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OUR CALENDAR
June
25
Sunday
June
26
Monday
June
29
Thursday
June
30
Friday
July
1
Saturday
July
2
Sunday
July
2
Sunday
July
4
Tuesday
July
6
Thursday
6/24
Hotel Coffee
Heres to the Life
The Hemorrhoids
18 & Over | 8 pm
Hotel Coffee
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Heres to the Life
Acoustic folk punk meets acoustic pop punk with a little bit of twang.
OUR LINKS
The Hemorrhoids
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
6/25
Smackdown Trivia
18 & Over | 6:30 pm
6/26
Carnivora
Existem
Autumn Lies Empty
18 & Over | 8 pm
Carnivora
"Fans of At The Gates and Darkest Hour, you want this. If the blistering main riff doesn’t induce chair-moshing right away, just wait for the arena-ready harmonized leads once the guitar solo shows up. The track’s breezy 4 minutes blow by in what feels like half that time – even as I’m writing this, I’ve hit the replay button quite a few times already. It’s just one of four tracks on the band’s upcoming EP, 'The Vision,' and every minute of that release rips just as hard." - Metal Insider
"'A Vision In Red' is the EP’s opening song. The song blends together riffs that alternately swarm and jab, a flurry of pugilistic drum strikes, and a couple of flickering, spiraling guitar solos that really light up the song like a Roman candle — not to mention a nimble, thrumming bass line and some bleeding-edge vocal excretions." - No Clean Singing
"What is most noticeable throughout for this new Carnivora EP is the levels of musicianship, diversity, and dynamics that have been taken into consideration – the leads, the transitions, and the thick production values rival what you would expect from the larger, signed bands in the modern thrash/death scene." - Dead Rhetoric
"Live, Carnivora is a whirling behemoth. An onslaught of power, precision, and fantasy, they offer up a brilliant heavy metal fantasy with an artful and crystallized countenance. Michaud and Meehan are axe masters who shred in a sort of classic “Gothenburg melo-death” style (At The Gates, Dark Tranquility, In Flames); Lentine is an inspired hardcore and death metal front man; Hunt is a progressive and sculpted bass player who completes each architectural structure with absolute resolve; and DeLucia is a drummer that is as technical as he is interstellar, orbiting around the complete whole of the band, offering depth and nuance. The band pushes, pulls, and rages, and in a lush whirlwind, they manage to forge a special séance with every performance: each show stronger than the one before." - Ithaca Times
OUR LINKS
Existem
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Autumn Lies Empty
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
6/28
PRIDE
18 & Over | 8 pm
6/29
Clowder
Korby Lenker
18 & Over | 8 pm
Clowder
Clowder is a Folk-Rock band that fuses elements of blues, funk, and jazz-based harmony, riffs, and solos. The group is led by songwriter Cody Case and lead vocalist Chelsy Larson. Chelsy's voice sounds like a blend of Stevie Nicks and Bonnie Raitt, while the musical fusion and Cody's songwriting resembles Paul Simon and Ani Difranco. Clowder is based in Lawrence, KS and has been gigging thereabouts since 2014.
OUR LINKS
Korby Lenker
Says tastemaker magazine No Depression, "One of the most striking things about seeing Lenker perform is his relationship with his guitar. He doesn't just play it, he becomes it -- or maybe, it becomes a part of him.”
Korby Lenker - firstborn son of a mortician and a school marm - is a skilled multi-instrumentalist and an award-winning songwriter. He was born and raised in Twin Falls Idaho, a mile from where Evel Knievel tried to jump the canyon on a motorcycle.
Winner of 1st place at the 2016 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter’s Competition (out of some 400 contestants), Korby is a dynamic, compelling performer — sometimes up on tip toe, singing in a hush, his performances are known for being engaging and personal, transparent and elevating. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer likened his voice to "cool lemonade on a hot summer day.”
In March 2017, “Let’s Just Have Supper” — a song Korby wrote and performed with Nora Jane Struthers — premiered on NPR’s All Songs Considered. The month before, he played an official showcase at Folk Alliance International, and in January we was a featured performer at the 30a songwriters festival.
His 7th album, “Thousand Springs” is set for release on Soundly Records in July of 2017. Produced by Korby and recorded mostly outside with the help of some select recording gear and battery made for climbing expeditions, Thousand Springs features 30 different artists from the young folk and Americana scene.
Korby released his 6th full length self-titled record in March of 2014, and his song If I Prove False to You was added to rotation on Sirius XM "The Coffeehouse". Another track, Forbidden Fruit appeared on two episodes of AMC Family's "The Fosters." Music and Musicians Magazine dubbed Korby "Who's Next.”
In addition to his music, Korby is a longtime writer of fiction and memoir. In December 2015 he saw the release of his first book. Medium Hero is a collection of short stories based on his 14 years of life as a touring indie musician. Entitled Medium Hero, it came out on Turner Publishing in December 2015 to warm reviews.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak said the stories in Medium Hero are “Clever and well-crafted, with a tendency to linger in your mind.” National Book Award winner Tim O’Brien said “Korby’s keen control of narrative voice is spot-on in each of these stories — distinctive, disarming, entertaining and completely convincing.”
Korby has performed internationally and has shared the stage with such legends as Willie Nelson and Ray Lamontagne, as well as Nickel Creek, Tristan Prettyman, Susan Tedeschi, and many others. When he’s not touring, he enjoys acting and reading novels.
OUR LINKS
Katy Guillen and The Girls
Katy Guillen and The Girls, out of Kansas City, MO, formed in September of 2012. The blues influenced roots rock trio is made up of Katy Guillen (guitar, vocals), Claire Adams (bass, vocals), and Stephanie Williams (drums). The group’s sound is characterized by Guillen’s searing, lively guitar licks; Williams’ heavy, driving drums; and Adams’ rock solid bass lines. Guillen’s soulful vocals backed by Adams’ intense harmonies add a fierce punch to Guillen’s songwriting. KG&G draw influences everywhere from rock and roll contemporaries like Heartless Bastards and the timeless guitar god Jimi Hendrix to sweet songstress Patty Griffin. They’ve been known to pack a blues and BB-Q roadhouse, just as easily as they will fill up a multi bill rock/alternative venue.
OUR LINKS
Eric Tessmer
Eric James Tessmer, actually named after guitar giants Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, is an extraordinary guitarist, musician, singer and songwriter hailing from Austin, TX. He is widely considered one of the most vibrant guitarists to follow in the footsteps of blues-rock legends such as Stevie Ray Vaughan and his namesake predecessors. His live shows have captured audiences' attention across the United States as power-packed sessions of wickedly fast and precise licks that can light the house on fire without the need for lighter fluid.
Born and raised outside of the small town of Richland Center, Wisconsin, Tessmer began playing at a young age, inspired by his father and grandmother. In 2000, he moved to Austin at the age of 19 to play gigs with numerous musicians and bands, earning local credibility as he honed his craft of riffing with speed, power and control. He later formed his own power trio, the Eric Tessmer Band, in 2003. Through a battered '59 Fender Stratocaster producing vintage-correct tones, Eric kickstarts the engine left idling by guitar players of the past.
Known as one of the hardest working musicians in the area, Tessmer continues to travel the U.S., Canada and Europe. Creating his own brand of ‘blues-rock soul-chedelic’ sound, he has electrified festivals such as Montreal Jazz Fest, Summerfest, and MusikFest with dialed-in precision and delivered polished performances at clubs, pubs and venues across the land. Sharing the stage with notable musicians such as Dick Dale, Anders Osborne, Tab Benoit, Monte Montgomery, Gary Clark Jr. and Chris Duarte; Tessmer has created a buzz among the blues-rock community that is quickly swarming with devoted disciples.
-G. Lemen
OUR LINKS
7/1
Tree Machines
Vigil & Thieves
VEHICLES
18 & Over | 8 pm
Tree Machines
Nature vs. Man = Tree Machines
“We latched on to the idea of creating an album that was a mix of the digital and analog worlds,” says Douglas Wooldridge of the Lawrence, Kansas-based duo. Bandmate Patrick Aubry and Woolridge are set to release their debut self-titled EP as Tree Machines on March 31st, 2015. The EP is preceded by the provocatively titled single “Fucking Off Today”.
The new EP opens with this giant-sounding single, running without the bother of learning to crawl, and lyrically capturing the idea of not caring in a way no artist has before. “With open mouths to feed, we’re fucking off today,” Woolridge sings with ultimate conviction, adding an ironic touch that gives the song even more potency.
Why haven’t we heard a song about apathy delivered in such blunt terms until now? It’d have to be a tune with a melody and hook as strong as these to be believable, especially for a debut single with “fucking” in the title. Tree Machines pulls it off.
The anthemic side to this message, borne of Woolridge and Aubry’s observations of the on-off, blissed-out-but-strung-out club kids they’d see during their gigs as lighting designers, actually has a much more personal side for the guys themselves.
“We weren’t clicking as a group. We’d lost touch of why we made music together in the first place.”
Woodridge is referring to the fact that just a year ago, before they formed Tree Machines as a duo, he and Aubry were deep into the pre-production of an aborted full-length album as a foursome under the name Sobriquet. It was a situation that ultimately became an expensive misfire with dangerous consequences.
“There are still flakes of blood splattered on the wall of the living room,” Woodridge explains of the night that he had it out with his former drummer, resulting in a lacerated finger that kept him from playing guitar for two months. There, with only two weeks until the first day of tracking for the album, Woolridge came to the realization that his band was falling apart.
“Ego and resilience is a tough combo to go up against though,” he says of his reticent willingness to continue into the studio despite his growing awareness of the project’s downward spiral (and despite the previously mentioned violence.) “Patrick and I started talking about the future and the possibility of moving on,” he explains, detailing the back-up plan that he felt he needed to come up with.
Regardless, recording of the album as Sobriquet commenced. And, as expected (or predicted), it didn’t go so well. Drug use, equipment failure, unusable takes, and wasted days left Woodridge feeling that the album was doomed. By July of 2014, the record was finished, and so was the band.
“But, Patrick was a solid as rock and the songs were sounding great,” says Woolridge optimistically. “So we pushed on.”
No strangers to unique solutions to difficult situations, Woolridge rented a 9,000 square foot warehouse space (at Lawrence, Kansas prices, folks!) and moved all of their gear in. Though it had no running water, it did have what amounted to a giant echo chamber of concrete. The guys immediately took on the task of recording additional soundscapes, guitars, and percussion to make the finished Sobriquet album into the debut Tree Machines EP.
“Why not expand on what was really Pat’s and my baby all along?,” Woolridge asks. So, as the summer of 2014 was winding down, just two months after the demise of their band, Woolridge and Aubry had reinvented the record as all their own, and had re-named themselves Tree Machines.
In addition to the idea of Nature vs. Man, the new name has deeper roots (a tree pun!) in the notion of duality. “Life and Death. Black and White. Analog and Digital. Both Patrick and I have a fascination with duality,” Woolridge explains.
Capturing these confusing feelings of youth, and longing for something so much bigger than what they refer to as “this Midwest lifestyle,” is in the band’s DNA. It’s an ideology that represents their passionate and urgent devotion to discovery, and for new ways of doing things in life, and in music.
The debut EP by Tree Machines arrives on March 31st. The debut single “Fucking Off Today” is streaming now
OUR LINKS
Vigil & Thieves
Vigil and Thieves is a Kansas City indie alternative quartet formed in early 2014. Previously described as “grandiose” with a “heartbreaking heaviness,” the band has honed in on dynamic and lyrically-driven song structures that have been compared to live poetry. Their debut album, ‘[defective] book one,’ was released in September 2014, followed by an east coast tour in support, and has since received high praise from publications including Liberty Press, CAMP Kansas City Magazine, and I Heart Local Music.
They are currently in the studio tracking their next album that holds true to their optimistically tragic aesthetic while demonstrating a dark, robust and refined sound. Stay tuned for upcoming tour dates in Winter/Spring 2016.
OUR LINKS
VEHICLES
Alternative, Rock, Space, Jam. All of these adjectives have been used to describe Vehicles' sound- they just decided to meld them all together. There are many elements and influences that are all obvious in Vehicles' sound. One might pick up on elements that recall U2, Echo and the Bunnymen, Interpol, and Mellowdrone- just to scratch the surface.
OUR LINKS
Dirty Heads
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
SOJA
SOJA
Jacob Hemphill (lead vocals & guitar) met Bobby Lee (bass) in the first grade in Virginia, shortly after Jacob returned from living in Africa with his family. The two instantly became best friends, and in middle school found a common love for hip hop, rock and reggae music. Throughout middle and high school, they met Ryan Berty (drums), Patrick O'Shea (keyboards) and Kenneth Brownell (percussion). Together they formed SOJA. In the formative years the band gigged locally in the DC area while a couple of the guys finished school. All the while making plans to hit the road after graduation...
In 2005 the band hit the road... and they hit the road hard. Often dubbed "road warriors", SOJA has brought their unique sound and stage show to nearly every city in North America, as well as many cities throughout Europe, South America, the Pacific Islands and the Caribbean. While touring in Puerto Rico the band linked up with sax player Hellman Escorcia & trumpet player Rafael Rodriguez. These two exceptional musicians earned their position as SOJA's mainstay horn section by helping further develop the band's eclectic sound.
With no signs of slowing down. SOJA is planning a world tour for 2011/2012 in support of their upcoming album release. It's all about the message in the music for this band. "People think we write music about the earth for the earth's sake, but its not really like that. If we harm the earth, it will reject us. For all we know, its happened one hundred times before. This place gets too hot, that's it. Reset button. That's why I sing what I sing - to pull us all in the same direction, the same future. Without that, were finished (Jacob Hemphill)."
There is no doubt about it. This band is on the forefront of a Revolution with hopes to bring about positive change: environmentally, politically and socially. "Maybe we need to WANT to fix it. Maybe stop talking, maybe start listening. Maybe we need to look at this world less like a square and more like a circle. Maybe just maybe God's not unfair, maybe we're all his kids and he's up there. Maybe he loves us for all our races, maybe he hates us when we're all so racist. Maybe he sees us, when we dont care, that its heaven right here, but its hell over there. Then maybe the meek will inherit this earth, cause it was written before... so..." Everything Changes - SOJA.
OUR LINKS
The Green
The Green’s latest album, Hawai‘i ’13, opens with a chant.
“From the times of ancient Hawai‘i and even up to present day, chanting has been a part of our culture,” says JP Kennedy, guitarist, vocalist, and one of the band’s five songwriters. “It’s a way to start something important. When we chant, we ask for blessings, knowledge, and guidance so that we can be ‘pono’ or righteous in whatever we do.”
The chant of “He Mele No Ku‘u Hawai‘i” prepares the album’s listener as much as the band. Hawai‘i ’13 dances through roots reggae, soul, and R&B. The album charts a journey through Hawaiian life and music in 2013, reflecting The Green’s musical upbringing as much as their vision for the future of Hawai‘i and its musical output. Following The Green’s usual modus operandi, the album was written by the group’s five separate songwriters (Kennedy, guitarist-vocalist Zion Thompson, vocalist Caleb Keolanui, keyboardist-vocalist Ikaika Antone, and bassist/multi-instrumentalist Brad Watanabe); the band’s four singers (Kennedy, Thompson, Keolanui and Antone) take turns on lead vocals, sometimes trading off with each other within a song. Once you listen to this record, there is little doubt that the chant served its purpose, as the results show the band has been righteous in their hard work.
The Green formed on O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, in 2009. The group began as a vehicle for six different members of Hawai‘i’s tight-knit music scene to record a few songs and have a bit of fun along the way. Their self-titled debut album, released in 2010, earned both critical and commercial acclaim, and was awarded iTunes Best Reggae Album of the Year.
Afterwards, the band jumped on a plane to the mainland and started a heavy touring cycle. On the strength of their debut album, The Green struck a record deal with ground-breaking independent reggae label Easy Star Records to record their sophomore album, Ways & Means. Ways & Means hit #1 on the iTunes and Billboard Reggae charts and the band embarked on more intense touring; supporting acts like Rebelution, Iration, SOJA and Damian Marley. They also played at acclaimed festivals including Vans Warped Tour, Wakarusa, Sierra Nevada World Music Festival and California Roots Festival.
Despite all the time spent away from home, Hawai‘i never left the band’s day-to-day life on the road. In almost every state, the band met Hawaiian ex-pats, driven away from their home state for reasons both economic and social. The Green’s concerts became a place where Hawaiian natives could gather and for one night, share a bit of Aloha spirit from the Pacific islands they call home.
“Hawaiians living on the mainland will come to our shows and say ‘I haven’t been home in years! You remind me so much of home,’” says multi-instrumentalist-songwriter Brad “BW” Watanabe. “I feel like that’s our service in some way.”
In early 2013, The Green retreated to Hurley Studios in Costa Mesa, CA, to record their third album with Danny Kalb (Ben Harper, Beck, Jack Johnson), the band’s first outside producer/engineer, at the helm. In addition, the group brought in Joe Tomino, drummer from Dub Trio (who also double as Matisyahu’s backing band), to handle the drums for the sessions.
“We were worried about it because we always recorded everything ourselves,” Kennedy admits. “But when we added Danny Kalb to the mix, and Joe on the drums, they just brought so much to the sound of the songs.”
The addition of an outside ear helped sharpen the band’s direction, and the 13 tracks on Hawai‘i ’13 sound focused and pointed, despite the group’s many different songwriters. “All of us contribute to the creation of a song,” says guitarist-vocalist Zion Thompson, “whether it’s lyrics or music, it’s always collaborative.”
“Everyone respects each other’s opinions,” Thompson continues. “Everyone has their place and everyone makes room for it to work.”
The album’s songs span soulful lover’s rock (“Striking Up A Love,” “Take Me On”), heavy roots workouts (“Good One,” “Forgive Me”), smooth R&B ballads (“Chocolates & Roses”), roots reggae-pop hybrids (“Power in the Words,” “Good Vibe Killah”), and herb anthems (“Hold Me Tight”).
The Green hit all the right notes with their first two albums, but the band members are still coming to grips with the personal toll of success. Bands from the mainland may be used to touring from state to state, but that’s no small step for a group from a small island in the South Pacific. “While I face a dozen spotlights, you’re crying at home,” goes “Something About It,” one of the lead singles from Hawai‘i ’13. “Sit by the phone. You think I’m alone, wishing I could be there. But the music’s got me traveling on.”
The Green struck the reggae community hard with their debut in 2010. Their sophomore LP Ways & Means solidified their status as a force in reggae music. With Hawai‘i ’13, the band aims higher. The album collects 13 stellar tracks by a group with an insatiable urge to push their music onto the global stage. Some songs punch and some songs sway, but ultimately they all blend to form a new shade of Green.
OUR LINKS
RDGLDGRN
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
7/2
Smackdown Trivia
18 & Over | 6:30 pm
7/3
Open Mic
18 & Over | 8 pm
Open Mic
Every* Monday, Nicholas St. James and The Bottleneck host Open Mic! Sign-up at 9:00, music at 9:30.
TWO stages - Main stage and the Bluegrass stage
FULL band (any genre)
Singer-songwriter
Acoustic
Electric
Comedian
JAMS - just show-up with an instrument!
FREE entry
$1.50 pints
45 minute slots available
Amongst the best sound systems in town
Try-out for playing Bottleneck shows
Big venue experience
Pool tables
Contact us with any questions at:
bottleneckopenmic@gmail.com
Instruments must be provided by the musician at this time.
*no open mic will be held if there is a show scheduled.
You MAY NOT sign up any sooner than 2 weeks of the date you wish to play. You may not sign up for two consecutive weeks.
OUR LINKS
7/4
Closed. Happy 4th of July!
All Ages | 8 pm
7/5
PRIDE
18 & Over | 8 pm
Henry and the Invisibles
Henry + The Invisibles (Henry Roland) is a live-looping, multi-instrumentalist aka “The One Man Funk Band" that loops and layers vocal harmonies, funk guitar, grooving bass, soulful keyboards and powerful percussion to create original high energy dance music that sounds like a solid 5 piece funk ensemble!
OUR LINKS
DJ Kimbarely Legal
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
7/7
Royal Ruckus
Left E. Grove
Whyte Lyte (#ConstantlyPositive)
18 & Over | 8 pm
Royal Ruckus
We started as three high-school guys in Bakersfield, California in 1998. It was really meant to be a joke. But some people took us seriously. We went from a living room to a garage to concert venues.
After a few years, and thanks to the internet, we found ourselves performing all over California, in Las Vegas, and Hawaii, and getting national media attention. The group shrunk and expanded, but two guys were always there: Mike Walker and Jamey Bennett.
In 2000, we teamed up with Pigeon John and made some beautiful music. The product of that was Pocket Lint & Spare Change, a fancy little demo record.
We had a bunch of indie records in those first few years...and then one label record. We signed a record deal in 2002 with Flicker Records, and moved to Nashville. It was a good time. We did some touring, made a few bucks (seriously, a few bucks), and grew up. We put out a very slickly produced record entitled SELF-TITLED. We were glad to work with a few friends from LA Symphony, Sackcloth Fashion, and more.
Slowly, things slowed, and slowed, and slowed. Did I mention they slowed? Eventually we traded our aprons at Starbucks, and our dreams of large royalty checks, for "real" jobs.
Over the coming years, we didn't do much, but we'd still get together and make a few songs, hand out some freebies, whatever - just anything but completely quit. Jamey even managed to pull off a few performances in Hawaii, Tennessee, and Ukraine, unfortunately without the assistance of Mike. In 2008, we rereleased our Pocket Lint demo with a handful of other unreleased songs we'd made over the years, and a few previously released songs that were no longer available anywhere.
In March 2011, we released Rumors of Our Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated, a self-produced album comprised of never-before heard material. We had a bit of help from Man.Child, Cookbook, Uno Mas, Spoken Nerd, and a few other fine folks. This album was made almost entirely through dropbox and twitter direct messages, while Jamey was in Hawaii and Philadelphia, and Mike remained in Nashville.
We're still together. Jamey is now in south Florida, and Mike is in Austin. It's unlikely we'll do (m)any performances together in the future, but we feel like we have one more album in our bones. Tell a friend. Or 10. Let's rebuild the RUCKUS NATION.
OUR LINKS
Left E. Grove
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Whyte Lyte (#ConstantlyPositive)
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
7/8
Future Fields
Le Youth
Quixotic
Sheppa
BLK MARIO
Casio McCombs
Marvin Gardens
$11.50 + F&T | All Ages | 7 pm
BUY TICKETS!Future Fields
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Le Youth
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Quixotic
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
Sheppa
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
BLK MARIO
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Casio McCombs
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Marvin Gardens
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
7/8
Ghost Lit Kingdom
Run With It
18 & Over | 8 pm
Ghost Lit Kingdom
Ghost Lit Kingdom stands alone in their eclectic, self proclaimed genre of Anthemic Alternative Indie Pop. Exploding onto the scene with tremendous momentum from their debut release, Ghost Lit Kingdom is quickly making their mark on the LA music scene with energetic live performances, powerful vocals, stunning musicianship and songwriting of incomparable depth in today's pop music. The young group has already taken the stage at some of LA's most reputable music venues (Troubadour, Roxy, Hotel Cafe, etc.) and continues to ascend, with their first U.S. tour kicking off in June of 2017.
OUR LINKS
Run With It
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
7/9
Smackdown Trivia
18 & Over | 6:30 pm
Taylor Phelan
Taylor Phelan is a songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist and indie-rock artist. Phelan was raised within a tight-knit musical family in his home state of Texas and began to play guitar and write his own songs at 16, cutting his teeth at coffee shops. He started his professional career as the founder and frontman for the Chicago-based alternative band, The Canes. In 2014, Phelan was a favorite contestant on the seventh season of NBC’s hit reality series, The Voice, an experience that revealed his tremendous talent as a solo artist. In 2015, shortly after signing with the indie label, Native Nine Records, Phelan gravitated back to his southern roots and teamed up with Nashville-based producer Joshua D Niles to work on his first collection of solo material. Now touring the country with a powerhouse backing band, his debut EP will be released in Summer 2017.
OUR LINKS
Faintheart
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Michael Franti & Spearhead
In the mid-Nineties, Franti first formed Spearhead, and increasingly in recent years, he’s found his own voice musically and his own organic brand of popular success. Franti and Spearhead’s last album, 2008’s All Rebel Rockers -- recorded in Jamaica with legendary producers and players Sly & Robbie – became the biggest hit of Franti’s career, hitting the Top 40 on the Billboard 200, and yielded his biggest hit, the Top 20 “Say Hey (I Love You).”
“I had a nice, long time to get ready for that first hit, and so I really appreciated it when it happened,” says Franti. “So when we were just mastering the new album, I was saying to my manager, “Boy, wouldn’t it be fun to have a sophomore hit?” He was like, “Sophomore hit? You’ve already been through grad school, man” So yes, I’ve paid some dues, and that’s made getting this far -- and still being here -- mean even more to me. The funny thing is that `Say Hey’ went into the Top Twenty right as I was being wheeled into surgery. I got the text, and I thought, `Wow, I’ve finally got a hit record, and I’m not even going to live to enjoy it.’ That put everything in perspective too.”
Michael Franti is not a man to openly chase success – in fact; he’s not a man who even wears shoes(for the last ten years). Still, Franti has absolutely no problem hearing his music on the radio now. “When I was a kid, I used to listen to AM radio on family vacations in the car, and at family barbeques and my dad would leave the radio on. So songs that were the silly pop hits became a really meaningful part of my childhood - and of my adult life now. So when I think of the fact that there’s some family out there on the beach in the summer together listening to `Say Hey,’ it makes me feel really good. The truth is a good pop song that makes you feel good can be something of value and meaning to people.”
Arguably the most cohesive, romantic and life-affirming album that Franti and Spearhead have ever made, The Sound Of Sunshinereflects the fact that, as Franti puts it, “With time, you get a better sense who you are and how to put together all your musical passions into your own sound. I feel like for a long time, I dabbled in other sounds. Like `Let’s do something with a reggae vibe here.’ Or `Let’s really rock here.’ But now, I write everything from the acoustic guitar up -- which keeps you honest. Then Jay Bowman, my songwriting partner and I, take a lot of time figuring out what’s the best way to present this song and make every word of it come across and ring true.”
Even the recording process for The Sound Of Sunshine reflects Franti’s desire to communicate directly with his audience. “We started in Jamaica actually recording a bunch of tracks with Sly and Robbie who are, of course, great, and we used some of those tracks. Then we got home and started mixing the record. Then I went to Bali and wrote some more songs, but we still didn’t have it finished. So we said let’s bring a portable studio on the road with us. We’d literally recorded the drums in the locker room of the Toronto Raptors or in the shower of some NHL team. Then we’d go right onstage and play the song and see how other people would react to it. We’d see what worked and go back and record it again the next day. So these songs have really been road tested in front of live bodies.”
For Franti, “To play for people and share your songs with them is to make a real connection. That’s why we play outside our shows for those who can’t afford to come inside. They need the songs too – maybe more. That’s the reality. And as a musician I was on tour with put it recently, “Our fans didn’t come to us from a reality show. They came to us from reality.” And so, we mean something in their lives. We’re the music they put on when they drive their little kids to school, or hang out with the person they love at night. There’s no higher honor. So they have an investment in the music. And that means so much because this music is very personal to me too.”
OUR LINKS
Kawehi
Kawehi in Elle magazine. No big deal:
http://www.elle.com/news/culture/interview-kawehi-one-woman-nirvana-cover-musician
OUR LINKS
- Kawehi Homepage
- On Facebook
- On Youtube
- On Spotify (Will launch Spotify Application)
- On SoundCloud
- On Twitter
7/12
Sawyer Fredericks
Gabriel Wolfchild and the Northern Light
Haley Johnsen
| All Ages | 6:30 pm
BUY TICKETS!Sawyer Fredericks
Winner of Season 8 of The Voice and is the youngest (16 when he won a year ago) and one of the most successful artists to ever participate in the show with 14 songs on itunes top 200 hundred at one time, selling well over a million units.
"Poised beyond his years, he carved out an identity as a guitar-strumming crooner who could effortlessly strip a song down to its barest essence." - Rolling Stone
OUR LINKS
Gabriel Wolfchild and the Northern Light
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Haley Johnsen
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
7/12
PRIDE
18 & Over | 10 pm
7/13
Lawrence Field Day Fest 2017
Melting Point of Bronze
Something and the Whatevers
Emmaline Twist
Bearblood
All Ages | 8 pm
Lawrence Field Day Fest 2017
The 6th Annual Lawrence Field Day Fest is coming to Lawrence, KS this July 13-15! Once again, we will be gathering the best and newest local and regional bands to rock all over downtown LFK.
Thursday July 13
12am Melting Point of Bronze
11pm Something and the Whatevers
10pm Emmaline Twist
9pm Bearblood
8pm doors
Friday July 14
High Dive Showcase
11:45pm Psychic Heat
10:45pm Dressy Bessy
10pm Arc Flash
9:15pm BUMMER
8:30pm Sex Snobs
8pm doors
Saturday July 15
12:15am Domineko
11:15pm Weaver
10:15pm Tire Fire
9:15pm Varma Cross
8:15pm The Goodbye Sort
7:30pm doors
OUR LINKS
Melting Point of Bronze
Brutal/Heavy/Old School Metal
Forged in the back of a North Lawrence welding shop.
OUR LINKS
Something and the Whatevers
Nerdy drum machine punk from Lawrence, Kansas
OUR LINKS
Emmaline Twist
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Bearblood
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
7/14
Lawrence Field Day Fest 2017
Psychic Heat
Dressy Bessy
Arc Flash
BUMMER
Sex Snobs
All Ages | 8 pm
Lawrence Field Day Fest 2017
The 6th Annual Lawrence Field Day Fest is coming to Lawrence, KS this July 13-15! Once again, we will be gathering the best and newest local and regional bands to rock all over downtown LFK.
Thursday July 13
12am Melting Point of Bronze
11pm Something and the Whatevers
10pm Emmaline Twist
9pm Bearblood
8pm doors
Friday July 14
High Dive Showcase
11:45pm Psychic Heat
10:45pm Dressy Bessy
10pm Arc Flash
9:15pm BUMMER
8:30pm Sex Snobs
8pm doors
Saturday July 15
12:15am Domineko
11:15pm Weaver
10:15pm Tire Fire
9:15pm Varma Cross
8:15pm The Goodbye Sort
7:30pm doors
OUR LINKS
Psychic Heat
Steve/Evan Herd - Guitar/Vox
Tanner Spreer - Guitar
Sam Boatright - Bass
Joel Coon - Drums/Keyboards/Guitar/BackingVox/Production
OUR LINKS
Dressy Bessy
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Arc Flash
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
BUMMER
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Sex Snobs
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
7/15
Lawrence Field Day Fest 2017
Domineko
Weaver
Tire Fire
Varma Cross
The Goodbye Sort
All Ages | 7:30 pm
Lawrence Field Day Fest 2017
The 6th Annual Lawrence Field Day Fest is coming to Lawrence, KS this July 13-15! Once again, we will be gathering the best and newest local and regional bands to rock all over downtown LFK.
Thursday July 13
12am Melting Point of Bronze
11pm Something and the Whatevers
10pm Emmaline Twist
9pm Bearblood
8pm doors
Friday July 14
High Dive Showcase
11:45pm Psychic Heat
10:45pm Dressy Bessy
10pm Arc Flash
9:15pm BUMMER
8:30pm Sex Snobs
8pm doors
Saturday July 15
12:15am Domineko
11:15pm Weaver
10:15pm Tire Fire
9:15pm Varma Cross
8:15pm The Goodbye Sort
7:30pm doors
OUR LINKS
Domineko
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Weaver
At just 20 years old, Weaver has brought a fresh perspective to the music scene with thought-provoking lyrics and a psychedelic, hip-hop flare. Clearly inspired by the sounds of the 90’s rap era and the messages within classic reggae music, the content of his work is both progressive and uplifting. Having captured the attention of listeners across the Midwest, the ripples of Weaver’s progress are reaching beyond his local beginnings in Lawrence, Kansas. He continues to experiment with his sound, sometimes incorporating a live band into his performances. Listeners are drawn to his innovative approach and inviting, interactive stage presence. There is much to be anticipated from this young artist.
OUR LINKS
Tire Fire
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Varma Cross
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
The Goodbye Sort
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
7/16
Smackdown Trivia
18 & Over | 6:30 pm
7/17
Open Mic
18 & Over | 8 pm
Open Mic
Every* Monday, Nicholas St. James and The Bottleneck host Open Mic! Sign-up at 9:00, music at 9:30.
TWO stages - Main stage and the Bluegrass stage
FULL band (any genre)
Singer-songwriter
Acoustic
Electric
Comedian
JAMS - just show-up with an instrument!
FREE entry
$1.50 pints
45 minute slots available
Amongst the best sound systems in town
Try-out for playing Bottleneck shows
Big venue experience
Pool tables
Contact us with any questions at:
bottleneckopenmic@gmail.com
Instruments must be provided by the musician at this time.
*no open mic will be held if there is a show scheduled.
You MAY NOT sign up any sooner than 2 weeks of the date you wish to play. You may not sign up for two consecutive weeks.
OUR LINKS
7/19
PRIDE
18 & Over | 8 pm
7/20
Digisaurus
18 & Over | 8 pm
Digisaurus
DIGISAURUS is the electro pop/rock project from artist and producer, James Allison.
James Allison began his musical journey with piano lessons at the age of six in his native city, London, England. As he grew, so did his discontentment with the strict, regimented environment of music education. He started teaching himself numerous instruments and eventually moved to Columbus, Ohio, where he found a supportive music community in which to cultivate his creativity. After opening up a recording studio, Allison engineered sessions with groups like Phantogram and Maps Atlases, as well as producing records for bands in the area. Allison also performed with numerous groups on guitar, synths and vocals. His extensive performance background includes tour stints with Weezer, Crystal Castles and J. Roddy Walston & The Business. Now based in Los Angeles, James dedicates himself wholly to the evolution of music and art, through technology and collaboration with Digisaurus.
After the release of debut EP, "No More Room for Love," in 2015, Digisaurus most recently released a series of three singles in 2016, concluding with "I Don't Feel Alright." "I Don't Feel Alright" was produced with Michael Landolt, whose engineering expertise spans notable acts including Maroon 5, OAR, Spin Doctors and more. The track features vocals by Fran Litterski, keyboardist in Columbia Records' electronic rock group, Magic Man.
After performing over 150 shows in 2016 with Eric Groseclose on bass and Jeff Martin on drums, Digisaurus will reembark upon the recording process in 2017 and hitting the road again this Spring and Summer.
OUR LINKS
7/21
Rock The 80`s Tour
The Romantics
The Smithereens
Bow Wow Wow
$11.50 + F&T | All Ages | 7 pm
BUY TICKETS!Rock The 80`s Tour
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
The Romantics
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
The Smithereens
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Bow Wow Wow
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
7/21
Prophets and Outlaws
18 & Over | 8 pm
Prophets and Outlaws
Growing up in Dallas, Texas, Prophets and Outlaws were exposed to a wide range of music, from Neo-Soul to old school rock and roll. Mix that with the heart felt, inspiring lyrics of “The Outlaws,” 5-part harmonies, and you’ve got the sound of PAO: Texas Soul.
OUR LINKS
7/23
Smackdown Trivia
18 & Over | 6:30 pm
7/24
Open Mic
18 & Over | 8 pm
Open Mic
Every* Monday, Nicholas St. James and The Bottleneck host Open Mic! Sign-up at 9:00, music at 9:30.
TWO stages - Main stage and the Bluegrass stage
FULL band (any genre)
Singer-songwriter
Acoustic
Electric
Comedian
JAMS - just show-up with an instrument!
FREE entry
$1.50 pints
45 minute slots available
Amongst the best sound systems in town
Try-out for playing Bottleneck shows
Big venue experience
Pool tables
Contact us with any questions at:
bottleneckopenmic@gmail.com
Instruments must be provided by the musician at this time.
*no open mic will be held if there is a show scheduled.
You MAY NOT sign up any sooner than 2 weeks of the date you wish to play. You may not sign up for two consecutive weeks.
OUR LINKS
Bent Knee
Bent Knee is unlike any band you’ve ever heard. Its borderless sound combines myriad influences from across the rock, pop, minimalist, and avant-garde spectrums into a seamless, thrilling whole. Its new album Land Animal—Bent Knee’s first for InsideOutMusic/Sony—takes its sound to a new level. It offers a suite of songs full of addictive hooks, lush melodies and enthralling twists and turns that capture the reality of life in the 21st Century—a reality of people and nations in the midst of tumultuous change. It also communicates a ray of hope and desire for listeners to embrace the fact that they’re not alone in their struggles.
“The silo-smashing Bent Knee’s unique mix is equal parts ingenuity and deliciousness,” said Jim Fusilli of the Wall Street Journal in 2016 when he first heard the group. “Bent Knee breaks new stylistic and temperamental ground,” declared Steve Smith of The Boston Globe. Other media outlets worldwide have reacted with similar enthusiasm, including NPR and the BBC, which have playlisted the band.
Bent Knee formed in 2009 as a democratic collective determined to push the boundaries of pop and rock. Lead singer and keyboardist Courtney Swain’s soaring vocals are instantly arresting. Guitarist Ben Levin is one of the most dynamic and versatile guitarists around, shifting between the raging and raucous to the sublime and meditative. Bassist Jessica Kion and drummer Gavin Wallace-Ailsworth combine into an enthralling rhythm section that’s equal parts powerhouse and nuance. Violinist Chris Baum’s kinetic violin work provides drama, grace and intrigue. World-class producer and live sound designer Vince Welch weaves it all together with a captivating, expert touch.
The band has gone from strength to strength in recent years. Its last two albums, 2016’s Say So and 2014’s Shiny Eyed Babies, were hailed as significant art-rock achievements. The group has performed hundreds of shows across the world to date. During the fall of 2016, the band played for ecstatic audiences as an opener for the U.S. leg of The Dillinger Escape Plan's farewell tour.
With Land Animal, Bent Knee has elevated its storytelling ambitions to create narratives that reflect and refract the currents we’re exposed to in the news every day.
“We’re at this bizarre point in history when our species can almost actively play God,” explained Baum, when discussing the themes running through the album. “We’re getting closer and closer through communication and technology. On the flip side, we still have many primal urges that have yet to evolve. There’s a strange balance between our technology and our biology that’s tremendously difficult to find. Land Animal explores where those animalistic urges come from and how we can harness and transform them to create a better reality.”
“The album has all kinds of songs about struggle,” added Levin. “We look at global warming, family strife, technology-mediated relationships, racism, and societal polarization. Each song is imbued with a dichotomy between who we are now as a species and where we’re going.”
As the band hits the road in support of the album, it intends to explore the diversity of thought amongst its ever-growing audience in a world where it's increasingly easy to live inside one's echo chamber of ideologies.
“I think our music is powerful and capable of uniting people with different perspectives,” said Kion. “They may think about things differently, but they’re there together, part of the concert. The fact that music and art can bring people together in that way is a really significant force that’s needed right now.”
“We haven’t made a political album with Land Animal,” said Wallace-Ailsworth. “However, it’s definitely motivated by the difficult state of the world at the moment. If people are able to take some comfort in our music or create dialog through it, those are great things for us.”
Like the band’s previous work, Land Animal is full of fresh, sophisticated arrangements and beautiful vocal harmonies, but it’s also its most direct statement to date.
“It’s a really juicy and immediate album,” said Swain. “With our previous album Say So, I think it took people a few listens to absorb its themes. That’s not the case with Land Animal, which delivers more instant gratification.”
“We tried to balance that with an appealing narrative arc,” said Welch. “The album starts with ‘Terror Bird,’ a song about individuals and communication issues and ends with ‘Boxes,’ a song that explores the fact that we’re all marching towards our own demise, so we better make the most of the time we have. Land Animal is an epic journey.”
At the end of the day, the band believes strongly in music as a force for positive change and delivering ideas no other medium is capable of.
“We believe music is the most efficient way to get a point across,” said Baum. “The only way to cut through the noise of a confused, globalized world is to create something that speaks directly to the soul, and that’s what we hope we’ve done with Land Animal.”
--
Land Animal releases on June 23, 2017. The album will be available in standard CD, deluxe edition digipak CD, vinyl + CD, and digital download configurations. It will also be available worldwide across every streaming platform, including Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Google Play, SoundCloud Go, and Amazon.
OUR LINKS
DigiTour: Good Times
What is DIGITOUR? Your favorite GoodTimes stars from Instagram, Musically, YouTube, SnapChat, and more! DigiTour is a safe, All-Ages, family friendly concert event where young fans can meet their faves and make friends with other fans their age!
OUR LINKS
7/28
Faultfinder
Melting Point of Bronze
Braingea
18 & Over | 8 pm
Faultfinder
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Melting Point of Bronze
Brutal/Heavy/Old School Metal
Forged in the back of a North Lawrence welding shop.
OUR LINKS
Braingea
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Brick + Mortar
Brick + Mortar is a two-piece indie pop outfit from Asbury Park, NJ. The duo consists of Brandon Asraf (guitars/vocals/programming) and John Tacon(drums/programming). Best described as controlled chaos, the band combines choppy rhythms, smooth bass lines, tempestuous drumming and honest lyrics, all of which culminates in something that is just as likely to show up on an indie up-and-comers list as it is to show up on a DJ’s playlist – something that is evidenced in the band’s role as a remix magnet for artists such as Baauer. Brick + Mortar is one of the few bands who can conjure up images of both carousels and cocaine, combining dancy with dark and pop with despair.
Speaking in an article with VICE Magazine, Asraf says of their most recent music video for Bangs, “The story is my chance to be in [my father's] world and tell a conglomerate of a bunch of stories I’ve heard.” The result is a gripping video reflective not only of Asraf’s father’s violent past as an international fugitive, but also of the sometimes ominous and abrasive tone of the new EP.
Coming off of the release of their EP, “BANGS,” Brick + Mortar is touring relentlessly, opening for Imagine Dragons, Icona Pop, and Jimmy Eat World, as well as performing in the summer festival circuit at mainstays including Made in America, Loufest, and Lollapalooza.
In a time where purists patiently await the return of rock and roll, Brick + Mortar is gifted enough to combine exciting elements of each genre with their no-bullshit approach to songwriting.
OUR LINKS
8/4
Play Dead
18 & Over | 8 pm
Play Dead
As we approach the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead in 2015, this group of talented and eclectic musicians has come together to celebrate the remarkable repertoire and live experience of the Grateful Dead. More than what you’d expect from a typical tribute band, this group embraces the foundation of what made the Dead’s sound so unique by creating a landscape of masterful improvisation, rich harmonies and beautiful melodies across all genres of music.
While this group of players has never before taken the stage together, they have all been in connection for more than 20 years and possess over a century of experience writing, teaching, performing and producing music. Boerger and Comparato have played and performed together in the L.A. Ramblers, The Deal, The Coyote Project and most recently Stranger Tractor. Additionally Boerger’s music roots include Tofu Teddy, The Red Zone, The Parlor Frogs, Diamond Eyed Jack & Flint Gray. Hoopes’ credits include The EZ Pieces, Ardys & Bradford, The Secondhands and with Mahoney, venture back into the 80’s with the east coast jam band MoonRocks. Hoopes and Hamm have played together in The Yards since 2003. Bassett and Mahoney are a seasoned and accomplished percussion duo with numerous credits for session work as well as their performances in their bands Sunu (in which both Bassett and Hamm play), Truckstop Honeymoon and 40 Watt Dreams (in which Mahoney play).
Together Play Dead produces an uncanny rendition of a part of musical history that was genius, ahead of its time and may never be experienced again. To say the music and culture of the Grateful Dead had a profound effect on the course that music has taken over the years is a grave understatement. Whether you’re a card carrying Deadhead, a Hi-Fi music aficionado or just a music junkie who loves a good groove you will not want to miss Play Dead.
Let The Music Play The Band!
Dylan Bassett - Percussion
Brad Boerger - Guitar, Vocals
Joe Comparato - Bass, Vocals
Michael Hamm - Guitar, Vocals
Bradford Hoopes - Keyboards, Vocals
Kelly White - Percussion
OUR LINKS
8/7
Get Stoked
Oceans Between Us
Airport Novels
18 & Over | 8 pm
Get Stoked
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Oceans Between Us
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Airport Novels
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
8/8
Major and the Monbacks
Instant Karma!
18 & Over | 8 pm
Major and the Monbacks
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Instant Karma!
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
8/11
Water Seed
18 & Over | 8 pm
The Melvins
The Melvins formed in Aberdeen/Montesano, WA in 1983 the founding members were Buzz, Mike Dillard (drums), and ex-Mudhoney bassist Matt Lukin. Buzz, Mike, and Matt all went to high school in Montesano. The name Melvins came from a grocery clerk at the Thriftway in Montesano where King Buzzo served as clerk and vandal. Melvin was the most hated fellow employee and they felt it to be an appropriately ridiculous name.
When Mike couldn't cut it, as rumor has it because the songs were getting too mathematically complex, Dale was recruited out of the Iron Maiden cover band he played in at the age of 15. Matt was replaced by Lori Black (Lorax) (Shirley Temple's daughter) when they left Aberdeen for San Francisco.
The Melvins have had quite a few bass player changes during their tenure. Check out the bassist morgue to learn more. The Melvins live in Hollywood, CA right now.
The Melvins Discography is an exhaustive resource of their many releases. They were on a major label Atlantic Records for three albums, although most would agree they're not the type of band that would appeal to a major label. They knew this while they were being signed and just took advantage of the drunken blitz the record companies were on in signing any band connected to a supposed Seattle "grunge" sound.
Dale filled in for Nirvana when they were between drummers and he appears on Incesticide and Bleach as a result of those sessions. Buzz has a side project called Fantômas with Mike Patton (Faith No More/Mr. Bungle) who is also owner of Ipecac Recordings the label the melvins are currently releasing material through. He also plays guitar in the hardcore/grind "supergroup" Venomous Concept, featuring members/former members of Napalm Death and Brutal Truth (also released through Ipecac). Melvins have also released music on Boner Records, Alchemy Records, Amphetamine Reptile Records, Alternative Tentacles Records, and numerous others in the manner of 7"s and whatnot.
Dale has a side project called Altamont. Kevin Rutmanis (bassist, 1998 - early 2005) used to be in the band Cows, he also is in another Mike Patton project along with Duane Denison of the Jesus Lizard called Tomahawk. I would completely recommend anything a Melvins member has released. Melvins have toured with KISS, White Zombie, NIN, L7, Primus, Tool, and Rush, among others and were also on the Ozzfest tour in 98. They toured with a second guitarist at one point David Scott Stone (a great noisician). If you ever get the chance to see them live be sure to give them gifts, they prefer Cracker Barrel gift certificates.
Purchase tickets at: http://pipelineticketing.frontgatesolutions.com/
OUR LINKS
- The Melvins Homepage
- On Facebook
- On Youtube
- On Spotify (Will launch Spotify Application)
- On Twitter
- On MySpace
Spotlights
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
8/15
Year of the Cobra
Dead Country Gentlemen
18 & Over | 8 pm
Year of the Cobra
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Dead Country Gentlemen
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
8/18
Slow Dreamer
Chase the Horseman
Roeco
18 & Over | 8 pm
Slow Dreamer
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Chase the Horseman
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Roeco
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Moonshine Bandits
Backwoods bravado, patriot’s pride, country soul, keg-thumping beats — these are the qualities that Moonshine Bandits have championed since they began burning up the California club circuit back in 2003.
Their message spread as they rolled from there through the heartland, the dirty South and beyond on their tour bus. No matter whether color their collar is or even if they wore a collar at all, people heard something of their story in their music — and popped back a cold one to celebrate that connection.
Plenty of their trademark sound and message resonates through Baptized In Bourbon, their new album — reverence for God and country on “Red, White & Blue Collar” (“We answered to the call when Uncle Sam cried/You know we always stand for what is right”), a celebration of backwater saloons and Saturday nights on “Stomp Like Hell” (“Before the bar doors close, I’m a-get to stepping/I’m gonna stomp like Hell just to get to Heaven”), a promise to stand firm for freedom on “Raised Up” (“If you ain’t proud of where you’re from, get the hell out of town”).
But there’s more — a new depth that encourages reflection, even hints of doubt. None of this compromises the defiant pride that’s always threaded through the songs of Bird and Tex, aka Moonshine Bandits. Still, something has changed since they released Blacked Out in 2015.
Tex knows why. “This year has been a whirlwind of touring,” he explains. “We’ll play at a bike rally in Oregon one day and then fly to Alaska. That’s had a lot of input on this album, especially on our songwriting. We’ve always been entertainers first, songwriters second. Now I feel like our songwriting has caught up to the entertainment part of who we are.”
In these past couple of years, he and his fellow bandit Bird have been in transition personally as well as artistically. They’ve gone from bus tours to jetting out for extended weekend jaunts. While playing for their die-hard, “blu-core” fans, vestiges of wilder days do appear, sometimes bringing old ways into conflict with new responsibilities.
Tex lays out the question candidly. “When we’re away from our family, is the way we’re living acceptable to God, with all the partying and crazy shit we do on the road?”
This dilemma was somewhere in whatever dream Tex was having late one night when he woke up suddenly. “Three words came to me: baptized in bourbon,” he remembers. “I texted Bird and my manager and said, ‘Hey, I don’t know what this means but it could be some pretty heavy stuff.’ The whole album started with that title.”
The Bandits and producers, Burn County, withdrew to a cabin/studio deep in a forest in the state of Washington. They talked about things they’d experienced, lessons they’d learn and questions that remained. Conversations evolved into lyrics; feelings took on musical shape; tape rolled. And after two weeks they emerged with Baptized In Bourbon, a project unlike anything they’d ever cut before.
“We didn’t sit down and say, ‘Hey, let’s do a themed album,’” Bird insists. “But the themes we were thinking of seemed to carry over song after song. It was like a circle. It wasn’t all heavy. There’s a lot of fun songs on the album too. But basically, Baptized In Bourbon isn’t just about bonfires and keg parties. There’s a lot more to it than that.”
“The Sermon” starts mournfully, with strings and a quiet acoustic guitar. Then a preacher breaks in, a beat kicks off and from the pulpit we hear the query that underlies all of Baptized In Bourbon: “In light of knowing that God is with us, and in light of knowing that He sees us always, how are we going to respond with our lives?”
The answer appears to be that you celebrate, you rock hard, you love without hesitation and fight without fear when you have to. And, if you’re Moonshine Bandits, you drive this story home with help from a gang of gifted guest artists: Crucifix on the slamming “I’m A Hellrazor,” Bubba Sparxxx on “51Fifty,” The Lacs on “Cards I Was Dealt,” Uncle Kracker on “Baptized In Bourbon,” Colt Ford and Outlaw on “Dad’s Pontoon,” Matt Borden on “Shook Me Up,” Jelly Roll on “Wild Ones” …
… and maybe most memorably, the legendary David Allan Coe. David Allan Coe has done some shows with the Bandits to rowdy audiences. Apparently he liked what he saw when Tex and Bird sent him their arrangement of his classic anthem “Take This Job And Shove It.” He volunteered to join with them in the studio and later on stage. Coe also personally called both Tex and Bird to thank them as well as tell them he enjoyed their energy-filled live show.
“I’ve always said there are three guys I wanted to work with before I quit music,” Tex says. “Two of them are dead; the third is David Allan Coe. We decided to shoot a video together at Shawshank. The night before we met in his hotel room. It was like we were old friends, listening to him talk about songwriting. The next day we went to the prison, where he had done three or four years of his life. We were kind of skeptical about what might happen because there’s a lot of emotion involved. Hell, I threw up after going into some of the cells. But he had a great time. Then that night, when we played a show in Bucyrus, Ohio, he did the song with us so we could have the footage.”
Bird smiles at the memory. “Then when we stopped the show to do it again, he gets on the microphone and starts rocking Kid Rock’s ‘Sitting Here Wasting Time.’ It was incredible to see a 77-year-old guy rap to a slow drum beat. The crowd went bonkers. I’ll never forget that. We were so proud to earn his respect.”
Baptized In Bourbon doesn’t stop there. The guys spin parallel stories on successive tracks, featuring male and female archetypes that their blu-core followers can recognize. “‘Renegade Rides Again’ says that you don’t know when the life we’re living is going to catch up with us. Then you go to ‘Hell On Heels,’ which is about some of the girls we’ve met,” Tex says, with a knowing laugh. “It’s pretty much all a true story. We don’t even embellish it. But that’s what happens when you run in this type of circle.”
This is the music that Moonshine Bandits will take on the road later this year, most likely on a bus tour this time. Maybe it’s a bit of a risk to mix the sacred and profane, the rowdy and the introspective, on record and then onstage. But the payoff here is twofold: Their music demands attention from first note to last. And because they enjoy a strong mutual trust with their fans, honesty is essential to that bond.
“I’m away from my wife and kids,” Tex sums up. “My partner has lost numerous fiancees because of this ride. Yeah, we’re out partying — not too crazy to where we’re out of control. And Bird’s dad is a preacher. So sometimes we do wonder if this lifestyle is acceptable. But this isn’t just about our lives. It’s a universal thing.”
At heart, we’re all blu-core. We all hear some of our truth in what Moonshine Bandits are throwing down. Maybe it’s time for us all to be Baptized In Bourbon.
OUR LINKS
Father John Misty
Joshua Tillman, a trip from the north west to the west coast in a van with plant spirits (shrooms) and a need for humor, mischief, and sexuality to flow freely through the melodies. This became a reality with the recording of “Fear Fun” produced by Jonathan Wilson and Josh Tillman , released on Sub Pop. FJM are touring non stop and ripping a hole in the fabric of your party dress
OUR LINKS
Tennis
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Dead Man Winter
Playing a bull-bodied, emotionally resonant brand of Americana-infused indie rock, Dead Man Winter is a group led by Dave Simonett, best known as one of the founding members of the progressive bluegrass group Trampled by Turtles.
Furnace marks a whole lot of firsts for the accomplished songwriter. It’s his first time putting his long-running, popular string band, Trampled by Turtles, on hiatus to focus all of his efforts on a more personal project. It’s his first time speaking so plainly and literally about something happening in his private life. And it’s his first time dedicating an entire record to a single topic — a topic so significant and intimate that he questioned whether or not he should even release it into the world.
“I'm not even that big of a fan of breakup records, myself,” he says. “I mean, there's some I really love. Like Blood on the Tracks, fuck, I love it. But it was just kind of a necessary — that's the only way I know how to let it out. It would have been pretty hard to write about anything else at the time.”
There is palpable sadness and moments of poignant reflection, to be sure, but Furnace also propels Simonett forward with an undeniable sense of newfound freedom. At some points, like on the upbeat third track, “Red Wing Blue Wing,” you could describe the music as downright rollicking.
Like many of his contemporary songwriting peers, Simonett turned to his art to process the feelings that were swirling inside of him. “Right when we split up I went on this huge creative tear, and wrote a bunch,” he remembers. “And then as everything kind of settled in and the process started moving, life got really complicated, and it shut down for a long time. So I did something I've never done before: I went on a writing retreat. In the middle of winter, last winter, I went to this cabin in Finland, Minnesota, just like me in this little cabin for the week, with snow up to the windows and 20 below the whole time, and just wrote. And when I got to that place, I couldn't stop it.”
Ultimately, Simonett found the relief he was hoping for when it came time to make the record. Unsatisfied with the piecemeal approach that he used to cobble together the first draft of the album, Simonett rounded up his longtime friends from the Minneapolis roots rock scene — drummer JT Bates, guitarist Erik Koskinen, bassist Tim Saxhaug (also of Trampled by Turtles), and pianist Bryan Nichols — to record the album live to tape. The five of them holed up in the historic Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minn., a ski chalet-like studio nestled deep in the woods where legendary albums like Nirvana’s In Utero were recorded.
“Making the album was this one great week — we just shut ourselves off in Pachyderm. We lived down there for the time. I don’t think I checked my email for like five days, it was awesome,” he says. “The vibe was just to make it feel like we’re playing in a room together. That can be a really joyful way to record. And then I had to go back to my lawyer’s office, you know? So I really treasure that.”
OUR LINKS
The Samples
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Andy Frasco featuring the MGDs
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8/31
freakabout
The Dear Misses
Vigil & Thieves
18 & Over | 8 pm
freakabout
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The Dear Misses
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Vigil & Thieves
Vigil and Thieves is a Kansas City indie alternative quartet formed in early 2014. Previously described as “grandiose” with a “heartbreaking heaviness,” the band has honed in on dynamic and lyrically-driven song structures that have been compared to live poetry. Their debut album, ‘[defective] book one,’ was released in September 2014, followed by an east coast tour in support, and has since received high praise from publications including Liberty Press, CAMP Kansas City Magazine, and I Heart Local Music.
They are currently in the studio tracking their next album that holds true to their optimistically tragic aesthetic while demonstrating a dark, robust and refined sound. Stay tuned for upcoming tour dates in Winter/Spring 2016.
OUR LINKS
Indigo Girls
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Becky Warren
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Indigenous
Born and raised on the Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, Indigenous front man Mato Nanji (Ma-TOE NON-gee) dedicates his latest release Time Is Coming (on Blues Bureau International) to the indigenous youth and all young people on the indigenous reservations.
Mato Nanji’s father, the late Greg Zephier, Sr., was a well-known and highly respected spiritual advisor and spokesperson for the International Indian Treaty Council. In addition to this leadership role, he was an accomplished musician and a member of the musical group, The Vanishing Americans. Formed by Greg and his brothers in the ‘60’s, The Vanishing Americans toured nationally and shared bills with such legends as Bonnie Raitt. Besides being heavily influenced by the music his father and uncles were making, Mato was exposed to Greg’s vast collection of blues records by legendary artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and B.B. King. Consequently, Mato embraced and began utilizing his own musical talent at a young age. With the experience, love and wisdom of their father to guide them, Mato, his brother, sister and cousin formed the band Indigenous while in their late teens.
After much time invested in practicing and building a following, they began touring extensively across the country. In 1998, they released their award winning debut album Things We Do. The title track’s video, directed by Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals), won the American Indian Film Festival Award and was shown at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. Indigenous’ music caught the attention of blues icon B.B. King and the young band was invited to play on his annual B.B. King’s Blues Tour in 1999. Sadly, Mr. Zephier would pass away before seeing his children receive this great honor.
With momentum gaining, Indigenous’ 2000 sophomore release, Circle, was produced and arranged by Stevie Ray Vaughan’s longtime friend and collaborator, the late Doyle Bramhall, Sr. Three more cds; Fistful of Dirt (2002), Indigenous (2003) and Long Way Home (2005) would follow before the 2006 decision by the siblings to ‘disband’ and pursue their own musical paths but Mato carried on with the Indigenous band name. “Playing with my family for 10 years was a lot of fun, but it was time to grow and keep moving forward.”
Mato continued touring and in 2006 released Chasing The Sun. Two of the cd’s songs, “Come On Home” and “Leaving”, were featured on the hit Discovery Channel show The Deadliest Catch. “Come on Home” was also featured on FX’s Sons of Anarchy.
On 2008’s Broken Lands, an intensely personal record, Mato and Leah, his lyricist and wife, pay tribute to his Native heritage. The album decries the poverty, isolation and reality of life on the reservation with “Place I Know.” The album gains its title from the line, “all is lost in these broken lands.”
Of The Acoustic Sessions (released in 2010), Mato commented, “It’s a collection of some of my favorite songs that celebrate 10 years of releasing albums. Every song that I have ever written began with the acoustic guitar, so it only felt natural to create an acoustic album.”
Indigenous featuring Mato Nanji (2012) would mark Nanji’s debut on the Blues Bureau International label and the beginning of his collaboration with noted producer, Mike Varney. Joining Mato on the disc’s opening track “Free Yourself, Free Your Mind” is the soulful Jonny Lang. On it, the two guitar-masters trade vocals and guitar solos. It’s truly a blues lover’s ‘match made in heaven’.
In addition to his Indigenous ‘day job’, Mato Nanji has been a member of the critically acclaimed Experience Hendrix Tour since 2002. Playing alongside original Jimi Hendrix band members Billy Cox and the late Mitch Mitchell, the tour roster includes some of today’s blues greats including Buddy Guy, Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon (Double Trouble), Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Johnson, and Robert Randolph.
Once the 2012 Experience Hendrix Tour concluded, Mato and fellow EHT tour mates David Hidalgo (Los Lobos) and Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars) would collaborate and release the hard-driving, psychedelic blues-infused 3 Skulls and the Truth (Blues Bureau International) disc. The album’s no-holds barred setting is the ideal foundation for the three veteran axemen to simply ‘let it fly’.
February 2013 would bring the Mato Nanji-inspired release from trance-blues artist Otis Taylor, My World Is Gone (Telarc). Mato and Otis explore the plight of the American Indian people in a lightning bolt of musical creativity and social commentary. "Mato inspired the entire direction of this album," says Taylor. "We were talking about history backstage at a Jimi Hendrix tribute concert he had just played, and, in reference to his people, the Native American Nakota Nation, he said 'My world is gone.' The simplicity and honesty of those four words was so heavy, I know what I had to write about."
"My dad was my favorite musician so he really influenced me a lot with everything. I just felt it was time to pay tribute to him and his band," says Nanji. That tribute, Vanishing Americans, was released on May 21, 2013 and promptly found its place on iTunes Top 10 Blues Chart. Blues Rock Review (6/5/13) said: “each song is brought together with heavy and powerful guitar riffs akin to those of Carlos Santana and Jimi Hendrix, while bellowing, raspy vocals turn a talented guitarist’s vision into a relatable song for many, just as any praiseworthy blues album should.”
“Mato continues to refine his guitar and vocal vocabularies with each new release and is also expanding his songwriting skills with his wife Leah,” said producer Mike Varney of Time Is Coming (May 2014). From the infectious opening track of “Grey Skies”; the Soundgarden/Rage Against the Machine influenced “Won’t Be Around No More”; and the gut-wrenching blues of “Don’t Know What To Do”, and at all points in between, Mato Nanji “tears at his guitar strings, bending and shaking them to within an inch of their life, it is clear that he is no mere copyist. He is a genuine virtuoso…” (Rhys Williams, bluesblastmagazine.com 5/14).
Ultimately, Mato dedicates Time Is Coming, to the Indigenous youth and all young people on the Indigenous reservations. Of the song says Nanji; “still to this day, the struggle continues to just live in peace. Growing up here on the reservation I’ve seen a lot of broken families…broken homes. I feel our families’ “Tiospaye” are the core of what makes us who we are. Now family and its meaning is not as strong as it used to be for our people…almost non-existent. So I send my heart and soul out to the indigenous children having a tough time in their lives and in their homes. This record is inspired by them and made in their honor. I hope for the best for all. Tomorrow is another day.”
The Plateros, a three piece award winning family band from the Navajo Nation in Tohajiilee, New Mexico consider Mato Nanji and Indigenous one of their greatest musical influences.
Levi and The Plateros played their first show, a festival in Bird Springs, AZ in December 2004, and by April 2005, they would find themselves onstage performing at the largest PowWow in the world, The Gathering of Nations. Lead guitarist Levi, with his natural born talent, slid across the stage with power chords and screaming blues that amazed the packed crowd. He was just 13 years old.
In the years to follow, Levi, along with his cousins Douglas Platero on drums and Bronson Begay on bass would receive numerous nominations for native music and video awards, and their cd Hang On would take home a win for Best Blues Album at the 2009 New Mexico Music Awards.
In 2012, they joined Indigenous for The Kinship Tour, with The Plateros opening the double bill. They would join Mato for blistering encores that would bring the proverbial house down.
Touring in support of Time Is Coming in the summer of 2014, Mato Nanji would once again call on Levi, Douglas and Bronson to hit the road with him. This time, though, would be different. They would be onstage as Indigenous' rhythm section; Mato and Levi trading leads and solos while Bronson and Douglas provided the strong, stable rhythmic foundation that allowed the two guitarists to 'tear it up'.
As the band made its way across the east coast, the after show buzz was audible. The incendiary chemistry of Mato Nanji, Levi Platero, Bronson Begay and Douglas Platero innate.
They are Indigenous.
OUR LINKS
Brody Buster One Man Band
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Prozak
Normal is not a word that people used to describe Prozak. Not his appearance, not his music,
not his views on life and society. So, it makes perfect sense that the Saginaw, Michigan rapper
selected Paranormal as the title of his new album on Strange Music.
“I chose that title because genre-wise I can do rock-rap, the hip-hop, storytelling, a little bit
of the dark stuff,” reveals the artist-director also known as The Hitchcock of HipHop. “I’m
Paranormal to the music industry. One thing I keep hearing from people whether it’s A&Rs or
publicists is that they’ve got to figure out how to market me. After hearing that so much, I felt
like what I do is paranormal to the scene. My music is something that’s outside the range of
normal. This is not cookie-cutter hip-hop. You can’t say this is gangster rap or backpack rap or
that this is just for the hipsters. You’re not going to be able to categorize it that simply. I make
complex music for complex people.”
Indeed. Bolstered by production from Mike E. Clark (Insane Clown Posse, Kid Rock),
Michael “Seven” Summers (Tech N9ne, XV), Robert Rebeck (Tech N9ne, Kottonmouth Kings)
and The Legendary Traxster (Mariah Carey, Ludacris), Paranormal takes listeners on a powerful
lyrical and sonic journey into the mind of one of rap’s most compelling artists.
“The Tell A Tale Of Two Hearts,” for instance, was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s short
story “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Prozak’s song, which sounds like Tim Burton meets hip-hop,
discusses what happens when two people are in love and one of them dies suddenly. The twist
is that the deceased person is still present in their lover’s life. They do not want to leave their
partner.
Prozak then teams with a live band and DJ Starscream from Slipknot for “The End Of Us.”
This hardcore track features Prozak exploring the consequences of living in a consumer-driven
society.
“Everybody is worried about buying $300 and $400 cellphones,” Prozak says. “It's like we’re
farm-raised, like guinea pigs right from birth. Everything is marketed to you from the time
you’re old enough to even understand what it is. It just happens at the beginning and goes all the
way through life. The funny thing is in the genre of hip-hop, everyone is worried about image.
All it does is push everything even further. Everybody's worried about $800 outfits and 20-inch
rims, but none of these people even have a lifestyle that can support that. It’s about consumerism
and everybody being brainwashed into thinking that they’ve got a have these things in order to
be accepted. It spiraling out of control and eventually it will all collapse.”
Another volatile subject Prozak examines on Paranormal is prejudice. On the charged
song “Hate,” he looks at the implications of persecution based on racial, religious and economic
grounds. Shot in a train station from the 1880s that had segregated waiting rooms, the song’s
explosive video features appearances by stand-ins for The Pope and members of the Ku Klux
Klan and Taliban.
Prozak takes a more optimistic approach with “Million Miles Away.” On this thoughtful
selection, he wonders if humans would be able to create a utopian society if they could wipe the
slate clean and start over. While filming the video for “Million Miles Away,” Prozak and his
team traveled throughout Michigan, Illinois and Missouri and had people explain the one thing
they would change about the world if they could.
As his songs and their subject matter demonstrate, music is about much more than image for
Proazk. It’s about substance.
“People write about stuff that interests them and that they feel passionate about,” he says. “The
topics on my album are the things that matter to me. To me, all you have is life. You have to
look at the things that are going on that are incorrect or the things that are affecting your life, the
hypocrisy of what’s going on out there. All that stuff matters. I know that this is entertainment
and that people listen to music and watch music for an escape from reality. I wouldn’t say that
I’m a political rapper, but a lot of those things do matter. In making music for people, I believe
you have somewhat of a responsibility to put something positive out there or bring attention to
things that people should be aware of for part of a greater good.”
Prozak’s razor-sharp focus has helped him become one of rap’s most formidable independent
artists. During the last decade, he’s appeared on four national tours and done more than 1,000
performances, where his moshpits rival those of any heavy metal show. The Michigan rapper
earned a lofty 3.5 Mics in The Source for his 2008 album, Tales From The Sick, and has
collaborated with Tech N9ne, Twista, Cypress Hill and Insane Clown Posse, among others.
As a filmmaker, Prozak released the first two installments of his A Haunting On Hamilton
film series, which opened with sold-old screenings of 2,000 people per screening in Saginaw,
Michigan. He also directs his own music videos, ensuring that his art is properly presented
visually.
Now, with Paranormal, Prozak has delivered a project that hits hard lyrically and aurally, the
type of release that stays with a listener long after the music stops.
“I wanted to put out the best record that I thought I was capable of, an album that would really
define who I am,” Prozak says. “If you want to know who I am or what kind of artist I am, this
record will set that tone completely. It’s a really deep record. To me, it’s an album. It’s not a CD
of tracks. It’s an album. It has that feel.”
OUR LINKS
Sheer Mag
A tear in the firmament.
Beyond the noxious haze of our national nightmare - as structures of social justice and global progress topple in our midst - there lies a faint but undeniable glow in the distance.
What is it?
Like so many before us we are drawn to the beacon. But only by the bootstraps of our indignation do we go so boldly into the dark to find it.
And so SHEER MAG has let the sparks fly since their outset, with an axe to grind against all that clouds the way. A caustic war cry, seething in solidarity with all those that suffer the brunt of ignorance and injustice in an imbalanced system.
Both brazen and discrete, loud yet precise, familiar but never quite like this - SHEER MAG crept up from Philadelphia cloaked in bold insignia to channel our social and political moment with grit and groove. Cautious but full of purpose.
What is it?
By making a music both painfully urgent and spiritually timeworn, SHEER MAG speak to a modern pain: to a people that too feel their flame on the verge of being extinguished, yet choose to burn a bit brighter in spite of that threat.
With their debut LP, the cloak has been lifted. It is time to reclaim something that has been taken from us. Here the band rolls up their sleeves, takes to the streets, and demands recompense for a tradition of inequity that's poisoned our world.
However, it is in our ability to love - our primal human right to give and receive love - that the damage of such toxicity is newly explored.
Love is a choice we make. We ought not obscure, neglect, or deny that choice.
Through the tumult and the pain, the camaraderie and the cause, the band continues to burn a path into that great beyond.
But where are we headed?
On NEED TO FEEL YOUR LOVE, they makes their first full-length declaration of light seen just beyond our darkness. Spoken plainly, without shame:
It is love.
This - is SHEER MAG.
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Joe Purdy
From his home state of Arkansas to his home in Los Angeles, Joe Purdy has recorded a baker’s dozen worth of albums. His songs have turned up on numerous TV shows and film soundtracks. Most notably, however, in recent years the singer, songwriter and self-described “hillbilly” has come to see the world and his role in it somewhat differently, charting this direction on his latest album, "Who Will Be Next?” Here he firmly plants his feet deep in the tradition of folk artists such as Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs, applying his unique skills as writer and vocalist as a passionate observer and participant of our times.
OUR LINKS
Amy Vachal
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
Four Year Strong
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Seaway
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Like Pacific
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Grayscale
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Life Lessons
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Manchester Orchestra
Though Manchester Orchestra has only been a proper band for a year and a half, this young quintet (with an average age of 19) has crafted an album that sounds more aware and traveled than many of its more aged peers. Led by singer / songwriter / guitarist Andy Hull, Manchester Orchestra's debut LP, I'm Like A Virgin Losing A Child , is a statement cinematic in scope - a series of emotional vignettes that delicately unravel over the course of an elegantly conceived musical arc that recalls both murky southern mysticism and the id borne bombast of the Pacific Northwest. Driven by lyrics that are insightful, spiritual and impressionistic, I'm Like A Virgin Losing A Child is a litany of intimate details presented in widescreen. Just as the pointillist paintings of Georges Pierre Seurat or the films of Robert Altman lead our attention to the fine details, Manchester Orchestra also find inspiration in the intimate; but it is when we are able to gain some distance we begin to see the bigger picture and wonder where our experience fits in.
Manchester Orchestra's beginnings lie in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia where during Hull's junior year in high school, his talent as a songwriter was garnering the attention of fans and industry types alike. One of which prompted the idea of Andy to home school himself and put all of his focus into to writing and recording an album. Heartened by all the positive feedback, Hull took the advice and spent his senior year in the studio.
Freed from the traditional senior year rigmarole of finals and proms, Hull delved deep into creating the characters and stories that were to make up an ambitious concept album that was to be Manchester Orchestra's debut. But as time passed and the band's line-up began to solidify, the tenor of Hull's songwriting began to change. Emboldened by longtime friend, and band-mate Jonathan Corley (bass) and the addition of Jeremiah Edmond (drums) into the group, Manchester Orchestra's musicianship began to take new flight. It soon became clear that this was the sound of a different band. Not content with forsaking all of their hard work, the revitalized group decided to pare the album down to an EP (the tellingly titled You Brainstorm, I Brainstorm, But Brilliance Needs A Good Editor ) on the band's own label, Favorite Gentlemen, and get out on the road. According to Hull the decision to champion chemistry over concept was easily made.
After Brainstorm's release, the band focused on touring the southeast. During this period, another one of Hull's close friends, keyboardist Chris Freeman, entered the fold. Manchester Orchestra's musical direction was now solidified and the band began writing songs for their full-length, follow-up.
These new songs, which would become I'm Like A Virgin Losing A Child, were powerful, compact rockers that battered away at one structure before taking an abrupt turn into the next. The effect is akin to getting lost on purpose: Just as the layout makes sense - even familiar - it's the unexpected detours that maintain the thrill.
Though Manchester Orchestra's new songs were decidedly not going to comprise a concept album per se , Hull still found that his lyrical voice was best spoken through characters rather than personal experience. "I think that a lot of the time music should be like movies," says Hull. "Whether or not the songs are from characters' perspective they're still characters in my brain. So they're different parts of my personality saying whatever it is that that person's feeling. When you're in a band when your seventeen there's a big difference between nineteen and twenty. We've always taken our band very seriously but we didn't know what to take seriously. These songs are a whole lot more 'This is what our band sounds like and this is what we wanna write.'"
After months of writing, rehearsing and touring on their new material the band decided that the next album should reflect the same energy as their creative process. When the band entered the recording studio with producer Dan Hannon in the summer of 2006, they played everything live - passionately bashing their songs out together in the same room. Manchester Orchestra's full-length debut, I Am Like A Virgin Losing A Child , was born. Along the way they found a new comrade in studio intern Robert McDowell who would later become a full-fledged member of the band.
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Sylvan Esso
Sylvan Esso was not meant to be a band. Rather, Amelia Meath had written a song called “Play It Right” and sung it with her trio Mountain Man. She’d met Nick Sanborn, an electronic producer working under the name Made of Oak, in passing on a shared bill in a small club somewhere. She asked him to scramble it, to render her work his way. He did the obligatory remix, but he sensed that there was something more important here than a one-time handoff: Of all the songs Sanborn had ever recast, this was the first time he felt he’d added to the raw material without subtracting from it, as though, across the unseen wires of online file exchange, he’d found his new collaborator without even looking.
Meath felt it, too. Schedules aligned. Moves were made. And as 2012 slipped into 2013, Sanborn and Meath reconvened in the unlikely artistic hub of Durham, N.C., a former manufacturing town with cheap rent and good food. Sylvan Esso became a band. A year later, their self-titled debut—a collection of vivid addictions concerning suffering and love, darkness and deliverance—arrives as a necessary pop balm, an album stuffed with songs that don’t suffer the longstanding complications of that term.
OUR LINKS
- Sylvan Esso Homepage
- On Facebook
- On Spotify (Will launch Spotify Application)
- On SoundCloud
- On Twitter
Helando Negro
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Benjamin Booker
Benjamin Booker is an American musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He cites The Gun Club, Blind Willie Johnson and T. Rex as influences. His music was described by the Chicago Tribune as "a raw brand of blues/boogie/soul," by The Independent as "frenzied guitar-strumming and raw, soulful vocals that are hair-raising in intensity” and by SPIN as "bright, furious, explosive garage rock.”
Benjamin was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia. His family relocated to Tampa, Florida, where he attended all-ages DIY punk shows as a teenager. He attended Orange Grove Middle School, a magnet school for the performing arts, followed by Hillsborough High School, where he studied in the International Baccalaureate Program. He then attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, studying journalism with intentions of going into music journalism. After college, he moved to New Orleans to work for a non-profit organization and began playing shows.
Booker's self-titled debut album was recorded in December 2013 at The Bomb Shelter, an analog studio in Nashville. Produced by Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Hurray for the Riff Raff), the album was released on August 19, 2014 via ATO Records in the United States and Rough Trade Records in Europe. He went on to open shows for Jack White and Courtney Barnett.
Booker's second album Witness was written primarily in Mexico City and released on June 2, 2017. The album was produced by Sam Cohen (Kevin Morby) and announced with the premiere of its title track "Witness" (featuring Mavis Staples) alongside an essay written by Booker which detailed the experience that led him towards writing the album's title track. The album has garnered praise from Rolling Stone, the NY Times, and the Guardian.
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Big Thief
Every once in a while, a band comes along that leaves expectations, cynicism, and emotional distance ruined in a heap on the floor. Brooklyn's Big Thief is that band. To hear songwriter Adrianne Lenker's lilting narratives and twisted, fuzzy guitars is to love them. Lenker's lyrical storytelling is equally grounded and autobiographical as it is surreal and cabalistic. Just ask Big Thief fan Sharon Van Etten. "Some of the most compelling songs I've heard in a long time," says Van Etten. "Driving songs that take you on a real journey, with intelligent stories and twist-and-turn melodies. And fun as hell live."
The band, which includes Buck Meek on guitar, Max Oleartchik on bass, and James Krivchenia on drums, announces its signing to Saddle Creek. News of their debut album will be forthcoming, as will a slew of performances at this year's SXSW.
OUR LINKS
Queens of the Stone Age
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Royal Blood
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Barb Wire Dolls
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Svetlanas
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57
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Wick & the Tricks
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Spafford
Spafford is a four piece funk rock act hailing from Phoenix, Arizona. The band is comprised of Brian Moss (Guitar), Jordan Fairless (Bass), Andrew “Red” Johnson (Keys), and Cameron Laforest (Drums). Refusing to be restricted to any musical boundaries, Spafford seamlessly blends together an eclectic mixture of all of their collective musical experience. The heart of their sound is rooted in deep sonic exploration with a focus on improvisational elements. With jams stretching well beyond the typical structures of their songs, fans have flocked to their live shows to experience the unique energy captured within each performance. A focus on blending genres with a deep foundation of patient groove building has helped craft a sound all their own. Formed in 2012 by happenstance, the band has been building an organic fanbase in the Southwestern United States through word of mouth ever since. As the secret has gotten out Spafford has moved onto national touring, sharing the stage on a coast to coast tour with jam heavyweights Umphrey’s Mcgee in 2017. Reaching the next level in their ascent in an ever changing jam band landscape, Spafford has risen to the top of the next wave of acts by providing quality improvisation and a truly unique musical experience. Spafford has hit the road full time and is bringing their high energy performances nationwide.