unwinds gracefully through an emotional, 12-song journey colored by bittersweet three-part harmonies and timeless songwriting resonating with heartache and desire.
Chicago-based vocal stylist Typhanie Monique, known for her power throat days fronting Peking Turtle, Improv outfit - SUMO, and gracing the stages of Chicago's top jazz venues, had an itch to get back into the "big band" improv funk scene. So, who is this Booty? This booty is phat, funky, beat-droppin, improv stylin, horn wailing, low-end bumpin', power throatin, tribal groovin, never knowin what's coming out next. The Coalition is Chicago. Musicians who have hit every stage in & out of the city. Performing with talent like: Destiny's Child, Boz Scaggs, Mike Manson, Poi Dog Pondering, SUMO, Mr. Ali, Mr Egg Germ, Peking Turtle, Joss Stone, Rapheal Sadiq, Brian Culbertson, EXO, Tributosaurus, Jazz Mata, Cassuis Clay, 911 Mambo Orchestra, Fareed Haque Group... On last Monday's, they come together not to blow over your head, not to bore you with ballads, but to spontaneously combust with "us"... as we funk it out, you shake it out.
LAST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH - TIX AVAILABLE AT DOOR, NIGHT OF ONLY
The Moth StorySLAMs are open to anyone with a five-minute story to tell on the night's theme. Half an hour before the show, we put the names of all the folks who want to tell a story in a hat. At the start of the show, we start picking names. The 10 featured stories are scored by teams of judges selected from the audience. Each Storyslam generates a Storyslam winner. After ten slams, the winners face off in our Grandslam Championships. Come sign up to tell a story, or just to enjoy the show! Chicago Moth StorySLAMs now join weekly StorySLAM events in New York and twice a month StorySLAMs in Los Angeles.
A night of drinking, dancing, socializing, networking and non-stop music For die hard rockabilly devotees and civilian fans since 1991. Over the last decade, this highly organized vibrant jam session, held the first Thursday of every month at Martyrs', has become rockabilly central for many of the musicians & fans of Chicago's American roots scene. Although the monthly jam is devoted to rockabilly, the Big C Jamboree has also offered the span of '40's-'50's American roots music from Hillbilly Boogie to Western Swing, Jump Blues and 1st generation Rock-n-Roll. The rotating line-up onstage usually features the raucous sounds of pompadoured rockabilly musicians wailing away on upright basses and hallow-bodied electric guitars; and there's NEVER a cover!
The Modern Sounds is a Chicago based trio featuring Joel Paterson on guitar and vocals; Beau Sample on string bass and vocals; Alex Hall on drums and vocals. This big little band is dedicated to performing traditional American music; specializing in rockabilly, hot jazz, western swing, classic blues and everything in between. The Modern Sounds are on the cutting edge of the Atomic Age—bringing you the best of the 30's, 40's and 50's.
Joel Paterson hails from Madison, Wisconsin and has lived in Chicago for many years, performing with various bands including Jimmy Sutton's Four Charms and Kelly Hogan's Wooden Leg. He currently fronts The Modern Sounds and Joel Paterson's Blues Roundup. Slap bass virtuoso Beau Sample is from San Antonio, Texas. He spent a few years on the Austin music scene and has recently made Chicago his home. Sample has toured the world and the U.S. many times over, fronting his former band Cave Catt Sammy and backing up Elana James. Alex Hall is from Chicago and is a very talented drummer and recording engineer. He is the man behind the "Chicago Sound" of Ventrella Records and Tapes.
DOLLY VARDEN is built around the singing and songwriting of husband and wife Steve Dawson and Diane Christiansen, the melodic and soulful guitar playing of Mark Balletto, and the solid rhythm section of Matt Thobe on drums and Mike Bradburn on bass. Remarkably the line-up has stayed the same through 15 years, five albums, and shows all over the USA and Europe. Though the band's name suggests a euphonious connection to a certain country singer, it is actually derived from a rare and beautiful species of trout, which in turn was named after a character in Charles Dickens' short novel Barnaby Rudge. Strange, but true: Dawson and Christiansen both had fathers who were avid fishermen who dreamt of one day catching the elusive Dolly Varden in an icy Alaskan lake. 15 Years ago, in the Spring of 1995, Chicago quintet Dolly Varden recorded their debut album, Mouthful Of Lies, on a 4-track cassette machine in their Wicker Park practice space. The CD drew enthusiasm from Chicago press and radio and Mouthful of Lies took on a life of its own - as word spread the band began touring the Midwest and building a steady following. In 1997 the group signed with Evil Teen records and released The Thrill of Gravity (1998), which led to Dolly Varden's first full-scale touring and national press. For The Dumbest Magnets (2000), the group traveled to Nashville to record with Brad Jones (Josh Rouse, Chuck Prophet). Glowing reviews for Magnets from Rolling Stone, No Depression, Uncut and others, along with national radio play, significantly expanded Dolly Varden's fanbase and touring started to pay off. The band traveled coast-to-coast sharing stages with Ryan Adams / Whiskeytown, Andrew Bird, Jay Bennett and Edward Burch, Alejandro Escovedo and others. In 2001 Flying Sparks (UK) and Fargo Records (Europe) licensed The Dumbest Magnets for release and BBC Radio 2 called it 'one of the best albums of the last 10 years'. This led to the first of what would become regular visits to Paris, Great Britain and the Netherlands. Dolly Varden returned to Brad Jones' studio in Nashville and to record Forgiven Now (2002). The album was released in the U.S. on Undertow Records, and in Europe on Flying Sparks. Dolly Varden continued their US touring through that year and made two more overseas trips, gathering rave reviews and devoted fans along the way. The band's reputation and momentum were at a peak, but at the end of the year they were exhausted and, like everyone, shocked and wondering how to proceed in the wake of September 11th. They decided to take some time off to see their families and eat some home-cooked meals. Over the next 3 years the band members spent time raising babies and working on side projects: Dawson and Christiansen released a limited-edition acoustic disc, Duets (2003), Balletto recorded a guitar-pop album with Jay Bennett producing called My Record Player (2004), Christiansen had a one-woman show of her artwork at Gescheidle gallery in Chicago, and Dawson released a soul-inspired solo disc called Sweet Is The Anchor (2005). Dolly Varden began writing and recording what would become The Panic Bell (2007) in 2005 with a renewed energy and sense of purpose. Again on Undertow the album has a slightly harder sonic and lyric edge, drawing comparisons to Crazy Horse and the Beatles' White Album. At the same time it features the melodic songs, heartfelt singing and haunting guitar lines Dolly Varden has become known for. 2010 marks the 15th anniversary of the recording and release of Mouthful Of Lies. It is both a triumphant milestone and a cause for celebration for Dolly Varden.
THE WESTERN is a rock and roll band of men who currently reside in the great city of Chicago. The band can be grouped into a handful of genres: rock, alternative rock, progressive rock, and possibly additional, less-talked about genres of rock. Probably the most applicable description of The Western, however, is this: they are good live. The Western is fond of playing energetic shows in front of people, and the expressions on their faces while playing these shows reflects as such. Together since Winter 2009, the band has thus far graced the stages of Lincoln Hall, Martyr's, Reggie's Music Joint, Lasalle Power Company, and Abbey Pub, bringing out healthy crowds to each.
MOONER has more or less existed since 2005. They recorded their first EP at KBC Records in Portland with Jeremy Sherrer (Dandy Warhols, J Mascis) in the summer of 2010. Now they are in Chicago, fronted by brothers Lee and David Ketch (guitar and vocals) with James O'Malley (guitar), Scott Siemens (bass), and Brian Parker (drums).
Dendrite Studios is proud to release the official trailer for our debut 2010 HD ski film "OUT OF THE SHADOWS." Proudly shot in the mountains of British Columbia, Out of the Shadows features the finest athletes who have been in the shadows for too long. This is their shot and their opportunity to break out on film. They bring their lives with them and shred the mountains with un-inhibited passion on a daily basis. We bring you their stories. Featuring the return of PY Leblanc, the forgotten legend Chris Turpin, World Champion Brett Crabtree, Swedish sensation Jon Larsson, and a giant swarm of new comers including Maxim Arsenault, Eliel Hindert, Christian Boucher, Dave Treadway, Mathieu Gagnon Theriault, Ian Cheddar Watson, Dave Gheriani, Adam Topshee, Alex Blais, Athan Merrick, Jake Cohn and Matt Elliott. Arriving in the fall of 2010...
There is nothing out there like ZACH DEPUTY. Truly a one-man band, he is a powerhouse of performance, technical chops, and one hell of a charismatic presence. Put simply, Zach Deputy does what is called live looping: layering sounds through the magic of technology to create a full band effect. He isn’t the only performer out there doing this, but he has taken the technique to the next level. First and foremost, however, Zach Deputy is a songwriter, a shredding guitarist and a soulful singer with a 4+ octave vocal range. He can also drop freestyle rhymes with the best of them. The Zach Deputy sound is essentially roots rock, but in his case the roots are in soul, calypso and dancehall, underpinned by driving hip-hop, rock steady, Motown and Stax backbeats created with his layered vocal beatboxing. On top of the backbeat, Zach Deputy’s nylon strings pull multiple duties as bass, rhythm and lead guitar. Riding over that, a plethora of sounds-- keyboard, steel drums and an entire horn section-- come pumping and grinding out of the speakers when Zach takes the stage. He is a one man dance party, but he can also bring an audience to rapt attention with a heartfelt love ballad.
THE REGRESSORS: Some time in the not too distant future, Molly Hatchet and The Specials meet and party down at a Dead show held at the Grand Ol Opry by Lee Perry. All the while, moonshiners push their bevrages in the parking lot to a sea of unsuspecting college girls stumbling drunk in their khaki pants and white tank tops. They'll shout, "The Regressors rock!" "Have you ever even heard them?", "No, but I heard they really rock!" It's alright, just enjoy a bowl of split pea soup from the parking lot venders - listen to the bluegrass of the parking lot pickers. The ride home that night will be long as the Elvis Costello CD that's in the CD player isn't the typical kick ass rockin stuff he normally does, but rather a collaboration with Burt Bacharach; something your parents, or maybe your grandparents, would dig. The soothing sounds of Costello's deep pronounced vibrato and Bacharach's laid back french horn arrangements actually make everyone take some time to search their soul a bit. "Yes indeed, the moonshine was fine, but the soup was what really put me over the edge"...
Produced by acclaimed house/electronica artist Anthony Nicholson, the latest recording by Chicago genre-busters SCIENTIFIC MAP is a bold statement of the New Chicago Sound. Moving between Afrobeat, funk, fusion, hip hop, new groove, nu-jazz, psychedelia, and R&B, "Power to the Babies" could only have been recorded in Chicago. Its stylistic fluency is a result of the varied artistic demands placed on musicians in such a culturally diverse city. Bandleader/guitarist Matt Hudson describes the musical vision of the new album: “We’re now experiencing the end of genre. Information from around the world is travelling to us so quickly that we’re constantly exposed to new cultural and musical ideas. Musicians can’t help but be influenced by this. If they’re open-minded enough, the result is a cohesive, genreless sound that is fresh and new.” Throughout the album, Matt Hudson’s playing demonstrates an innovative and nuanced re-imagining of jazz guitar that is influenced as much by Wes Montgomery as by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood. This stylistic diversity is reflected in the range of guest artists featured throughout, including rock’n’roll saxophonist Aaron Getsug (Hi-Fi & the Roadburners) and Pittsburgh R&B vocalist Gene Stovall.
Come celebrate Ireland's greatest rock band & their leader, Phillip Lynott. Tin Lynott digs deep into the catalogue playing tunes from every record from the band's 1971 debut to Phil's solo pop releases of the '80's. Hear why " IN PHIL WE TRUST"
