The Coup is a political hip hop group based in Oakland, California. It formed as a three-member group in 1990 with emcees Raymond “Boots” Riley and E-Roc along with DJ Pam the Funkstress. E-Roc left on amicable terms after the group’s second album but appears on the track “Breathing Apparatus” on The Coup’s third album, Steal This Album. With the release of that album in 1998, The Coup began incorporating the live instrumentation from their recordings into their live show. The Coup has, since that time, been a full band.

Chicago born and raised, Phillip Morris has been described as “one of the ultimate word smiths of hip-hop”

The mixture of Phillip’s unique voice, complex rhyme schemes, anomalous subject matter, coherent freestyles, and comprehensibility has forced the underground hip-hop community to abruptly take notice. Along the way, he began collaborating with members of Chicago’s Tomorrow Music Orchestra. Bassist/Composer Matthew Golombisky, Drummer Quin Kirchner, Cellist Lilianna Zofia, and Violinis…

Formed in 2005, Agents of Change has charted a course of their own by attempting to blend hip-hop, politics, and a DIY punk ethos. Over the years the group has performed hundreds of shows around Chicago and toured nationally; releasing several albums, EPs and mixtapes along the way. As the collective has progressed from a DJ/MC set up to a full band, musical diversity has become a prominent feature of their music, with many songs traversing between hip-hop/punk/reggae/dance/funk and beyond. The message behind the music is simple: educate yourself, challenge authority, demolish injustice and try to have some fun in the process.

Chicago-based performance art group Environmental Encroachment (EE) uses circus theatrics, live music and costumes to create unique entertainment environments, parades, processions, shows, punk artist marching band encroachments and art happenings.
EE combines a costumed marching band with multi-media stage performance antics, including dancers, hooping, juggling and skits. EE encourages people to interact, be a part, be curious, dance, play.
EE can expand to the size of your event – stage shows, mobile experiences, children’s shows, Holiday events, street busking, tactical comic encroachments, festivals, rituals, ceremonies, vaudevillian skits, electric and acoustic music jams, funerals and births.