Drive By Truckers

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I was told by the folks who would tell me such a thing that we needed a new bio. In the past it was preferable to then find some talented young writer, or perhaps respected sage to pontificate on how great some new album is or something of that order, but as we aren't touring behind a new album and are basically reinventing and redefining ourselves in front of an audience as we do this tour and prepare to make our next album I thought that I would write out a few words to try to explain a little of what we're up to. Remember that making this up as we go along is part of the plan so don't necessarily hold me to every specific as we very well might get distracted by one element or another along the way, and that's part of the plan (for now).

I think that we all came away from last years album and tour thinking of it as some sort of closure. The life of this band has always been of cycles and phases and periods of transition. In the fall of 2001 we launched the Southern Rock Opera Tour and basically toured non-stop through the release of four albums that were all recorded on short breaks for the actual touring of the previous album. This cycle began in 2-300 seaters with us touring in a 1995 Dodge Ram with our gear all packed into the cage and us crammed (with our beloved then-tour manager Dick Cooper) into the front for stretches of months at a time to last fall's shows in some beautiful historic theatres in a tourbus with a four-piece crew. Along the way the band had morphed and grown into a well-oiled machine and hit what felt to me like an apex of how far this could go. We were playing more consistent and able than I had ever imagined. I was also feeling the cracks under the surface, as the strain from that much time on the road was starting to affect my mental well-being and I know I wasn't the only one. So we all went home for a while.

Back home, my wife had converted a screened-in porch into an office for me (my last one had become a nursery) and after a few weeks of decompressing and walking around in circles and adjusting to the fact that the floor wasn't traveling at 70 miles an hour, I began writing more songs than I had written since the turn of the century. Around this time I also reconnected with a tape of a show we had played back in the fall of 2001 in a living room at a farm outside of Durham NC. We had just released SRO (ourselves) and were in the process of trying to explain to everyone we met what this thing was that we had done and were doing. It was about two weeks into the tour and we were starting to figure out how to tell this story and present this show when we found ourselves in that living room, passing around a bottle and singing the songs and telling the stories and suddenly (on stage) it all started coming together. Oh, to listen to it now, it's a colossal mess of drunken rambling and out of tune caterwauling, but something magical happened that better prepared us for the journey we were about to take.

Flash forward to the present. I'm sitting in the back lounge of yet another bus, but this time, after the longest stint of time off we've had since the fall of 98, I feel rested and rejuvenated. The past few months has seen a major personnel change, time spent on family and a couple of really productive and fun side-projects, I've just demoed 14 songs for consideration on our next album and Cooley just sent me a CD of 5 brand new ones. He and I each wrote another one last week to add to the list. Once again reinvention is in the air and spirits are high.

This past weekend was the first two shows of a project we've been calling The Dirt Underneath. The initial plan was to reconnect with our songs and perhaps our audience in a more personal way by stripping everything down then rebuilding it again.. The negative by-product of the great strides we've made as a band in the last six years has been a disproportional emphasis on big, loud and bombastic. On our records, the quieter moments have always co-existed with the epics fine, but as we've moved into bigger (and often nicer) venues, it is easy to draw on the sure-things.

The Dirt Underneath is both our chance to strip it back down to the essentials of songs and stories and a chance to work up the songs for our next album in a quieter and friendly setting, an intimate gathering of drunken friends and new songs. John Neff is playing pedal steel and double duty on guitars. He was an original member of the band and has been touring with us full-time again for nearly two years. Also joining us for this tour is legendary keyboardist and songwriter Spooner Oldham. Spooner has played with everyone from Neil Young and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young to Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin. His farfisa graced "When A Man Loves A Woman" and his Wurlitzer set up the introduction to "I Never Loved A Man (The Way That I Love You)" He is joining us for this tour and playing on our next album.

The Dirt Underneath Tour plans to add some more dates and legs in the fall. Recording on DBT-8 will begin in June 2007 and the untitled new album will be out in early 2008.

OUR LINKS

• Drive By Truckers Homepage
• On MySpace

Old 97s

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Since the Old 97's roared out of Dallas more than fifteen years ago, they have blazed a
trail through alt-country and power-pop, led by the piercingly observant lyrics of lead
singer Rhett Miller. Each new Old 97’s record is hotly anticipated, and rightfully so:
“Blame It On Gravity,” from 2008, contained some of the band’s most deeply felt and
passionately played songs. But in a career full of high-water marks, "The Grand Theatre
Volume 1" is perhaps the most ambitious and accomplished set of recordings yet.
The album, the band’s eighth, began to come together last year, when Miller was on a
solo tour of Europe with Steve Earle. “When I started in this band, I wrote on the road
constantly,” Miller says. “But I was 23 then, so everything was new to me. Over the
years, those strange and wonderful things have begun to feel more commonplace. On the
familiar highways, in familiar hotels, it’s pretty easy to turn into a zombie. But on this
tour, I was in England and Ireland and Scandinavia, places where I haven’t spent very
much time in, and because of that things seemed somehow fresh. I felt recharged. In these
old British theaters, you sit around in ancient dressing rooms filled with these objects that
could only be in these ancient dressing rooms. It was all very inspiring instead of tiring.”
The result was a set of songs rooted in specific locations. "The title track, which I wrote
in Leeds, is like a series of postcards that try to capture the moment of falling in love; it
begins in the Grand Theatre, which is a historic venue there, on the elevator. There’s
another song, 'Every Night Is Friday Night (Without You),' that I wrote, or at least started
to write, while I was walking around in Soho. And a song like ‘The Dance Class’
wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t in Birmingham, trapped in a hotel, looking out at
streets that were bleak and gray except for a dance studio across the way. I imagined an
agoraphobic who sees a beautiful girl in that studio and fantasizes about being freed by
her." Miller’s portraits of love and loneliness are paired with some of the sharpest music
the band has ever produced, from the propulsive celebration of “Every Night Is Friday
Night (Without You)” to the manic (and almost panicked) energy of “The Dance Class.”
There are also moving counterpoints, such as the album’s closer, “The Beauty Marks,” a
stark, hushed ballad about a love affair in a London pub.
Even the songs written on this side of the Atlantic benefit from the same sense of charged
observation. "There’s an anthem on there, 'A State of Texas,' that I wrote in New York,”
Miller says, “and it’s specifically about not quite being home: the lyrics says ‘I’m living
in a state of Texas’, not the state of Texas’.’
When Miller had his songs, he brought them to the rest of the band, and as usual, the Old
97s—the bassist Murry Hammond, the guitarist Ken Bethea, and the drummer Philip
Peeples—rose to the challenge and then some. “I’ve been through this process many
times—bringing my songs to the guys as we start to make a record-- and I know they're
going to do something great with them. I'm still surprised to hear what they do, but I'm no
longer surprised to be surprised. But there are so many fantastic things on this record,
from a band standpoint. Murry's basslines stray so far from the one-four alt-country style
that he's known for. They're things that he might have played in our previous band,
Sleepy Heroes, eighteen years ago, but he hasn't, for the most part, done it on Old 97's
records."
The set was produced by Salim Nourallah, who also produced “Blame It On Gravity,”
and once again it was an all-Texas affair. The band rehearsed the album in Dallas, at Sons
of Hermann Hall, and recorded it—mostly live in the studio, with a minimum of
overdubs—in Austin's legendary Treefort studio. The richness and diversity of the album
has led Miller to liken the record to the Clash's legendary "London Calling," a
comparison he says is only half-flippant. "We had a running joke in the studio. Salim
would say 'Hey -- that was great. Now try to do it more like the Clash.' We aren't the
Clash, obviously, but that kind of direction does bring out some of the best parts of our
band's sound, that aggressive live rock-and-roll thing. There's also a question of artistic
freedom, and what 'London Calling' meant to them at that point in their career. After the
first albums, they had a little bit of leeway to do something more grandiose. We're in a
similar place in our career. We've gotten critical approval, for what it's worth. We have
the loyalty of our fans. Now, we can do something bigger and weirder."
Much of that weirdness comes from the band. "I come in with my songs,” Miller says,
“but I really pride myself on being able to change on a dime when we're in the studio.
Someone might suggest doing a song faster, or slower, or with a train beat. I'll try it, and
then I'll listen to it new. It's a great process, because a song that was floundering can be
the best song once it goes through that process. When I first wrote 'Every Night Is Friday
Night,’ it was a more traditional party song, and it wasn’t completely successful. I was
singing, or thought I was singing, ‘Every night is Friday night with you.” But then Ken,
who is the last person to even notice lyrics much less suggest a lyrical change, said that
he had originally heard it as 'Every night is Friday night without you.’ He wondered if it
might be better that way, less predictable, and it was."
One song that depended upon predictability was "Champaign Illinois," which is a
straightforward rewrite of old composition -- and not one of the band's own. It fits a set of
new Miller lyrics to Bob Dylan's epochal "Desolation Row,” and the experience of
putting the song on the record was, even for hardened rock-and-roll veterans, an eyeopener.
"I had written this song while I was listening to the Dylan song, obviously,”
Miller says. “But I assumed we’d never be able to record it. Then, while we were making
the record, we decided to go for it.” Phone calls were made, and more phone calls after
that, and word finally came back that Dylan, who had heard a live version of the song,
wanted to read the lyrics. “To hear my manager say, even in a flat business voice, 'Bob
Dylan likes what he heard and wants to read your lyrics,’ well, that was something you
dream about,” Miller says. “It turned out that he liked our version so much that he wanted
to split the publishing 50/50 with us. So that’s how I ended up writing a song with Bob
Dylan. I’ve never been prouder, and I assume he feels the same.”
Though Miller is frequently funny and self-deprecating, the “Volume 1” of the title is not
a joke. "I came back from the trip with more than two dozen songs," Miller says. "I kept
thinking we would whittle the set down, but it became obvious that none of the songs
were falling by the wayside.” That meant, for the first time in the band’s career, that the
Old 97s would record a double album. “But how do you really have a double album in
today's climate?” says Miller. “I mean, think about how records are distributed and
consumed." The solution was not a traditional double album (as it would have been in the
seventies or eighties) or two albums released simultaneously (as it would have been in the
nineties), but rather a pair of thematically linked records released six months apart: “The
Grand Theatre Volume 2” is due out in May 2011.
The same themes — place and displacement, communication and correspondence—
power the second volume as well. “If anything, they’re a little more explicit on the there,”
Miller says. “But that idea, that songs come from somewhere, is strong on both halves of
the record. It's funny, because when I'm on stage and I feel myself drifting away, I bring
myself back to the moment of writing the song. With the Grand Theatre songs, I was
much more compulsive about marking down exactly where I was when the idea came to
me. I think that makes for a unified studio record, and it definitely makes for a more
focused set of performances onstage.” American audiences will have a chance to
experience the band’s focus through the fall: the Old 97s are touring behind “The Grand
Theatre Volume One” from December until next April, at which time the touring for
“The Grand Theatre Volume Two” will begin.

OUR LINKS

• Old 97s Homepage

John Henry & the Engine

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"the band delights in taking America’s back roads and by-ways to uncover the pulse of bayou blues and country soul."
-Christian Schaeffer, Riverfront Times

“With relentless guitars and restless voices, John Henry & the Engine burn through the past, present and maybe even the future of American music.”
-KDHX 88.1 FM

“Like a band of young punks stranded in a basement with only Rolling Stones and Springsteen albums to listen to and a case of Red Bull to drink, Henry and Co. bounce off the walls of classic rock & roll, soul and even some Americana.”
-Roy Kasten, Riverfront Times, KDHX 88.1 FM

“John Henry’s voice works its ragged, out-of-breath charm across these ten tracks, moving from bluesy, drawn-out stompers like opening cut "Lightning City Blues" to full-on barnburners like "Sweetness Wind." Henry and company bring back a big-hearted bar-band style that, when done right, sounds timeless.”
-Christian Schaeffer, Riverfront Times

“All of the songs on the album Under the Yellow Moon are well-crafted and sound terrific! However, I continually find myself drawn to “Cut Your Anchor Free.” This song has a kind of rhythm and blues sound that just rocks!”
-showmemusic.net

“the four-piece group has spent its days crafting soulful music that culls from the likes of Elvis Costello and The Rolling Stones. Simply "rock ’n’ roll," they say - a refreshing sound that manages to walk the line between comforting throwback and exhilarating trendsetter..”
-Chris Boeckmann, Columbia Daily Tribune

“ John Henry & the Engine is a band that gives its all every single time. Watching them onstage, you can tell that each of the players absolutely loves and believes in what he does. The fact that they give 110% of themselves at every show practically guarantees that audience members will be moved and engaged.”
-Laura Hamlett, Playback:STL

"John Henry & The Engine takes modern rock elements like melodic violins and power drums and combines them with traditional staples of blues like piercing harmonicas, twangy guitars and even some organ-like keyboards. It’s all topped off with lead singer John Henry’s soulful and gravely vocals."
-Shea Conner, St. Joseph News-Press

“At one point during an original number, John Henry yelled out "I am a prisoner of rock 'n roll!" The thing was, he wasn't saying it in that The Darkness "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" kind of way. He actually meant it.”
-stjoenews.net

“Under the Yellow Moon starts out sort of eerily, but morphs into some fairly straight ahead rock with just a touch of the auld country in there now and then. It was recorded at Sawhorse Studios in St. Louis, Missouri and it rocks.”
-nightflying.com

“John Henry and the engine have the vocal harmonies of the beach boys and leverage their infectious sound ordered harmonica and violin.”
-Free Weekly, Fayetteville, AR

OUR LINKS

• On MySpace

Sona

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In the Hot Summer months of 2000, three people met at Brushwood Folklore Center in New York, the home of the Sirius Rising and Starwood festivals. Among them were a singer, a vocalist, and a mandolin player. This father and son duo from Kansas combined with a single female vocalist from Missouri came together to form SONA. It was realized at once that these three had been searching for each other, and that the magick that was apparent between the three of them musically was rare.

OUR LINKS

• On MySpace

Tangent Arc

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Bittersweet angular indie rock from Middle America.

OUR LINKS

• Tangent Arc Homepage
• On MySpace

Justin Klaas

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Dawes

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Star and Micey

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The Caves

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Afrolicious

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Afrolicious is San Francisco based collective who perform live with a ten piece band and also as a dj duo with live percussionists and MCs.

Afrolicious has established itself as both one of the most legendary weekly parties in San Francisco, and of the top live/electronic bands on the scene. Started as a weekly dance party featuring DJ's and brothers Pleasuremaker and Señor Oz alongside percussionists, MC's and horn players, and an amazing crowd from day one. Over the years it has evolved as founding DJ/Producer Pleausremaker (Joe McGuire) alongside brother Señor Oz (Oz McGuire) hooked up with some of the most exciting personalities in the Bay Area music scene and started writing original music under the alias Afrolicious. Around 2010 the live Pleasuremaker band started including some of this new 'Afrolicious' material and added more of the percussionists and vocalists from the weekly party to form what is now the Afrolicious band. Between their weekly party and sound system shows that involve the brothers DJing alongside live percussion, they also have a 8-12 piece live band that emphasizes the organic elements, instrumentation, and energy of a live ensemble combined with club heavy beats and textures the weekly party has come to be known for.

Afrolicious band and sound system have performed at such legendary venues as Red Rocks, Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, Electric Forest Festival, Snow Globe, Burningman, Sea of Dreams, The Independent, Great American Music Hall, Elbo Room in San Francsico (5 plus years weekly residency), Cielo, Nublu, Bembe, Zanzibar, Silent Frisco
Afrolicious has played alongside such artists as:
Thievery Corporation, Jimmy Cliff, Fishbone, Balkan Beat Box, Rob Garza, Novalima, The Pimps of Joytime, Nickodemus, Johnny Osbourne, See-I, Ghostland Observatory, Beats Antique, J.Boogie, DJ Smash,

Afrolicious remixes and original productions can be found on labels such as ESL Music, Six Degrees Records, Akwaaba Music, Bagpak Music and more.

OUR LINKS

• Afrolicious Homepage
• On Facebook
• On SoundCloud
• On Twitter

DJ vs Drums

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Star & Micey

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It was a dark night, like many before it in Memphis, Tennessee. Joshua Andrew Cosby walked home from rehearsal with his guitar, case-less, slung over his back. A local homeless man flagged him down, not for money but for a story. He explained to Cosby how he had written a song about his ex-wife Micey. There, on that dimly lit street occurred an exchange, two men playing each other songs of heartbreak and the ultimate sacrifice. Upon parting ways, this man revealed his name to be Star. That name became the fixture for one of Memphis’ most inventive bands: Star & Micey. Its core members are listed as two brothers without the same last name, Geoff Smith and Joshua Cosby. It was merely coincidence that Cosby later met Nick Redmond at a local pub and began a relationship based on music and above all, brotherhood.

Star & Micey’s self titled debut album features a revolving door of fantastic musicians including Luther Dickinson (The Black Crowes, North Mississippi Allstars), Jody Stephens (Big Star) and Rick Steff (Cat Power, Lucero), just to name a few. However, when the sun sets, it is Cosby, Smith, and Redmond that work relentlessly night after night. Hopefully, the music they make can transcend material possessions, and exhibit something that is always tangible between these three troubadours; that thing is love.

OUR LINKS

• Star & Micey Homepage
• On Facebook
• On Youtube
• On Twitter

Naomi What?

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They Might Be Giants

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"Brooklyn originals They Might Be Giants are on tour with a new show. TMBG's boundless creativity, rowdy and spontaneous performance, combined with their vast repertoire of memorable songs has made their live shows the thing of legend. With a brand new album, DVD, and iphone app, there is much for They Might Be Giants to celebrate. Don't miss this unforgettable show."

OUR LINKS

• They Might Be Giants Homepage
• On Facebook

MOon Hooch

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About Moon We are Moon Hooch - a Brooklyn-based collaboarative trio (Mike Wilbur - tenor saxophone, Wenzl McGowen - tenor saxophone, James Muschler - drums) that formed in the summer of 2010. Our music is a fusion of house, dance, drum and bass, jazz, world, and classical music. Our mission is to make people dance and be happy. Thanks for listening!!

OUR LINKS

• MOon Hooch Homepage

Hearts Of Darkness

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Welcome to the heartland's biggest Afrobeat band! Every show is an afrobeat party pandemic where everyone comes down with the fever and nice girls dance dirty!

OUR LINKS

• Hearts Of Darkness Homepage
• On MySpace

Monophonics

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Psychedelic Soul, sometimes called black Rock, is a sub-genre of Soul music, which mixes the characteristics of Soul with Psychedelic Rock. It came to prominence in the late 1960s and continued into the 1970s, playing a major role in the development of Soul and Funk music.

Over the past seven years, Monophonics have staked their claim as one of the west coast’s premier bands. Raised amid the Bay Area’s rich musical culture, Monophonics has proudly carried on the tradition of music native to their hometown, which flourished during the birth of funk music and psychedelia.

Monophonics were formed in 2005; originally an instrumental ensemble, in the last 2 years they have come to find there own sound. The foundation is the blistering funky drums of Austin Bohlman and soulful bass playing of Myles O’Mahony, fuzzy echo guitars by Ian McDonald, a powerhouse horn section made up of Ryan Scott & Alex Baky and the swirling organ & dynamic vocals of Kelly Finnigan. The result is a psychedelic soul & heavy funk sound, which harks back to the styling of the late 60’s and early 70’s, all while keeping its feet planted in the present.

As a mainstay of Bay Area venues such as The Independent, Great American Music Hall & Sweetwater Music Hall the Monophonics created a national buzz and fervent worldwide following. With 2012 being a break out year playing over 150 shows in 7 different countries. Sharing the stage & bill with such names as Al Green, Budos Band, Rodriguez, Orgone, Galactic, Edward Sharp & The Magnetic Zeros, Dennis Coffey, Syl Johnson, Soulive and many more. Their touring schedule has brought their rowdy, hard-hitting, energetic live set to 40 States from Hawaii to Motown, NYC and down to NOLA and gained them a reputation as one of the best new live touring acts. In the past year the band also performed at some of the major music festivals in the world including Wakarusa Music Fest, Portland Waterfront Blues Fest, Telluride Blues and Brews, Ottawa Blues Fest and both International Jazz Fests in Victoria and Vancouver.

Besides given major kudos for their live energy and stage show the sound of their new record has gotten them a lot of attention. Produced and recorded by Finnigan & McDonald and recorded on an old Tascam eight-track 1/4”tape machine at The Soul Barracks in San Francisco. The LP drips with warm tones, a gritty rawness in performance and spontaneous songwriting rarely found since the golden days of FAME and Stax Records. The vibe, production and overall tone of the record has gotten compared to the best products by Daptone Studios in NY and Killion Sound in LA. This is the Monophonics sound and it is a welcomed by soul, funk and lo-fi heads worldwide. In 2012 Monophonics followed up their highly regarded 45/single “Like Yesterday” off Colemine Records with their third and best record to date entitled “In Your Brain” off the well known rare groove imprint Ubiquity Records. The critically acclaimed record is considered one of the best soul and funk releases of 2012 even gaining them a radio hit in Greece with their cover of Sonny Bono’s “Bang Bang”. The full length has the vibe and the sound of the late 60’s/early 70’s. Dark psych soul, heavy funk, top notch songwriting, analog tones and renowned production, which is a sonic testimony to the evolution of this six-piece unit.

Looking ahead at the future, the band is scheduling a limited edition 6 song cover EP in the winter, another full length LP in the summer time, more US, Canada and Europe shows plus festivals with the hope of exploring new markets like South America, Japan & Australia. Besides being busy with their own movement, the band has become in demand working and collaborating with lots of other respected groups and artists like Motown singer Ben l’Oncel Soul , Multi instrumental producer Shawn Lee, Hip Hop group Blackalicious and world famous DJ Kenny Dope. With all those things happening, there is no sign of slowing down in 2013 and beyond!

OUR LINKS

• Monophonics Homepage
• On Facebook
• On Youtube
• On Twitter
• On MySpace

Reverend Horton Heat

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It’s true that the Reverend Horton Heat have been called a great many things over the course of their storied career: Perpetual Carriers Of The Rockabilly Flame, Genre-Shattering Problem Children, Filthy Drunks, and The Most Electrifying Live Act In America (150 shows every year can’t be wrong). But whatever you happen to call them, their country-flavored punkabilly and onstage antics have brought the Reverend Horton Heat a strikingly diverse fan base and a devoted cult following. The Rev himself, aka Jim Heath, leads the way with signature guitar riffs, while pounding out the bottom notes (often on top of) his upright bass is Jimbo Wallace, while Scott Churilla keeps time on the drums.

OUR LINKS

• Reverend Horton Heat Homepage
• On MySpace

Ha Ha Tonka

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Dirtfoot

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Dirtfoot is an all original, all acoustic band out of Shreveport, LA. Forming in early 2002, they've been honing their songs and craft in bars and pubs across North Louisiana, Southern Arkansas, and east Texas. After winning the Shreveport Times Battle of the Bands in January 2006, doors have really been opening. Now playing festivals like Voodoo Music Experience in NOLA, Wakarusa Music Festival in Lawrence, KS, Diversafest in Tulsa, OK, Mulberry Mountain Harvest Music Festival in Ozark, AR, Cutting Edge Music Festival in New Orleans, LA, Red River Revel in Shreveport, LA, Northgate Music Fetival, College Station, TX, etc, and playing major markets like Austin, Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, etc, things are definitely looking up.

Led by the organic writings of Matt Hazelton with each player adding his own flavor and feeling to the songs and sound of the group, Dirtfoot is a blend of eclectic styles as well as diverse personalities. By far, their claim to fame is their high energy shows and overwhelming crowd participation. They involve the fans with infectious grooves, call and response songs as well as their famous "Beancans'. Each show, bean cans (homemade shakers) are passed out to the audience which turns them into a part of the percussion section. Though all of their instruments are acoustic, their energy and ingenuity will make you swear they are plugged in. Featuring instruments ranging from an acoustic guitar, banjo, upright bass, pots n' pans, drums, bells, saxophone, xylophone and more, this band has a truly engaging sound, a real dose of Gypsy, Punk, Country, Grumble Boogie! It is like a good gumbo - you have some growling vocals, upright bass and percussion that makes a good, dark, dirty Louisiana roux, mixed heartily with some meaty rhythms, combined liberally with fresh offerings from the guitar and banjo that are like okra and tomatoes picked from your backyard garden, topped with the hot n' sexy spice of the saxophone and jazz style drums, and finally a little something magical and indescribable, and you have Dirtfoot - a delicious, spicy, dirty band that will make you stomp your feet, shake your ass and yell like a lunatic on a full moon night.

OUR LINKS

• Dirtfoot Homepage
• On MySpace

Rumblejetts

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Cartel

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Cartel is an American pop punk band from Conyers, Georgia that formed in 2003.

"A lot has transpired since we last put forth a full length album. This band has gone through many tumultuous yet exciting experiences that have brought us to this point - the release of our 4th album, Collider. The title is a representation of those aforementioned experiences that shaped the continuing career of Cartel. When juxtaposed forces collide in the arena of physics many things can happen: destruction, creation, and metamorphosis, to name a few. We feel as though all of those things and more have shaped the career arc of this band. But most of all, they have had a direct impact on the way we create the music that you'll hear on this record.

We found ourselves without a label and marched forward to experiment with the idea of self-releasing and self-producing our music. That experiment was the In Stereo EP. The unintentional discovery in that process was that there is an honesty that is imperative to the making of our music that is necessary to create the best possible sonic experience. That is to say, we're at our best when we are not concerned with anything but making an album that we WANT to make. It was evident in Chroma. We strove for it despite the spectacle perceived in our self-titled album. We tried to find it again on Cycles. And now, with all other distractions and deterrences aside, we've found it again.

Some may describe the feeling as magical or effortless. I assure you there were no spells or rituals (of the magical nature anyway), and it certainly was not effortless. This painstaking and self reflecting effort yielded something that we are incredibly proud of and that we stand by 100%. Collider is the culmination of 3 years worth of life, love, and reflection. We can't wait for all of you to experience it with us and enjoy it like we do. Expect us on the road in the US and international destinations playing heart-filled shows that display our passion for the energy and essence put forth in the making of these songs - this album. This is Cartel in all its forms. This is Collider."

OUR LINKS

• Cartel Homepage
• On Facebook
• On Spotify (Will launch Spotify Application)
• On Twitter

State Champs

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New York, Pop Punk

OUR LINKS

• State Champs Homepage
• On Facebook
• On Spotify (Will launch Spotify Application)
• On Twitter
• On MySpace

The Strive

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The Strive is breaking ground with a fiery, infectious spin on today’s power-pop vibe that simply must be heard. They named their band The Strive after the fun but intense, forward thinking aesthetic they brought to their 2011 debut EP Anything Goes, the subsequent standalone single Sleepless, and their new EP Design The Road – produced by Matt Noveskey, bassist for the rock band Blue October and rising star in the world of production.

For a group that’s only been around since the winter of 2010 – and debuted its current lineup featuring charismatic frontman Brendan Stevens in March 2011 – The Strive has lived up to its name big time, making spectacular inroads on the indie scene. Besides their formal releases, the home recorded demo track Caught Inside quickly rose to the top of the charts on Purevolume.com’s Top Unsigned Bands playlist. In addition to developing a passionate following via explosive performances at KC hotspots like the Beaumont Club and Uptown Theatre, they have performed on bills with Hawthorne Heights, Ivoryline, Madina Lake and Hey Monday; shared the stage with All Time Low and Yellowcard at The Rave in Milwaukee, played shows in Dallas, Austin, the Springboard South Festival in Houston; were featured at the Red, White & Boom concert, put on by hit radio station Mix 93.3 at KC’s Starlight Theatre, that also included performances by superstars Colbie Caillat and Gavin DeGraw. Lastly, their more recent gig in Kansas City on the Warped Tour, one day before the release of Design The Road.

Considering that Stevens, band founders Luke Davis (lead guitar) and Nick Stacy (drums), Greg Dowd (rhythm guitar) and Michael Zenk (bass) are only 19 and 20 years old, one of the things that pleasantly surprises people is how mature and polished they are as songwriters and performers. With heartfelt, very personal lyrics by Stevens and music by Davis, Dowd and Stacy, the songs on Design The Road reveal writers that are deep thinkers and artists whose powerhouse performances are genuine and original, but have an irresistible commercial appeal. While they worked on Anything Goes with producer Kevin Gates (Nevershoutnever, The Ready Set) from Engaged Audio in Springfield, Missouri, they opted this time to head to Test Tube Audio in Austin to work with Noveskey.

Stacy notes, “All the guys believe that it’s always good to change up who you work with in the studio on different releases, which leads to a fresh approach. We like our first EP a lot, but we didn’t want Design The Road to sound the same. We’re all big fans of Blue October and you can definitely hear their influence on some of these new tracks. Matt took the demos we had and brought them to the next level. We like the sonic ideas we came up with when we first wrote the songs, and he put the delectable icing on the cake. Sometimes it’s even more than that … Luke and I created the essential sonic experimentation and ambience on the closing track On Top of the World, but the big beefy outro was all Matt’s idea. He took our sound, developed it, and helped us to mature. Our time with Matt in Austin was a turning point for the band.”

In addition to Stevens’ soaring, emotional vocals, the two things that immediately hit listeners who are new to The Strive experience are Davis’ blistering electric guitar fire and Stacy’s deep and versatile drum grooves, which are propulsive to the point of wild hypnosis. The band goes for the jugular from the get go in the song, On My Own – a super high energy power-pop explosion which finds Stevens being haunted by naysaying ghosts, but finally declaring his place by himself at the front of the stage after a transitional time in the band’s brief but colorful history.

The spatial and atmospheric intro to Design The Road – the EP’s first single and soon to be shot video – gives way to a speedy percussive groove and scorching chorus punctuated by Dowd’s jangly rhythm guitar. The third track Hold Me Back brings more energy and intensity to the table after a mid-tempo mainstream pop/rock start; it finds Stevens entangled in troubled romantic relationships, trying not to make irrational decisions. The sonically diverse, atmosphere and effects rich closer, On Top of the World is … well, not only a great place to strive for, but a distinct possibility for a young band on the creative move.

The Strive’s origin story is one that could only take place in the later 2000s. In his early-teens, Stacy had amassed over 10,000 subscribers on his YouTube page recording drum covers of contemporary Top 40 hits. To date, he has over 5,082,432 hits and is approaching 15,000 subscribers. One of the early fans of this page was guitarist Davis, and the two began corresponding, becoming friends over their mutual musical goals, and ultimately starting a band when they were around 15 years old. There were some hiccups on the personnel end in the early stages, but ultimately the chemistry the two shared extended to the other Kansas City natives who joined forces to create The Strive.

Stacy notes, “It started out with Luke and I just writing and recording demos that were intriguing and catchy. We had a certain writing chemistry that allowed us to knock out demos one after the other. We basically lived in my studio in the basement during high school. A few years later, we got in touch with Brendan, through a friend of ours, and the rest just sort of fell into place. Brendan has been a performer his whole life and definitely has the charisma of a commanding frontman, but has an approachable presence. He came up with the name based on the idea that everyone should be striving for something – and it’s how the band operates. If we don’t constantly have new goals and new plans, we wouldn’t be able to keep up the momentum.”

Stacy adds, “What’s fun and cool is that up until recently, there was still a lot of development going on because we were working toward locating our musical niche. The drive to constantly evolve is so ridiculously strong that it’s just never going to stop. The songs on Design the Road, however, reflect the band in many ways because musically, we feel like we have a sound and identity we can call our own and further develop. We’re looking forward to touring and sharing our love for music with as many people as possible.” Lastly, he says, “We have new stuff in the works. We just wrote a new song last night … that’s three this week.”

OUR LINKS

• The Strive Homepage
• On Facebook
• On SoundCloud
• On Twitter
• On MySpace

Think Floyd USA

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Think Floyd I have been enjoying the local talent along with the bigger named groups for more years then I care to mention at OTTO’s. The only thing that is missing is a review of the local talent that is presented. Every band I have seen at OTTO’s without exception has been entertaining. Some stand out as very well rehearsed and professional and some not so professional. I have been an extreme fan of Pink Floyd since 1968 and have attended most of their live performances since they began touring. Their music has been called spaced out, stony, and many other things that are both complimentary and sometimes not so complimentary. However the one thing about Pink Floyd music is that no matter your taste someone likes at least one or two tunes that they do (especially off of Dark Side of the Moon, released in 1973 or The Wall) and most people who listen to Pink Floyd know what to expect. From the intense lead solo’s to the crushing bass lines, you know the next note that is going to be played and if it isn’t played you are disappointed. From the intense light show to the music Pink Floyd is a sensory experience that I have never seen duplicated live by any band. Many bands try, but all have fallen short simple because Pink Floyd is a complete show and an awesome experience. Saturday February 10th I entered OTTO’s around 9 PM, paid the $8.00 cover charge and found a seat. The band I came to listen to was called Think Floyd. They are a relatively new local talent that covers the English rock group Pink Floyd. I have listened to many Pink Floyd cover bands only to come away disappointed. As I got settled in my favorite place (just behind the sound board) I noticed a different atmosphere in the building. I also noticed that a computerized lighting system was in place as well as a number of sound men. The usual chatter was also different. I was hearing comments from people who had heard the band before, telling their friends how much they would like “these guys” and how good the show was. As the house lights dimmed 4 blue spot lights aimed toward the middle of the stage and smoke began to be pumped onto the stage creating a surreal haze as the band members took their places. This performance was to be “The Wall” arguably the most complicated album (CD for you younger fans) that Pink Floyd ever did. When the beginning restrains of “In the Flesh” started it got my attention, because the music was being played note perfect. Mentally I complimented the keyboard player but still didn’t expect much else. Then the first few cords were struck I did a sensory double take, when the singer, Mitch sang “So ya thought ya might like to go to the show” I was amazed by his ability not only to match the voice but also the English accent. From “In the Flesh” they went right into “The Thin Ice” and continued song after song, note for note until they reached “Comfortably Numb”. At this point the lead player Tom matched perfectly the live version of David Gilmore, while walking through the audience, up across the balcony and then back onto the stage. From that point they finished the entire album including the sound effects, complete with a laser light show that was way beyond anything I have seen at a small club. Their second set included cuts from Meddle, Dark Side of the Moon, and a cut from almost every album made by Pink Floyd and did it note perfect. If you have any musical appreciation or have ever wanted to see Pink Floyd, do yourself a favor and see Think Floyd. They play OTTO’s a couple of time a year but don’t wait. The band tours year round and has their concert schedule listed on their website www.ThinkFloydLive.com. Bye the way if you were to close your eyes you would Think that you were listening to Floyd, thus the name Think Floyd. Thank, Frank Riccardi

OUR LINKS

• Think Floyd USA Homepage

Everest

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Often descriptions of bands fall into the equation of “this well known group plus this other established act plus a few adjectives.” But some bands defy this shorthand, offering something so pure & true that its roots aren't apparent. Everest is this sort, taking us down to foundational rock truths with an easy glide and expansive vision. While one can draw some clues from the folks they’ve toured with – Neil Young, Wilco, My Morning Jacket – ultimately Everest is simply a great rock ‘n’ roll band in the classic, open-minded mold, something boldly apparent on their sophomore release, On Approach (arriving May 11th) on Warner Bros. Records / Vapor Records).

Formed in Los Angeles in 2007, Everest is comprised of Russell Pollard (vocals, guitar, drums, lyricist), Jason Soda (guitar, keys, vocals), Joel Graves (guitar, keys, vocals), Elijah Thomson (bass, vocals) and Davey Latter (drums, percussion). Their 2008 debut, Ghost Notes, drew strong critical marks and comparisons to primo Topanga Canyon, California country rock. However, none of this quite prepares one for On Approach, which finds the group in a full-tilt creative charge.
“We weren't a band for very long when we made Ghost Notes. I had songs, we recorded them in just two weeks, then immediately toured. On Approach has been a completely different experience,” says Pollard. “Now it’s guys who've actually struggled together and survived some tight spaces, cramped hotel rooms, some arguments and some really, really good times. There was a lot of collaboration, and we weren’t afraid to do anything.”

On Approach is a bold album that bolts out of the gate with an enveloping sound capable of filling large spaces, both in the outside world and between one’s ears. In broad strokes, it hits the sweet spot between stratospheric, stadium size rock and gorgeous, emotionally charged pop craftsmanship. From infectious and thumping opener “Let Go” through heavy rocker “I’ve Had This Feeling Before,” the sweet humming, “Keeping The Score,” the naked romance of “Dots,” the haunting, spacious roots rock of “East Illinois” and “Fallen Feather,” and culminating in the boiling over cascade of closer “Catalyst,” On Approach moves with a focused, switched-on intensity that announces the arrival of one of the most engaged rock units today.
On Approach isn’t just an assemblage of random tracks, but a classic two-sider vinyl kind of album, where the full resonance and weight of it can only be felt by taking the full ride. Everest is this sort of band, too, one that strives for something more than three-minutes in the spotlight. These guys are lifers and the music they make is built for lifetimes, maintaining some elusive core that rewards one with each new spin.

“On Approach has all the good things that make a great record,” says veteran producer/mixer Rob Schnapf who mixed Everest’s latest, and who’s impressive credits include such modern classics as Beck’s Mellow Gold & Odelay, Elliott Smith’s XO & Figure 8, as well as Foo Fighters’ eponymous debut. “This record has a familiarity yet doesn’t copy anything. It’s expansive, and it doesn’t sit in one place. Listening back to the final version, I realized it was like an old-time record experience, one you don’t get any more.”
With guitars that range from bright and chiming to tense and meandering, harmonies that are both delicate and pastoral, and Pollard’s gentle, hazy vocals, On Approach is indeed reminiscent of a bygone era, a time before the Internet, when albums were still an art form and stories were told on vinyl. But as it exudes timelessness, as it ebbs from rustic grooves into hushed lullabies, it also asserts itself as something very of the here and now – something that is more than the sum of its parts.

“One of the things that's intriguing about this album for me, is hearing the moments where we started to transcend,” reveals Pollard, “where those moments and the music became something beyond ourselves.”

OUR LINKS

• Everest Homepage
• On Facebook
• On Youtube
• On Twitter
• On MySpace

Old Lights

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Romanticizing pain is a sucker’s game. Heartbreaks are a part of life, and writing sad songs isn’t going to change that immutable fact. But if there is a relationship between personal trauma and great art, David Beeman has found a way to invert the traditional formula. As the leader of St. Louis, Missouri’s Old Lights, Beeman has catalogued his faults, fixations, fumbles and fuck-ups with bright, surging pop music that refuses to lie down. The lyrics may make you flinch, but the music keeps you rapt and swaying.

The melodic opulence of Wings, the dark-cornered and sweetly sung pop of Fleetwood Mac, and Brill Building piano pomp get jostled by joyful synthesizer bursts, jagged guitar freak-outs and choir-sweet harmonies. Beeman’s fluency on guitar and piano frame his high tenor voice, which is able to deliver an emotional payoff without sacrificing the many sweet spots in his songs.

OUR LINKS

• Old Lights Homepage
• On Facebook
• On SoundCloud
• On Twitter

Dean Monkey & the Dropouts

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For those ready to Bop to Hip shakin' soul: Ask for a white port & lemon juice, strip down to your socks, and hop with DEAN MONKEY & the Dropouts!

OUR LINKS

• Dean Monkey & the Dropouts Homepage
• On MySpace

Tedeschi Trucks Band

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As husband-wife couples go in the world of music, it is a challenge to find a duo as well-fitted and naturally prolific as that of singer/guitarist Susan Tedeschi and guitarist Derek Trucks. They are both heavily steeped in the blues tradition, yet open to far-ranging influences including rock, gospel, jazz and World music. Each has produced recordings that share a sensibility best described as a swampy mix of rootsy, rockin’ American music. The two have guested on each other’s albums, toured together intermittently, and last year they each received individual Grammy nominations in the category of “Best Contemporary Blues Album” for their 2009 albums, Tedeschi for Back To The River and Trucks for Already Free (which he won). As well, they often perform together with the Allman Brothers Band—with whom Trucks continues to play as co-lead guitarist.

In fact, it was during an Allman Brothers tour in 1999 that the two first met. They fell in love, married in 2001, and began a family in Trucks’s hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. By early 2010, with two children in grade school and both of their careers in full-swing, they made a vow to put their individual musical projects on hold and devote themselves to a new joint ensemble they would co-lead, what Trucks then described as a “collective that will allow everyone in the band a chance to shine. We’re not sure yet what it will sound like exactly – we’re just going to let it come together and not force a vision on it.”

A year-and-a-half process followed, during which Trucks and Tedeschi minimized their live commitments to such high profile events as Eric Clapton’s Crossroads, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Fuji Rock Festival, and a noteworthy collaboration with legendary jazz keyboardist Herbie Hancock. The couple’s primary focus through most of 2010 held fast to the goals of assembling a new band, writing new material, and recording an album of performances true to their new musical approach.

Trucks recalls stepping into the process but with no set deadline in mind. “We spent a whole year putting a band together with different lineups, different approaches, different mindsets, and during the same time began songwriting. After about six months we had over 30 songs to choose from.”

On June 7, Tedeschi Trucks Band will release its debut recording Revelator, the result of eighteen months of dedicated musical focus. True to Trucks’s promise, the album is a confident yet unforced triumph offering a cohesive vision: an idyllic, musical world in which the echoes of so many great traditions— Delta blues and Memphis soul, Sixties rock and Seventies funk—flow together naturally, blending with an entirely original, modern sensibility.

And true to a title that suggests both the gospel-flavored intensity and stunning, soulful impact of its twelve original tracks, Revelator includes smoky, blues-dipped rockers and heart-stilling ballads that show off, respectively, the gutsier and softer side of Tedeschi’s vocal ability, plus a series of emotive, story-telling solos shaped by Trucks’s uncanny agility on slide-guitar. With its focus on tighter song structures and lyrics rather than extended improvisations, the album serves as dramatic leap forward for Tedeschi and Trucks—one which makes sense in looking back.

“This album is an evolution of what we’ve all been doing before,” says Trucks. “Before with what Susan and I were doing, those were live bands that charged down the road, playing constantly and occasionally finding time to record. Now with this album, everything’s been thought out a little deeper, figuring out the music and what the tunes mean—more time given to the whole process. I think my album Already Free in 2009 was the first step in the direction of working with professional songwriters who take their craft as seriously as instrumentalists do.


“Revelator is the first true realization of that process, in which the sum of the parts—the songs, the band, Susan and myself—were greater than just the parts themselves.”

More than any other recording project, Revelator found Trucks taking on the role of bandleader, lead guitarist, songwriter, and producer—spending equal time on either side of the glass in Swamp Raga, the recording studio he built behind their house in Jacksonville, Florida. “It’s relaxing being at home but it can’t just be sitting there. You have to live up to what the studio is, and with this level of musicianship, and with this gear, it forces you to be on your toes.”

Trucks also recruited Grammy-winning engineer Jim Scott, whose genre-bending credits include popular albums by the Dixie Chicks, Johnny Cash, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Trucks co-produced the album with Scott, about whom Trucks says: “It really mean a lot when Jim would listen to something and say ‘Now THAT sounds like a record to me.’ He has a great way of sensing and knowing when a song had arrived and that nothing else was needed.”

Most notably, Revelator features the newly formed Tedeschi Trucks Band, an eleven-member ensemble overflowing with talent and musical familiarity. Harmony singers Mike Mattison and Mark Rivers have joined forces with brothers Oteil Burbridge (noted for his years as bassist with the Allman Brothers Band) and Kofi Burbridge (longtime keyboardist/flutist with The Derek Trucks Band), a pair of drummers J. J. Johnson and Tyler Greenwell, plus trumpeter Maurice Brown, tenor saxophonist Kebbi Williams, and trombonist Saunders Sermons. (Additionally, Ryan Shaw and David Ryan Harris supply harmony vocals to various tracks on the album, and Alam Khan adds his masterful sarod playing to ‘These Walls.’) The fact that this aggregation includes so many musicians related by experience—and blood—clearly adds to the notion of Revelator as a true group album, the product of a musical family.

The fact that the DNA of the Tedeschi Trucks Band includes so many musical couplings has a lot to do with it. “It has such strengths, everyone’s a great songwriter in this band and everyone’s so good at listening to each other,” Tedeschi says. “There are also lots of pairs in the band—like the drummers. They’re fabulous together, creating space for each other. Then you have Oteil and Kofi who have known each other since they were born—when those two brothers are locking in together, it’s amazing, like ESP taking over. And Derek and myself know each other so well and inspire each other.”

Trucks recalls that during the group’s tour in the fall of 2010, “It felt like everyone was trying to find their place. I found our New Years show in Jacksonville was the first time it all came together, it became very adventurous. We started playing with the realization that even with a big band, it can still turn on a dime.”

Tedeschi and Trucks plan to tour the U.S. and Europe on the heels of the release of Revelator, performing the music from the album as well as old favorites. Trucks echoes Tedeschi’s sense of anticipation and pride in their new collective. “I’m really looking forward to hitting the road and letting things grow until each show feels like an event. It’s nice having all these new songs but also having that looseness and spontaneity that comes with a great group of musicians. There are few bands that do that—hold on to that element of surprise. One moment could be a train wreck but the next, it’s church.”
.

OUR LINKS

• Tedeschi Trucks Band Homepage

The Revivalists

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Since forming in 2007, The Revivalists have earned their standing among the best original bands in New Orleans. The group's blend of soulful, syncopated rock and earnest songwriting comes to life through a meticulously crafted ever-evolving live performance. In 2011 they were named Best Emerging Artist at Gambit Magazine's Big Easy Awards. The band is proud to be a part of New Orleans' growing independent, original music scene.

For more go to: http://www.therevivalists.com/about.html

OUR LINKS

• The Revivalists Homepage
• On Facebook
• On Spotify (Will launch Spotify Application)
• On Twitter
• On MySpace

Turnpike Troubadours

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MORE INFO COMING SOON!

Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit

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For a comparatively brief moment in the mid-1960s, Muscle Shoals, Alabama was the unlikely epicenter of a major American songwriting renaissance. Here are some of the names: Arthur Alexander, Donnie Fritts, Eddie Hinton, Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, O.C. Smith, Joe South, Tony Joe White. Toss Bobbie Gentry into that mix, on style if not geography, and the list is not complete, regardless.

Style matters, for in those turbulent times these writers and their collaborators fused the vocal passion of African-American soul and gospel to an Anglo-Saxon storytelling tradition which goes back at least to Beowulf: Tough, hard, passionate, unflinching songs, unrepentant in their sense of place and direct in their stubborn Southernness.

That is a powerful pile of names to spade across the work of Jason Isbell, as his second solo album, named for his band, is, well, only his second solo album. And he's almost 30. It's not simply that he lives in Florence, Alabama, just outside Muscle Shoals, nor that he recorded Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit at the famed FAME studio there. That guarantees nothing.

The songs will stand on their own.

The opening "Seven-Mile Island" manages simultaneously to evoke the long-ago sounds of Traffic (who have their own Muscle Shoals connection) and to serve as an oblique eulogy to the regionally famous harmonica player Topper Price, and yet it's about a failed father, a birthing mother, an island on which banished Native Americans congregated, a place where Jason and his dad used to go to collect arrowheads. All of those things said eloquently in just over four minutes, and there are layers unexamined by that long sentence.

That's the only song that sounds just like that, says those things ("Good," for example, has the rock urgency of Big Star, "No Choice In The Matter" is classic soul, complete with horns), though they all come from deep within Isbell, no matter how far he distances himself, no matter that "Soldiers Get Strange" is mostly his imagination at work trying to make sense of how those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan feel. No matter that "Cigarettes And Wine" claims, midway through painting a very direct vignette, "I know that ain't much of a line/But it's the Gods' own truth."

That's enough. Leave the songs to be found, to talk for themselves. But let Jason explain, just a bit. "I always say that writing a song, first and foremost, to me, is a way of teaching myself how I feel about something," he says. "And that's the purpose it serves, really, more than anything else."

But the last thing Jason says about his new record is this: "I want it to be known that it's a band record. I want it to be known that it's something we all did together. Even though I wrote the songs, it was a very inclusive project."

Meet the band, then. Keyboard player Derry deBorja comes from the Baltimore area, and matriculated into the 400 Unit from a stint in Son Volt, which is where Jason met him. Guitarist Browan Lollar turned up at party, turns out to have just the right knack for Jason's songs. And bassist Jimbo Hart? "He's from Sheffield," Jason says. "I've known him since I was 16. My first image of Jimbo is him marching in a uniform playing bass with this huge kid behind him pushing his amp trying to keep up."

It was also a much more coherent recording process than the four years it took to stitch together his 2007 debut, Sirens Of The Ditch (New West). They spent a week cutting tracks at FAME, went on the road for a week, came back and spent another week finishing up. And it's clear from the credits that the 400 Unit made this album, together. They produced it, with Centromatic/South San Gabriel drummer Matt Pence both on the kit and behind the mixing board. Simple enough.

Here's the story of the band name, because it's a good story and deserves telling, and the telling says what needs finishing here. Jason begins, "There is a mental treatment facility here in Florence called The 400 Unit. About once a week they would drive downtown and take, I guess, the six or eight healthiest people in the facility and let 'em go downtown. Give 'em all like $15 apiece to go get some lunch. You'd immediately recognize who it was and why they were there; they all had name tags on, saying kinda strange stuff to everybody. And trying to get a sandwich at the same time.

"When I started thinking about a band, and how we get to a new town and everybody gets $15 and gets out of the van, goes out and tries to get a sandwich, it kinda reminded me of that."

Yeah, it's a sad record, but he's laughing. And it's a good sound, all around.

OUR LINKS

• On MySpace

American Aquarium

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Independent Weekly (Raleigh,NC)
"hard-nosed, soft-hearted country-founded rock pushed down the road by a driving rhythm section and an acoustic guitar's unrepentant major chords but guided to safety by expansive lovelorn narratives"-Grayson Currin
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Flagpole Magazine (Athens,GA)
"think Springsteen teaming up with Whiskeytown"-Michelle Gilzenrat
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Columbia Free Times (Columbia,SC)
Solid songwriting and an eclectic array of instruments could help American Aquarium carve out its own corner of the alt-country kingdom."-Tug Baker
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Connect Savannah (Savannah,GA)
"The hardest working band in the South"-Bill Deyoung
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Columbia City Paper (Columbia,SC)
"..they’ve become one of the most entertaining acts in the Carolinas, letting the raucous alt-country rock ring."-Sean Rayford
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Knoxville Metro Pulse (Knoxville,TN)
"this is what the Boss would've sounded like in his early years, if he were raised in North Carolina instead of Jersey." -Leah E. Willis
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Creative Loafing (Charlotte,NC)
"B.J. Barham is a sort of post-Ryan Adams Raleigh songwriter to watch."- Tim Davis

OUR LINKS

• American Aquarium Homepage
• On Facebook
• On MySpace

O.A.R.

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Andrew McMahon

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Allen Stone

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Missouri Chainsaw Grassacre

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Mountain Sprout

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Mountain Sprout is a highly energetic hillbilly music machine, spitting original tunes and blowing minds with original whitty lyrics and face melting musicianship. The Sprouts are a full time working band and play shows all year round for anyone who will listen. Whether it be Grayson VanSickle playing his machine gun banjo, singing out the novel of our lives or guitarist Adam Waggs, who yanks up the melody up by the ear and keeps you kickin'. With a smile on his face, Daniel Redmond pulls out cannon fire notes pounding the stand-up, dog house bass, and Blayne Thiebaux gives the crowd a spectacular show, burnin' rosin and bendin' air, exploding the fiddle while bursting into flames. Together, they are MOUNTAIN SPROUT.

Playing around 250 shows a year, including music festivals, concert halls and backwood hole in the walls. They have performed in venues large and small. From opening up for national icons Willie Nelson and Leonn Russel to performing with jam band titans such as Yonder Mountain String Band and Wide Spread Panic. You can find them hanging out with home grown legends like Split Lip Rayfield, Randy Crouch and countless other amazing musicians. Always opening up another beer or a sheltered mind at the local and not-so-local bars, MOUNTAIN SPROUT is always truly a crowd favorite.

After forming several renditions, the band made a final pact in ‘06. Since then MOUNTAIN SPROUT has released multiple recordings preceded by the infamous “Pornobilly”(2005) that earned a place in everyones heart. Then officially releasing their original debut album "One More for the Ditch"(2007), followed by a collection of traditional tunes entitled "Fambilly Hour"(2008), and tapped from source with another CD of original songs called "Into the Sun"(2009). With there latest smash hit album for the collection “Habits to Feed”(2010).

Now with much more to come from the Mudstomp Records family and the Pipeline Productions power house, Mountain Sprout is here to push the limits! Just make contact with plenty of advance notice so that you too can enjoy the live supernatural performance of the Mountain Sprout and if you all just want to party, well thats we do best, so let us set the mood for an amazing experience anytime; every time.

OUR LINKS

• Mountain Sprout Homepage
• On Facebook
• On MySpace

Deadman Flats

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Deadman Flats continues to stretch the limits of experimental bluegrass by injecting it with their own flavor of hard-edged acoustic deathpunk homegrown in their native Kansas. This explosively energetic string band catalyzes outrageous outbursts of dance and foot-stomping with their bouncy, up-tempo outlaw anthems about women, whiskey and the simple things in life. Those keeping tabs may find i...nfluences such as: rock and roll, punk, metal, old-time, blues, rockabilly or country intermingled with Deadman Flats' traditional bluegrass instrumentation. Deadman Flats' “anything goes” attitude enables them to identify with people in all walks of life. No matter what musical preferences one might have, chances are Deadman Flats has something that's right up your alley.

Deadman Flats is comprised of four boyhood friends from Kansas; Alex Law (guitar), Matt Stambaugh (mandolin), Pat Watt (banjo) and Hank Osterhout (bass). Deadman Flats first emerged on the scene in Lawrence, KS early 2006 as a late night party band. They soon earned themselves a cult following that enabled them to rapidly expand their presence throughout the Midwest. In late 2011, DMF added a ...new member to their lineup: the infamous blues harmonica player Brody Buster.

In their tenure, Deadman Flats has performed at hundreds of venues and festivals throughout the United States for enthusiastic audiences of all ages. Some of the more notable venues include: Crossroads (Kansas City), Liberty Hall (Lawrence,KS), Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom (Denver, CO), George's Majestic Theater (Fayetteville, AR), Wakarusa Music Festival and Yonder Mountain String Band's Harvest Festival, just to name a few. Deadman Flats has also traveled over seas to Europe, performing extensively in Belgium and Holland.
Deadman Flats has recently come out of hiatus and are scheduled to tear down many a midwestern town near you!

OUR LINKS

• Deadman Flats Homepage
• On MySpace

Whistle Pigs

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Hillbenders

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Tragic Prelude

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Tragic Prelude is highly energetic string band from Southeast Kansas, entertaining crowds with an eclectic mix of old country to new alternative bluegrass. Starting in 2010, Tragic Prelude, has been surprising crowds around the area with their unique blend of original lyrics and spot-on harmonies. Whether it be Jimi Adams hammering out the heavy rhythm on the guitar while belting the tunes, Tyler Shallenburger bringing you your favorite banjo licks intertwined with haunting harmonies, or Kyle Ogle thumping away with triple slaps on the stand-up bass you are sure to jump out of your seat and dance around with Tragic Prelude.

OUR LINKS

• Tragic Prelude Homepage
• On MySpace

Tyler Gregory

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Hailing from the rolling hills of Kansas, Tyler Gregory can regularly be found busking on city streets with his deep voice and steam-powered melodies bouncing off the street-side architecture. His sturdy songcraft takes cues from WWII-era blues bellowers like Leadbelly and Son House.

Gregory's mix of blues and roots music howls with a sense of passion and freedom. Singing songs portraying stories of travel, land, and the meaning of simplicity, Gregory goes full force on his guitar/stomp-box live performance arrangements.

OUR LINKS

• Tyler Gregory Homepage
• On MySpace

Cowgirls Train Set

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Originally a 2 piece but though out everything has just grown and grown and grown to become this 7 piece of destruction and energy. we have formed here in the great state of Kansas bringing in our experiences from all across the free state. Now we have become a force to be reckoned with using our huge sound and great harmonies and vocal variety. prepare for the end!

OUR LINKS

• Cowgirls Train Set Homepage
• On Facebook
• On MySpace

Dark Star Orchestra

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Performing to critical acclaim worldwide for over 13 years and more than 1800 shows, Dark Star Orchestra continues the Grateful Dead concert experience. Their shows are built off the Dead’s extensive catalog and the talent of these 7 fine musicians. On any given night the band will perform a show based on a set list from the Grateful Dead's 30 years of extensive touring or use their catalog to program a unique set list for the show. This allows fans both young and old to share in the experience. By recreating set lists from the past, and by developing their own sets of Dead songs, Dark Star Orchestra offers a continually evolving artistic outlet within this musical canon. Honoring both the band and the fans, Dark Star Orchestra’s members seek out the unique style and sound of each era while simultaneously offering their own informed improvisations.

Dark Star Orchestra offers much more than the sound of the Grateful Dead, they truly encapsulate the energy and the experience. It's about a sense of familiarity. It's about a feeling that grabs listeners and takes over. It's about a contagious energy, ... in short, it's about the complete experience and consistent quality show that the fan receives when attending a Dark Star Orchestra show.

Dark Star Orchestra has performed throughout the United States and Europe. They continue to grow their fan base by playing at larger venues for two and even three nightstands as well as performing at major music festivals including Bonnaroo, All Good Festival, Gathering of the Vibes, Mountain Jam, Summer Camp, Wakarusa and 10,000 Lakes. In addition, Dark Star Orchestra hosts its own annual gathering, Gratefulfest, where they headline three nights and are joined by a mix of established and up and coming national touring acts.

Fans and critics haven’t been the only people caught up in the spirit of a Dark Star show. The band has featured guest performances from original Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Donna Jean Godchaux-Mackay, Vince Welnick, Tom Constanten and even toured with longtime Dead soundman, Dan Healy. Other notable guests have included Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman of Phish, Keller Williams, Warren Haynes, Steve Kimock, Peter Rowan, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot and many more…

"For us it's a chance to recreate some of the magic that was created for us over the years," rhythm guitarist and vocalist Rob Eaton explains. "We offer a sort of a historical perspective at what it might have been like to go to a show in 1985, 1978 or whenever. Even for Deadheads who can say they've been to a hundred shows in the 90s, we offer something they never got to see live."

OUR LINKS

• Dark Star Orchestra Homepage
• On MySpace

Bret Michaels

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Marshall Tucker Band

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Brewer & Shipley

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Steve Earle

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"The city hasn't changed as much as real estate agents would have you believe," Steve Earle explains about his adopted hometown of New York City. "Specifically, my neighborhood hasn't changed that much. I point people in the right direction so that they can take their picture like the cover of Freewheelin' all the time."

That's easy enough for Earle these days, because he and his wife, singer-songwriter Allison Moorer, now live on the very Greenwich Village street on which the famous cover shot for The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1962) was taken. In that photo, Dylan and his then-girlfriend Suze Rotolo huddle against the cold as they walk along a snowy New York street. It's an indelible romantic image that captures the idealism of the folk revival that was gathering momentum in New York at the time.

Steve Earle's gripping new album, Washington Square Serenade, is a loving tribute to that era, that movement, that music and the city that gave them all a nurturing home. "That period changed pop music," Earle says. "It made lyrics much more important. Rock & roll could have become a subgenre of pop if it hadn't been for that literary aspect, which completely came out of a four-block area in New York City in one brief instant of time."

Like Freewheelin' itself, Serenade is an album that combines songs of love and protest, a stirring chronicle of both the connections between people that make life worth living and the things that must be changed in order to make such connections more possible for everyone. "I knew it was going to be pretty personal," Earle says about the album, which he recorded at Electric Lady Studios, the famed Greenwich Village recording complex that Jimi Hendrix built in the late Sixties. "The best part of my personal life was going so well I knew that chick songs were going to be no problem. As for political songs, I don't think I've ever made an apolitical record. The last two before this [The Revolution Starts … Now (2004), Jerusalem (2002)] were overtly political, and unapologetically so. This one is unapologetically personal."

Washington Square Serenade opens with "Tennessee Blues," which updates the title track of Earle's 1986 debut album, Guitar Town – and establishes the sense of another fresh start. The new version is acoustic, more introspective and more rhythmically charged – all traits highly appropriate for the tale of an artist "bound for New York City" and leaving Tennessee behind. "It's continuing a narrative – the state of me," Earle explains.

The "chick songs," as Earle describes them in apt period slang, include the lovely "Sparkle and Shine," which echoes both early Dylan and the Beatles, and "Days Aren't Long Enough," which Earle co-wrote and sings with Moorer. "I've written duets for Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, Iris DeMent and my sister Stacey, so there was no way I was going to get away with not writing a duet for me and Allison," Earle says, laughing. "I had to – I'm married! But we've been singing together as long as we've been together, and I wanted something that was a love song about us."

Steve EarleOn the other end of Earle's passions, "Steve's Hammer," which the singer dedicates to Pete Seeger, is an uplifting political anthem, a statement of Earle's conviction about the role that music can play in achieving social justice. "One of these days I'm gonna lay this hammer down/Leave my burden restin' on the ground," he declares, and then makes clear when and only when that day will come: "When the air don't choke you, and the ocean's clean/And the kids don't die for gasoline."

As we all know, that time has not yet arrived, and "City of Immigrants" makes that point forcefully. A paean to New York's long history of welcoming people from other countries, the song had a very specific inspiration for Earle. "I knew I wanted to write a ‘Fuck Lou Dobbs' song," he says about the CNN anchor who has defined anti-immigration politics as his signature issue. "There's no excuse for it – it's ugly and it's racist." Supporting Earle on the song is Forro in the Dark, the super-charged neo-folk Brazilian band that's based in New York.

Washington Square Serenade concludes with Earle's scarifying version of Tom Waits' "Way Down in the Hole," which will serve as the theme for the next season of the HBO series "The Wire." Earle has a recurring role on the show – "I play a redneck recovering addict, so it's not acting," he deadpans.

"It's daunting to cover a Tom Waits song – he's one of the best of my generation of songwriters," Earle admits. "But, then, I once sang ‘Nebraska' to an audience that I knew Bruce Springsteen was in. It's not that stuff like that doesn't scare me – it's just that doesn't mean I won't do it!"

Overall, Serenade is imbued with a deeply intimate feel, because all of its concerns, public as well as private, as essential to who Steve Earle is. That intensely personal quality, however, is deftly complemented – both underscored and unsettled -- by John King's production. As one half of the Dust Brothers, King has worked with the likes of Beck and the Beastie Boys. As a result, rhythms continually percolate, bump and simmer beneath the largely acoustic instrumentation, fashioning a folk/hip-hop hybrid that sonically unites two of New York's finest musical traditions.

Washington Square SerenadeAsked how he would like listeners to respond to Washington Square Serenade, Earle, characteristically, is ready with a bold answer. "If you feel like you don't know what America is all about right now, and you want to reorient yourself to what America should be about, it's a really good time to come to New York City," he says. "I needed really badly at this point in my life to see a mixed-race, same-sex couple holding hands in my own neighborhood. It makes me feel safer."

"I've been pretty heartbroken about the way things have gone politically in this country the last few years, and I seriously considered moving someplace else," he concludes. "Then I figured out that I didn't have to leave the country. All I had to do was come to New York."

Washington Square Serenade – in its commitment, its values, its musical intelligence and, finally, its very American optimism about the possibilities for a better world – demonstrates why.

- Anthony DeCurtis

OUR LINKS

• Steve Earle Homepage
• On MySpace

Brandi Carlile

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The Lone Bellow

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David Byrne & St. Vincent

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The Revivalists

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Since forming in 2007, The Revivalists have earned their standing among the best original bands in New Orleans. The group's blend of soulful, syncopated rock and earnest songwriting comes to life through a meticulously crafted ever-evolving live performance. In 2011 they were named Best Emerging Artist at Gambit Magazine's Big Easy Awards. The band is proud to be a part of New Orleans' growing independent, original music scene.

For more go to: http://www.therevivalists.com/about.html

OUR LINKS

• The Revivalists Homepage
• On Facebook
• On Spotify (Will launch Spotify Application)
• On Twitter
• On MySpace

Josh Turner

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Backroad Anthem

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Backroad Anthem is a country/rock band based out of Fayetteville, AR.

OUR LINKS

• On Facebook
• On Youtube
• On Twitter

Slightly Stoopid

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Illustrating the perfect underground success story, Slightly Stoopid's dual front-men Miles Doughty (Guitar, Bass, Vocals) and Kyle McDonald (Guitar, Bass, Vocals), created their own label, Stoopid Records, in the early 2000's to avoid signing a record deal and keep their DIY work ethic and freedom. West coast DUB/Rock pioneers later added musicians Ryan 'RyMo' Moran (Drums) and Oguer 'OG' Ocon (Congas, Percussion, Harp, Vocals) from the B Side Players, as well as C-Money (Trumpet, Keyboard) and Dela (Saxophone) from John Browns Body; solidifying their on stage line up. Slightly Stoopid has built a large n' loyal fan base, and has soared to one of the most successful independent artists of this decade. The buzz surrounding the group continues to increase with each successive release; their album catalog sales have topped the 700,000 mark and the group continues to fill the most prestigious concert venues around the world.

The Slightly Stoopid story can be traced to Ocean Beach, California, when childhood chums Miles and Kyle formed the group in 1995, mixing reggae and punk sounds into one smooth stylistic cocktail. Soon after, late/great Sublime frontman Brad Nowell caught wind of the group, and signed them to his Skunk Records label – while the band members were still in high school. A pair of releases soon followed for Skunk - 1996's punk-tinged SLIGHTLY STOOPID (featuring a guest appearance by Nowell on the song "Prophet" – later covered by Sublime and released on their box set, EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN) and 1998's surf-inspired cult classic THE LONGEST BARREL RIDE.

The group self-released 2001's ACOUSTIC ROOTS: LIVE AND DIRECT (a 40-minute acoustic set, captured live at San Diego 's Rock 105.3 radio station) – the first for their own label, Stoopid Records, before issuing 2003's EVERYTHING YOU NEED on Surfdog (a musical departure for the band, that sold more than 130,000 copies). The band's talent for mixing styles was never more apparent than on 2005's CLOSER TO THE SUN (on Stoopid Records / Caliplates / Reincarnate), which featured collaborations with such renowned reggae names as Barrington Levy and Scientist. A year later, Slightly Stoopid issued their first-ever electric live album, WINTER TOUR '05-'06, as well as their first-ever DVD, 'Live in San Diego,' while 2007 saw the release of the group's fifth studio effort, CHRONCHITIS, which debuted at #55 on the Billboard 200, and #2 on the indie charts.

And through it all, Slightly Stoopid has logged some serious road miles – in addition to their incessant criss-crossing of the U.S., which includes appearances at prestigious festivals such as Coachella, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, and New Orleans Jazz Fest, among others, the group has played sold-out shows in Australia, Japan, Guam, Amsterdam, Portugal and Denmark, the U.K., Germany, Holland, and the Dominican Republic. "Without [the fans], we'd just be playing at the bar," admits Kyle. "They make it worth our while – when we go out and people are having that good of a time, the energy goes back and forth. Just a good time – we rely on each other's energy." And all you have to do is look at the list of artists that Slightly Stoopid has played with, to get a feel for how much of a large and diverse audience they appeal to - the Dave Matthews Band, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley and the Marley Brothers, Sublime, the Roots, G. Love & Special Sauce, Ozomatli, Toots and the Maytals, and Pennywise, among others, as well as their first-ever sole headlining tour of amphitheatres in 2008, joined by their friends Pepper and Sly & Robbie.

"I think consistently touring is important," explains Miles. "Most people take the route of trying to be successful without even getting out there for people to hear what your band is about. The most important thing is you can be playing in front of zero people or 20,000 people, and you've still got to rock the show. When we were first starting out, literally, we played in front of nobody. We'd show up at the club, and it would be bartenders and security guards, and 'Yo, play your hour set – here you go!' But after you play that show, they tell some of their friends and their friends tell some friends. I think the Internet has helped us a lot too, because people were able to spread the word about the music easier. The most important part is being out there 200 days a year. You're going back to towns twice a year, so people get to come out, and that gave us a real loyal following. Wherever we go, you have these Stoopidheads going crazy. For us, it's pretty much the greatest job in the world."

2008 saw the band issuing their first-ever 'odds and ends' collection, SLIGHTLY NOT STONED ENOUGH TO EAT BREAKFAST YET STOOPID – the group's newest release for their growing label, Stoopid Records (which will also feature releases by other groups, including the label's first signees, Santa Cruz's The Expendables). Included on SLIGHTLY NOT STONED ENOUGH are outtakes from both the CLOSER TO THE SUN (including tracks that were previously issued as a limited edition bonus CD) and CHRONCHITIS sessions, as well as bevy of new material recorded at Miami's famed Circle House Studios, and such cover tunes as UB40's "I Would Do For You" and the traditional "I Know You Rider" (most notably covered by the Grateful Dead). Also making their first appearance on a Slightly Stoopid studio album are newly recorded renditions of such long-time live standards "False Rhythms" and "Sensimilla."

Seemingly always on the move, there appears to be no slowing down in sight for Slightly Stoopid, and according to Miles, that's precisely what fuels the group's creativity. "For us, the most important thing in the future, we just want to stay busy and always playing music – whether creating, touring, or just sitting on your couch and jamming. I think we'll always be recording. And just have fun – without the fun part, it ain't worth it."

OUR LINKS

• Slightly Stoopid Homepage
• On MySpace

Atmosphere

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The Grouch & Eligh

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Yonder Mountain String Band

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Yonder Mountain String Band has always played music by its own set of rules. Bending bluegrass, rock and countless other influences that the band cites, Yonder has pioneered a sound of their own. With their traditional lineup of instruments, the band may look like a traditional bluegrass band at first glance but they’ve created their own music that transcends any genre. Dave Johnston points out “What could be more pure than making your own music.” Yonder’s sound cannot be classified purely as “bluegrass” or “string music” but rather it’s an original sound created from “looking at music from [their] own experiences and doing the best job possible.” The band continues to play by their own rules on their new record The Show.

The Colorado-based foursome has crisscrossed the country over the past eleven years playing such varied settings as festivals, rock clubs, Red Rocks Amphitheater in the band’s home state, and recently the Democratic National Convention in Denver at Mile High Stadium opening for Barack Obama. Their loyal fanbase has been built from this diverse setting of music venues as fans latched on to their genre-defying original sound.

In between tours the band spent time this last year working on its fifth studio album. Set for a September 1 release on the band’s own label, The Show is the second album with rock producer Tom Rothrock (Beck, Elliott Smith, Foo Fighters). While some might scratch their heads as to why a string band would want a rock producer, this decision was a natural choice for the band. “We don’t have a lot of nostalgia for the past,” says banjo player Dave Johnston. “You shouldn’t try to recreate the 1940s. I like to think of us as informed by the past and all the great performers before us. But we also want to look forward rather than give people something that has already been perfected.”

The Show has the similar acoustic instrumentation (Adam Aijala on guitar, Johnston on banjo, Jeff Austin on mandolin and Ben Kaufman on bass with all four singing) as many of its classic bluegrass forefathers. Though once again drums are present (as with the self-titled fourth album) with the great Pete Thomas of Elvis Costello’s bands adding a rhythmic backdrop to Yonder’s still-acoustic sound on six of the tracks. The record consists of thirteen songs all written by Yonder.

The band has long cited such varied influences as the bluegrass of Del McCoury, Johnson Mountain Boys, Jimmy Martin, Bill Monroe, Osborne Brothers as well as the punk rock of Bad Religion, Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys. Somewhere in between these two tent poles are early 20th Century composers and alternative rock bands like Grandaddy and Postal Service. It’s all funneled through the band’s unique chemistry, honed since they first met at an informal club performance in 1998. With band members writing individually, in different pairings and as a collective, the album proves that this group is a collection of creative peers and you can hear it in the rich tapestry of music that makes up The Show.

Here Yonder offers such traditional bluegrass sounding fare as “Out Of The Blue” and “Casualty.” The band has explored its country roots in the past and does so again this time on “Steep Grade, Sharp Curves,” a song that describes the roads around its home base in Nederland as well as a particularly dangerous femme fatale. A little further from the roots is the impressionistic “Isolate” with its simple but ominous bass line and minimal arrangement. There is also a bevy of rockers like “Complicated,” “Fingerprints” and “Belle Parker,” a gem of a song about a hard-hearted woman. The band even finds some excellent middle ground between bluegrass and rock on “Fine Excuses” thanks in part to a scorching guitar solo from Adam Aijala. There is also the extended “Honestly” -- at eight-minutes, the longest song on the album, with a middle section that is an excellent platform for lengthier live excursions that are as improvisatory as any electric band on the live music circuit.

The band is a regular at bluegrass festivals like the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and the band's own Northwest String Summit as well as massive multi-stage events like Austin City Limits Festival, Bonnaroo and Rothbury. Fans are no doubt drawn to Yonder’s anything goes attitude, its humor and passion about music, and the band’s ability to stretch out live. “We love that people come to see us,” Johnston points out. “Everyone appreciates good music. Some people want to go to a recital and some people want to party.”

But as its fans know, Yonder Mountain String Band does something a little different, more than just a musical party. The Show is the band’s most varied and versatile album to date, and the summation of the journey that these guys are on together. It’s bluegrass for the masses, acoustic tunes filled with dazzling chops, and it’s fun to boot. The humble Johnston sounds as surprised as anyone by the band’s success, but knows that it all boiled down to chemistry, which has never changed. “Somewhere down there we all kind of recognized that we had something unique,” he explains. “But there is no way I could have imagined the amount of success that the band has had.”

OUR LINKS

• Yonder Mountain String Band Homepage
• On Facebook
• On Youtube
• On SoundCloud
• On Twitter
• On MySpace

Devil Makes Three

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Quixotic

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For the past five years. Kansas City based group Quixotic has created a full spectrum of music with sounds rich in electronic tones that soar and twist from emotive rich classical string progressions to driving tribal dance music.
Composer Anthony Magliano, along with an award winning band including violinist Shane Borth, keyboardist/vocalist Laura Scarborough, drummer Brandon Draper and Rick Willoughby on Bass, create music with instrumental foundations and diversity that is meant to inspire movement within the group’s other half; dancers, multi media designers, and aerialists.
Quixotic’s use of effects, synths and laptops harness technology in a unique way that’s never been seen, or heard before. The innovative musical technology is combined with the fierce and organic rhythm section to create a marriage between two musical worlds within the five-piece band.

OUR LINKS

• Quixotic Homepage

The Rainmakers

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The Nace Brothers

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Bob Mould

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Those familiar with the decades-spanning oeuvre of Bob Mould—from his pioneering early ’80s work with Hüsker Dü to his solo work in singer-songwriter, electronic, and rock modes, to the deafening pop sparkle of Sugar—might expect a new album bearing the title Silver Age to be a somber and reflective set in the mode of his last album, 2009’s Life and Times…and they’d be way off the mark.

Silver Age is an intense and concise ten song blast far more reminiscent of Bob’s latter-day Hüsker Dü output—first marked by the monumental sprawl of 1984’s Zen Arcade which then gave way to the short, sharp pop focus of 1985’s New Day Rising—and his early ’90s tenure with Sugar, whose classic debut Copper Blue marks its 20th anniversary this year. That said, Silver Age is no nostalgia trip. Aside from lyrical content that shows Bob as in-the-now as ever, Silver Age came together quickly and organically in the wake of a series of electric solo dates in 2011 supporting Foo Fighters (where he guested each night on “Dear Rosemary,” the track from the Foos’ Wasting Light on which Bob shares writing and vocal duties) as well as a solo acoustic/book tour around last summer’s publication of See a Little Light: The Trail of Rage and Melody, the autobiography Bob co-authored with Michael Azerrad (Come as You Are, Our Band Could Be Your Life). These events culminated in a tribute last November at Los Angeles’ Disney Hall that featured the likes of Dave Grohl, Ryan Adams, Spoon’s Britt Daniel, and Craig Finn and Tad Kubler of The Hold Steady celebrating the width and breadth of Bob’s body of work.

“I’d been batting around the idea of another aggressive pop record for some time,” Bob says, “especially as the 20th anniversary of Copper Blue kept getting closer. But it was really the shows with Foo Fighters that got me thinking when I started writing for this record: Did I just write a Sugar song? Or a Foo Fighters song? Or one of my own songs? And does it really matter? Once I got that out of the way, it freed me up to have some fun and set about making a simple rock record.”

It’s no surprise, then, that Silver Age careens out of the speakers with a sense of exhilaration that reflects the excitement with which Bob and his live band of bassist Jason Narducy (Spl:t S:ngle, Verbow) and drummer Jon Wurster (Superchunk, the Mountain Goats) cranked out the record in a tight whirlwind of a window from in early 2012. But that’s not to say that Silver Age is a lighthearted romp—as ever, there’s plenty of dark matter at the center of these sweet melodic nuggets. First single “The Descent,” for example, is one of those perfect moments that lands firmly in the Mould wheelhouse, with walls of luminescent guitars, phantom choruses, and infectious hooks all leading toward the concluding refrain of “My world, it is descending.” The opening one-two of “Star Machine” and “Silver Age,” on the other hand, pairs abrasive riffs with equally harsh meditations on fame, immaturity, and the lessons and consequences thereof. Other Silver Age highlights include the bittersweet romantic epic “Round the City Square” (“It feels like people always look to my songs to help define their own failed relationships,” Bob laughs); the upbeat and earnest celebration of “First Time Joy”; and the unabashedly literal “Keep Believing,” a rousing love letter to the records that shaped Bob’s personal and professional life. Listen closely and see how many of the references you can pinpoint:

Bring me thoughts and words, pass me the revolver
I can see for miles, and everything’s in color
Rock and roll all night until I feel the thunder
I got a handle on some complicated fun

We’re all sniffing glue, pleasures so unknown
A circle drawn in blue, the murmur baritone
Picnic on a Pedro lawn, heaven took that monkey song
Never mind the battle won, could you be the loveless one?

“I don’t know if there’s an arc to this record,” Bob says. “But if I had to boil it down to one core idea, it would be: I love music. I love my life. I love what I do for a living. It’s right there on the lyric sheet; it references itself, really. More than any other record I’ve made, this one gives a real glimpse into how much making music means to me as a means of expression, as well as what music means to me as a fan.”

And so has it always been the case for Bob Mould, the music he’s created defining every phase of his life, both cataloging memories and propelling him ever forward: Hüsker Dü’s formation in 1979 and the hardcore anthems, tight, melodic, hard-pop chestnuts, and sprawling double-vinyl conceptual opuses it churned out in equal measure up to its dramatic 1987 flameout; Bob’s solo works ranging from his landmark 1989 debut Workbook to Black Sheets of Rain (1990), Body of Song (2005), District Line (2008), and Life and Times (2009); his forays into electronic music, including 2002’s Modulate and his Blowoff collaboration with Richard Morel; and of course, the soon-to-be-reissued body of work that Sugar packed into its brief existence, featuring the 1992 debut Copper Blue which Bob and his band have been playing front to back at recent live shows. It seems to be Bob’s summations and reflections on these major creative periods of his life and career that open up new wellsprings while coming to terms with the old works—a natural process that has produced winning results yet again in the form of Silver Age.

“It’s no coincidence that this record came at this point,” Bob says. “In 1991, closing the door on a run of all-acoustic shows led right into the beginning of Sugar and Copper Blue. So you could state a case that the solo shows accompanying the book readings through 2011—plus the Disney Hall show and knowing the 20th anniversary of Copper Blue was right around the corner—wrapping that all up led me right into Silver Age. I’m well aware that there’s no way to get into a time machine and go back to being the person I was 20 years ago, but it is nice to get three musicians in the studio together and get back inside that three-minute pop song structure again.”

OUR LINKS

• Bob Mould Homepage
• On Facebook
• On Youtube
• On Twitter

STS9

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Formed in Atlanta over a decade ago, instrumental electronic rock band STS9 has risen to the forefront of the international music scene. Consistently ranked among Pollstar magazine’s list of top-grossing touring acts, STS9 boasts a genre-defying list of opening acts along the way including Snoop Dogg, Ghostland Observatory, Bassnectar, Thievery Corporation, Pretty Lights, Big Boi of Outkast and countless others. The now Santa Cruz-based quintet has sold out the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado; performed at Ultra Music Festival, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Coachella and Electric Daisy Carnival among many other top festivals; sold out shows across the country as an acoustic set-up in opera houses or as an electronic act in amphitheatres; performed with Jay-Z in arenas; and have raised significant amounts of money towards activism efforts (including $150,000 to the Make It Right Foundation, paving the way to rebuild a house in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans). STS9 also run their own record label, 1320 Records, whose goal is to bring the music to the people in the most conscious, unique, innovative and savvy ways possible to lessen the distance between artists and fans.

OUR LINKS

• STS9 Homepage
• On Youtube
• On MySpace

Umphreys McGee

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Elephant Revival

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Elephant Revival is a soulful, seductive quiver of songwriters and multi-instrumentalists that reign from points all across America. Since Oct 06' Daniel Rodriguez, Bonnie Paine, Dango Rose, Sage Cook and Bridget Law have herded in a greatly applauded neo-acoustic gyptic revival at festivals, theaters, clubs and house concerts from the Pacific coast to the rolling hills of New England. The Revival plays entirely original music with a few carefully chosen traditionals and eclectic cover tunes but their precise genre is hard to pin down. As independent film director Mikey Eberle elaborates, "When I hear Elephant Revival I am struck by my inability to define it. I am forced to confront the music as it is, connecting to it with a virgin spirit of mind. Consequently it feels like I am experiencing music and all its joys for the very first time."


Each Elephant possesses remarkable vocal abilities which are highlighted during every performance. The individual members carry a vast amount of talent and are all multi-instrumentalists. Daniel Rodriguez plays a distinctive finger-style acoustic guitar and banjo. Bridget Law is a high elevation fiddle champion who regularly teaches and plays in Scotland. Dango Rose is solid as a rock on the upright bass and adds nice texture on the mandolin. Sage Cook is a shredding instrumentalist who plays the electric banjo, electric guitar, mandolin and upright bass. Bonnie Paine's innovative washboard and percussion style has inspired a new generation of folk-percussionists. Her playing transcends the Cajun, Bluegrass and Latin conventions usually associated with the instrument. Occasionally she will bow an eerie yet angelic line out of the musical saw. Her voice has been compared to the likes of Natalie Merchant and Grace Slick, but the calm power which fuels her voice is beyond explanation. Her vocal prowess is hauntingly beautiful.


Individually and collectively the band members have performed with some of the most prolific performers of our time including Bela Fleck, John Paul Jones, Michael Franti, Little Feat, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Yonder Mountain String Band, Leftover Salmon and Railroad Earth amongst countless other great and talented contemporaries. In 2008 Elephant Revival played a handful of great festivals including Joshua Tree Roots Festival, Yellowstone Music Festival, Yarmony Grass, Mulberry Mountan Harvest Fesival, Mackinac Island Festival, Oyster Ridge Bluegrass Festival, Sawtooth Music Festival, Desert Rocks, Nederland Music and Arts Festival, et al... In July 08' the band released their debut album produced by long-time collaborator and friend David Tiller (ThaMuseMeant, Taarka). The album has received high praise on an international level. Its new-age sound has garnered Elephant Revival the reputation as a "Transcendental Folk" outfit.

OUR LINKS

• Elephant Revival Homepage
• On Facebook
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• On Twitter
• On MySpace

Matisyahu

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In April of 2005 a fresh voice announced his arrival on the international stage with a stunningly inventive document titled Live at Stubb’s. Six years later, Matisyahu returns to the renowned Austin venue that helped to launch his career with Live at Stubb’s, Vol. II, a new CD-DVD package that demonstrates the continued originality and increasing depth of this longtime New Yorker’s craft.

Inspired by the runaway success of the original record, which spawned the hit single “King Without a Crown” and has to date sold over 700,000 copies in the United States, Matisyahu says he always knew he wanted to make another live album. “Performing is such a big part of what I do,” he says, “and there’s a lot about that live energy that you just can’t catch in the studio. So for me it was simply a matter of figuring out the right time to do it.”

He chose well: Last year Matisyahu released Light, a David Kahne-produced studio disc on which he jumped boldly from hard-edged dancehall and ska-inflected New Wave to laidback pop-rock and acoustic folk-soul. The album took Matisyahu well beyond his stylistic comfort zone and charted the growth of his vocals from traditional reggae toasting to a more dynamic, emotional place. But it didn’t necessarily show off his onstage evolution.

“I’ve played so many shows and gone through so many metamorphoses as a performer,” he says. Especially valuable was the opportunity to showcase that evolution at the very club where his career really took off. “It was kind of a return-to-roots occasion,” he says—albeit one where we see how far he’s come, as well.

Part of that transformation has been fueled by Matisyahu’s new band: Brooklyn’s acclaimed Dub Trio, which includes guitarist D.P. Holmes, bassist Stu Brooks and drummer Joe Tomino. The singer first came across the group—as fate would have it—while in Austin recording the first Stubb’s record. “I remember seeing their name at a record signing and being intrigued,” he says. “So I got one of their records while I was on tour, and there was this one song I couldn’t stop playing.”

Shortly thereafter, Matisyahu spent an entire day walking around Boston writing lyrics to the tune. “I love the way they bounce back and forth between really beautiful music and heavier, harder-edged stuff,” he says. “I knew right then that I wanted to work with them.” Last year he booked a show with Dub Trio at a small club in Brooklyn. “We just did an improv set after maybe one rehearsal,” he recalls. “It felt so right.”

That improvisational spirit looms large throughout Live at Stubb’s, Vol. II, which pulls primarily from Light and Youth, Matisyahu’s 2006 full-length. “Dub Trio understand the concept of space,” he says, “which for a vocalist is great, because that leaves a lot of room for me to really get into my lyrics in new ways.” Here Matisyahu uses that room to dig deeper into his sound than ever before, shedding new light on its hip-hop, rock and reggae dimensions to the vocal delight of the enthusiastic (and demographically varied) Stubb’s crowd.

That audience was central to what Matisyahu set out to accomplish with Live at Stubb’s, Vol. II. After all, the fans were the ones who enabled his return to the venue in the first place, affording Matisyahu the opportunity to extend the legacy Stubb’s represents. In fact, one crowd member made a lasting contribution.

“The night before the show I took a picture of my tour bus in the hotel parking lot and posted it on Twitter,” Matisyahu remembers. “Someone sent back a tweet saying they’d figured out which hotel it was and asked if they could come say hi. I said sure and a couple of kids showed up; we hung out for a few minutes on the bus. Then the next night at the show I’m pulling people up onstage during ‘King Without a Crown’ and one of them is the kid from Twitter!” The singer laughs. “So the last clip on the DVD is actually me giving him a high-five.”

The appreciation, no doubt, was mutual.

OUR LINKS

• Matisyahu Homepage
• On MySpace

Monsters of Mock

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Almost Kiss

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KC/DC

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Strictly Alice

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Drew Holcomb

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Drew Holcomb is an American singer and songwriter who grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, and now calls East Nashville, Tennessee home. Holcolmb's wife, Ellie, performs alongside him in the band, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors. Holcomb earned a considerable following after his 2005 album, Washed in Blue, was released and had multiple TV placements on Lifetime's Army Wives and Showtimes's United States of Tara, and A&E's The Cleaner. Holcomb and his band, The Neighbors, joined by his wife and singing and songwriting partner Ellie Bannister Holcomb, daughter of Brown Bannister, then recorded 2008's Passenger Seat.

Holcomb has gained most of his following with a heavy touring schedule, headlining regionally in the Southeast, and opening for National acts such as Susan Tedeschi, Ryan Adams, Los Lobos, Jon McLaughlin, The Avett Brothers, Robert Earl Keen, Marc Broussard, Dave Barnes, and Matt Hires. Holcomb is signed to Brite Revolution, alongside other independent Nashville acts Katie Herzig, Matthew Perryman Jones, Griffin House, and was also featured on Paste Magazine's November 2009 Sampler CD. In the fall of 2009, Holcomb appeared alongside Pat Green, Billy Joe Shaver, and Darryl Worley on the TV show, Legends and Lyrics.

OUR LINKS

• Drew Holcomb Homepage
• On MySpace

Vienna Teng

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Barnaby Bright

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