88 Fingers Louie is a band from Chicago, Illinois which was formed in 1993. They play a style of hardcore punk, melodic hardcore, and punk rock. In 1993 they released their debut 7”, Go Away. They released several albums, their last effort being a split album with Kid Dynamite. After disbanding in 1999, members Joe Principe and Dan Wleklinski went on to form punk rock band Rise Against.
88 Fingers Louie reformed in 2009 and have been playing shows from Groezrock in Belgium, to Rockfest in Canada, and a few shows back home in Chicago.

Led by the sneering vocals of lead singer Daryl, The Bollweevils are direct inheritors of a Chicago hardcore tradition handed down from acts such as Naked Raygun and The Effigies.

Undisputed as one the finest Chicago punk outfits during the 1990s, The Bollweevils were, and still are, defined by their spirited live performances and a song catalogue that demonstrates both their roots and creative ability as a band.

A wise man once told us “Just stay together, and continue to write the best music you can—great things will happen.” What followed were arguably the most trying 7 years in the history of the music industry, but somehow it never felt like that to us. Needless to say, we followed his advice, and he was right…

Throughout our career, we made 2 albums with Tooth & Nail Records—a cool label out of Seattle that spawned a lot of bands we grew up listening to—and another 2 albums since going independent. We also stumbled upon fun outlets to explore our silly brand of humor, like youtube, where we’ve racked up over 11 million views on our videos.

Once we even got nominated for a Grammy, and saw a single go to number 1 at CHR Radio. Lately, we’ve forged some relationships that we’re really proud of, like an ever-growing friendship with a show called Ninjago, which LEGO produced. The show took on a life of it’s own, and now brings our band name in front of a ba-jillion cool kiddos who might never have heard of us before.

In 2012, we wrote a song that was adopted as the WGN official theme song for The Chicago Cubs, our favorite home team, as well as theme songs for NFL’s Broncos, Bucaneers and Panthers.

We’re so happy and proud that we listened to that man’s advice. Thank you, the listener, for giving us something to sing about!

The arc of August Premier’s career perfectly depicts life and the peaks and valleys associated with our finite time spent together. AP started out emotionally driven and wildly ambitious with their debut indie release, “Balloons…Everything’s Okay”. Through unguided dedication, AP eventually climbed the industry ladder and secured a spot on the quasi-major Fueled By Ramen Records. The move eventually led to their sophomore release “Fireworks and Alcohol”, which was an incredibly polished but somewhat hollow milestone that was tarnished by an anticlimactic conclusion to their arduous journey to popularity. The similarities between life and the goals we strive for are never more evident then at this very moment in AP’s experience. That’s because what we all eventually learn is that the celebration should never be about reaching the pinnacle of your career or the apex of your life. The joy should be discovered in the journey to get to the summit. As is the rule of thumb, what goes up must come down. The ensuing descent and subsequent valley led to the disbanding of AP. Throughout the better part of the next decade the various members established several side projects, which led to an increase in maturity, musical skill and most of all, life experience. As is the way with life, there was a slow and steady climb back up the proverbial mountain. Now instead of the haphazard attempt to ascend to the top of the musical game. AP has resurfaced with the intention of concentrating on maintaining a slow and steady ascent while staying focused on the path that is most important. The path of contentedness with the idea that they will enjoy the moment more than the climax. Because as we’ll all slowly come to realize with time and experience, life’s about friends, family and the support of those around us. Not the places our success takes us. It doesn’t matter why AP fell from their lofty perch, but what I do know is you can’t be happy without experiencing what the miserable side of life has to offer.

The Usuals are a band based from the Elgin IL area compiled of members of FTF, The Four Squares, Almora Knights, Oil Can Boys and Tricky Dick. With a pure old school Midwestern skate punk sound. Originally formed in 2000, there was a 6 year hiatus but for the last several years have been hitting the scene hard playing out and also promoting shows in the Elgin area doing their part to keep the scene alive.

Lights Over Bridgeport is a rock band formed by four friends who grew up on punk rock and metal. We write music for anyone who aspires to make a better life for themselves and the ones they care for. Through wholesale lineup changes and personal tragedies we have continued to make music that we believe in with all our hearts.