For the better part of the last two years venues from concert halls to basement bars have resonated with the sound of Granite City Rock & Roll. Continental uses their Quincy, MA hometown moniker to describe their unique blend of rock that draws influences from punk, country, folk, and blues.

Founder and songwriter Rick Barton sings the songs of the everyman, speaking to our common experiences of love, loss, wandering, and resurrection. The songs are as true and real as any from the English punk bands of the 70’s, capturing the energy of youth, yet delivered with the wisdom of a life lived.

Continental is the latest project from Barton whose resume also includes notable Boston acts The Outlets, Everybody Out!, and Dropkick Murphys. The concept for Continental began with Rick’s son Stephen Barton who, after hearing a rough solo recording of his dad playing his original composition ‘Curious Spell’ in 2009, encouraged his old man to put a band together and bring this style of songwriting on the road. In Rick’s words, his style is ‘…a blend of folk, punk, and country with a heartfelt message of love, loss, pleasure, and pain.’

The father and son duo then recruited drummer Tom Mazelewski and began their pilgrimage. Continental set out on their first full U.S. tour in September of 2010 as support for the Street Dogs and Flatfoot 56 and have never looked back, touring the country multiple times on headlining tours or as support and making appearances at festivals like the Vans Warped Tour.

To date, Continental has released a 6-track EP and they are anxiously awaiting the release of their much anticipated debut full-length album ‘All a Man Can Do’. The new record will be released July 17 on Michigan label East Grand Record Co. and the band will immediately embark on another headlining tour that kicks off in New Jersey on July 18. This tour is scheduled for 10 weeks, but ‘We could be out even longer if I have it my way…’ says Rick, ‘… the road is my life now and the music is my commitment to me and my fans!’

This blue-collar mentality may mean that the band spends more time in a van and sleeping on floors than they do at home, but in the minds of the Bartons this is a small sacrifice to make as they dedicate themselves to the delivery of their music.

Kathy, Steve and Mat have been making music together for twenty years.

It started in 1993 when Steve and Mat, along with Jim Arrigo and Joe Rogers got together to record a demo of Mat’s songs. During the process a band had come into being, and the group decided to move forward.

When Joe decided he could not commit to the project, the group went searching for a new bass player, and found her right under their noses. While not a bass player proper, Kathy had played bassoon in her high school band, and rightfully, figuring that if she could play bassoon she could play bass, they asked her to join. For her decision to join she was given a recording of some demos and an old bass guitar and told to get busy.

Get busy she did. Her fingers quickly caught up with her knowledge of music, and the band got moving. Of course, they needed a name, and after a long and tedious process they got one. Sylvia Said.

Sylvia played around Chicago for many years at the usual places: Beat Kitchen, Elbo Room, Empty Bottle, The Abbey, and many clubs now long gone. Years of practice, booking, writing, and fighting took its toll. The band got restless and eventually lost their drummer. But, that did not last long.

The three decided to move on, and put Steve, their star guitar player, on drums. The name of this combo, after an off hand comment during an earlier rehearsal, was WAD.

WAD stormed forward with piss and vinegar. A leaner, meaner version of Sylvia Said, they made musical progress with this stripped down trio. Steve’s drumming seemed to powerfully communicate the new material. They started playing out and recorded a demo. All signs were moving up, and then life stepped in.

By this point the members had grown up. Real life began to overtake the importance of the band, and it seemed like it was time to let it go. Give up the dream, sure, but the music… she never leaves you.

Kathy took up steady gigging with several local bands, including the highly regarded Paddy Go Easy featuring Finbarr Fagan. Mat upgraded his studio from multi-track cassette to Protools digital, and committed to writing and recording. Steve was constantly working with other musicians, and putting together interesting combinations of players.

They reformed for a one off show for the release of Mat’s solo CD “Tin Two Star Moon”, and completely entertained the crowd with a mix of the new and old songs. The magic was still there, but the opportunity to continue was not.

C’est la vie.

Mat later joined a solid lineup that Steve had developed named wadE. This was a powerful, talented band that worked together for many years featuring Steve’s college bandmates Ron and Jimi.

The world, looking for balance, soon saw Steve join one of Mat’s projects, Jake & the Wranglers. Interestingly Mat and Steve, regularly guitarists, were the rhythm section for this combo playing bass and drums respectively.

It was during this collaboration that the seeds for The Consolation were sown. The old magic of Steve’s drumming and Mat’s arrangements came flooding back. They set out to put the band back together, but ran into roadblock after roadblock, until, like so many years ago, they asked Kathy, recently relocated back to Chicago, to bring her singular sense of musicality back to the fold.

Twenty years later, they are back together again. Older, seasoned, more cynical, and concerned about one thing, making good music. This is the future and this is the past. This is The Consolation.

Curio is a hell-raisin’ and soul-shakin’ rock n’ roll band from Chicago, IL. Their music is steeped in southern gothic lore by way of the Midwest. Heavily influenced by the growl of Chicago blues, the low-down and dirty swamp rock of Louisiana and the twang of Tennessee country, Curio conjures a sound that has as many influences as there are miles on I-55 from The Windy City to The Big Easy. Chris Pluska and his band of wayward gamblers have been playing to crowds at juke joints, dives and clubs since 2009. Curio’s live show has the fervent energy of a backwoods revival and the no-holds-barred attitude of a bar brawl. Their records are love letters to the bastards, brawlers, vagabonds, and believers who’ve shaped American folklore for better or for worse. Curio’s tales have been described as ‘Midwest murder ballads’ that depict the timeless narrative of wrong-doing and temptation.