Five college students begun writing music in a Chicago basement during the summer of 2009. Over the next year the quintet went on to win AT&T’s Midwest College Battle of the Band and 3rd place at Columbia College Chicago’s Biggest Mouth competition. Over the next few years the band faced member changes along with their van and equipment getting stolen after a show. During this time, the band refined their sound and shared the stage with Cold War Kids, Russian Circles, Maps & Atlases, Chance The Rapper, Maritime, Biffy Clyro, Walk The Moon, and more. During the summer of 2013, Carbon Tigers started recording their third release, The Wars at Home, with Jon Alvin in Crystal Lake, IL. Since the November EP release, the band made a SXSW ’14 appearance with five performances including the Audiotree, Big Picture Media/Glamour Kills, and AEMMP Records showcases, along with several sold-out shows in the midwest. Carbon Tigers is set to perform at multiple festivals throughout the United States and will be hitting the studio again with Zak Jablow (Chance The Rapper, Kids These Days) and Matt Hennessy (Jay-Z, Beyonce) for a Spring 2015 release.

It’s a pop song, chopped up with some soul, thrown over a bed of soft guitar chords, and sang raw.

At 24, Gina Venier stylishly combines her soulful blues roots with pop influences to create an original sound that defies fitting into a genre.

Raised in the small town of Dixon, IL, Gina pulls from her family roots to find inspiration behind songwriting, style, and stage presence.

At the age of 6, Venier took after her dad’s musical background as a blues musician, and started singing and playing the drums. At 13, she picked up the guitar and has been playing live ever since. She credits her dad for infusing a passion for music in her at an early age, and he frequently shares the stage with her today.

Now focused on developing her craft as a “young Chicago-based original artist,” she uses her percussive background to heighten her rhythmic movements on guitar, and showcases an expressively raw and raspy vocal tone during live shows, creating an unparalleled live performance of natural soul.

She won Chicago’s largest singing competition “Bar 1 Big Break,” in August of 2012, after showing the judges and audience her versatility, creativity, and inimitable artistry through performances a capella, on the drums, guitar, and keyboard. After making it to the final 2, Venier performed an original song and took home the top prize in the competition.

After winning the competition, Venier is continuing to capitalize on her success and is currently creating quite the buzz around the Chicago-land music scene.

Since then, Venier has been spreading her ‘hybrid genre’ of blue-eyed soul singer/songwriter meets R&B pop musician, performing in staple Chicago-land venues in front of anxious and enthusiastic crowds. Chicago- has been exploiting her distinctive vibe whether it’s an intimate acoustic showcase, or fronting her band, Gina Venier & the Gentlemen, each performance carries a unique dynamic, and not one show is the same as the last.

After receiving her degree in Broadcasting, Gina found more passion from being in front of a microphone on stage, than in front of the camera.

Currently, Gina is performing, writing, and accumulating original works, working toward her first album release. Her theme challenges fitting into a definitive form of music by blending the art of a singer/songwriter who collides with radio-worthy blue-eyed soulful pop music. Music has become her exclusive project and this extraordinary talent holds all the characteristics of a true artist on the rise.

She is currently competing in this year’s season of American Idol, and has favorably impressed the judges of Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez, and Harry Conick Jr. through her unique performances using her soulful voice, and one woman-band set up with cajon, kick pedal, and guitar. Gina has made it through to Hollywood week! Stay tuned!

Based out of Chicago, Burnside & Hooker merges the styles of folk, blues and roots-rock. The band is comprised of 6 members – guitarist Michael Vogus, violist Diana Mayne, cellist Ted Graham, drummer Vuck, upright bassist Ken Fuller, and vocalist Rachel Bonacquisti.

In 2013, they released their debut album, “Rail Yard Hymns” and are slated to release their second in the Spring of 2015.

Burnside & Hooker can be seen performing around Chicago at venues like Double Door, Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier, festivals such as ChillFest and Green Fest, WGN news station, House of Blues, Metro, Lincoln Hall, and Schuba’s.

“Rail Yard Hymns” has been played on Vocalo, Chicago Independent Radio Project (CHIRP), Fearless Radio, and multiple tracks from the album have appeared as the Song of the Day on Chicago Music Guide.

Scattered across the West Town area of Chicago, Simpleton & Cityfolk appeal to the listener with a blend of roots rock, Americana and folk. The band’s roots go back to Iowa when Geoff Glenn (guitar, vocals) and Chris Bennett (guitar, vocals) met as roommates at the University of Iowa. In 2010, college over, Bennett returned home to Chicago. Glenn soon followed. Chris “Foo” Williams (bass, vocals) and John Conlon, (guitar) filled out the rest of the Cityfolk with Mike “Sku” Skowronski joining on drums after Conlon’s move to Utah.

In the past 4 years, S&C has been playing to receptive crowds throughout the Midwest, at summer festivals and many of Chicago’s finest venues including: Metro, Double Door, House of Blues, Schubas, Lincoln Hall, Bottom Lounge, and Beat Kitchen. They’ve opened for , The Dirty River Boys, Daniel and the Lion, Run Boy Run and in August 2014, they were asked to be main support for Big Head Todd and the Monsters at Soldier Field.

Simpleton & Cityfolk has released two EPs and one LP; The Williams Account EP (2012), No Man Is An Island (2013), and Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken (2014) which is their most ambitious effort to date. They continue to push the boundaries on the ever-changing genre of Americana and are looking to release another record in early 2015.