Darius Kennedy is a native Chicagoan, and comedian. Raised on the South Side of Chicago, and the Northern Suburbs of Lake County, Illinois. He has studied at “Piven Theater”, “Second City Training Center”, and “Chicago Actors Studio”. He has been performing in the Midwest for nearly 20 years, opening and featuring for such notable performers as: Dwayne Kennedy, Hannibal Buress, and Josh Blue. With producing credits for “Entertainment Chicago LIVE”, “COCAINE MURDER JAM”, “Bad N Boozy”, “Neapolitan Comedy at the Store”, and “Night Night LATE Night”. He was recently performing on the “Milwaukee Comedy Festival 2019”. His album “The Ballad of Lonny Krivitz” is streaming on Spotify and ITunes, and was recently seen in the film “Tom Of Your Life” featured on Amazon Prime, iTunes, and at Chicago’s Music Box Theater.
“Brooklyn singer-songwriter Darrin James touches on Robbie Robertson’s gruff soulfulness, Tom Waits’ vaudevillian menace and Paul Westerberg’s ramshackle charm…” Time Out New York
Much is known about the way music impacts the brain; very little is known about its effect on the heart. That instant, visceral sensation when a song connects is universal; while sincerity and authenticity are intangible qualities, they are always present in the positive listening experience. Darrin James has been a guitarist for 15 years and a songwriter for just under a decade, drawing on his love for blues, soul, country and other roots genres to create songs with a timeless quality. “As a songwriter, I have wanted to combine honest, dark lyrics with old school blues and a fusion of styles, to express the emotions and stories of tragic or flawed characters.” Darrin has succeeded mightily at this aim, his debut album, Thrones of Gold earned a wealth of kudos in the music press – The Deli Magazine had this to say, “The man’s got Joe Henry versatility, a crackerjack studio band and a great sense of craft…from a Lovett/Waits blues into a John Prine diatribe then rocketing off with an Elvis Costello pop gem.” The title track placed in American Songwriter’s Lyric Writing Contest with the lyrics appearing in the Nov/Dec 2006 issue. “Crazy World” was used in the segment of Emmy-nominated reality TV fave The Deadliest Catch in which the crew demonstrate advanced cases of “Bering Sea Dementia.”
The Lovely Ugly Truth is the follow up album, and it’s filled with parables that illustrate moral dilemmas and regret, outlaw stories, murder ballads and even a contemporary protest song that confronts the immigration debate. “I have always loved the saddest songs the best, so that is what I write most often,” explained James, who produced the album and assembled an ensemble of New York’s finest players, including staff from Antibalas, TV on the Radio, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Beirut and Arcade Fire. The tracks were recorded between 2007 and 2009 in numerous studios in New York by Matt Gill, who has worked with bands like Fischerspooner, Aimee Mann, The Raveonettes and Aqualung.
DECIBEL HOGG is a “Rock and Roll Mutt” that tests the limits of contemporary song writing and instrumentation. The band is livin’ large, making the most of life, drinking beer and lovin’ whiskey. Decibel Hogg is well known for their extremely tight rhythmic grooves and unique vocal stylings offering a new experimental twist on the rock genre as you know it. Live shows are energy packed aimed to stimulate the entire audio and visual experience. CARPE DIEM SUCKAZ!!
Twenty years ago, an underground cult movement surfaced in Tampa, Florida that revolutionized the metal world. The pioneers of this burgeoning scene, DEICIDE, are still striking fear into hearts of the masses to this day. Century Media Records are extremely proud to announce a worldwide deal with DEICIDE, one of the founding fathers of death metal and easily one of the most influential and controversial bands ever. With a relentlessly brutal sound and uncompromisingly blasphemous lyrics, DEICIDE helped set the standards for extreme metal and have maintained those standards ever since.
DEICIDE led by original members Glen Benton (vocals, bass) and Steve Asheim (drums) have been busy at Audiohammer Studios with Mark Lewis (Black Dahlia, Chimaira) and are looking at a summer ’09 release. The group have reunited with legendary guitarists Jack Owen (ex-Cannibal Corpse) and Ralph Santolla (Obituary, ex-Iced Earth, Death) and will embark on a two-week European tour in January 2009.
Benton states: “I want to say it is an honor to be an official CM artist. I look forward to working with the fine folks at CM and providing them with our style of metal. I can ensure you that what surfaces will definitely be nothing less than a total bash-your-face-in-from-start-to-finish, bastard. HAIL SATAN!!!!”
Asheim further comments: “I’m happy to be a part of the CM family and look forward to working with them. The new DEICIDE material in the works should be a good way to kick off the new deal. It’s a totally sick new record with a totally sick new label, but the same ol’ sick DEICIDE. See you all in 2009 and hold onto your balls!”
DEICIDE released their groundbreaking self-titled debut in 1990. Recorded at Tampa’s Morrisound Studio (the legendary studio where the band would go on to record all its albums), the vicious debut would soon be hailed as one of the “Top 100 Metal Albums of the 90’s” by England’s metal authority, Terrorizer Magazine. In 1992, DEICIDE followed up their debut with “Legion”, which was an instant success, further establishing their furious musical intensity and vengeful anti-Christian stance. This landmark extreme metal release secured their place at the forefront of the American death metal scene as they rapidly earned a reputation for controversy.
DEICIDE’s appearance and live antics matched the extremity of their music and lyrics. With an inverted cross branded into his forehead, Benton cast himself as the incarnation of pure evil. At shows, he was known to pull such stunts as dousing the crowds with bags full of real animal organs. DEICIDE quickly found themselves banned from clubs, boycotted by magazines, and blacklisted by Christian groups and animal-rights activists. Anti-establishment to the core, DEICIDE embodied the worst fears of the conservative masses, and loved it. Rather than shy away from controversy, DEICIDE provoked it and willingly engaged in it.
DEICIDE stormed ahead into the future, releasing numerous albums engulfed by waves of controversy, as their popularity continued to ferment within the scene. However, it was the 2006 release “The Stench of Redemption” that put the band back on the map as the leaders of the genre. This was their first album to showcase the more melodic leads of guitarists Owen and Santolla which only added to their riotous and enigmatic success. DEICIDE looks forward to taking things to the next level in 2009, promising to deliver the album of their already heralded career.
BEARKAT, the musical progeny of multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Katy Pearson, is rich with influences of almost every musical idiom.
Born in Columbia, MO, raised in Maryland, Bearkat’s real home is on the road. She will be regularly touring and traveling this great country. With her toes dipped in the traditions of jazz, rock, old-time and the traditional harmony of Bach and the like, Bearkat weaves a new melodic tapestry from old cloth.
Bearkat started back in 2007, releasing her first full length album, “Suitcase Swimmers” in 2008. Now, with 2 albums under her belt (Releasing her EP The Happy in 2010) Bearkat will release her 3rd album, “Houses on a Hill” on September 4th, 2012. This album is truly a labor of love, Pearson and her drummer man/band mate Brian Bringelson playing all of the instruments on the record, which when they counted totaled some ridiculous number of 20 or something! Hunkering down in her parents house for 2 months and then more hunkering back in California, Bearkat and Bringelson have finally completed what feels to be Pearson’s most adventurous record to date.
An uncompromising Austrian blackened death metal group, Belphegor emerged in 1993 from the ashes of the like-minded Betrayer. Led by vocalist/guitarist Helmuth Lehnerl, the band issued their debut album, The Last Supper, in 1995. Their overtly Satanic, European-style black metal eventually found favor overseas, resulting in a string of internationally charting efforts like Walpurgis Rites: Hexenwahn (2008), Blood Magick Necromance (2010), Conjuring the Dead (2014), and Totenritual (2017). Belphegor released their 12th studio album, Devils, in 2022.
Formed in 1991 under the moniker Betrayer by vocalist/bassist Maxx, guitarists Helmuth and Sigurd, and drummer Chris, the band quickly made inroads in their Austrian homeland. They adopted the name Belphegor (one of the seven princes of Hell) in 1993 and issued a demo, Bloodbath in Paradise. Maxx left the group shortly after that, allowing Helmuth to take over vocal duties. A re-tooled lineup that saw the addition of bassist Mario “Marius” Klausner converged in 1995 to release the band’s first studio album, The Last Supper, which was reissued by — it was later reissued by with six bonus tracks (some from their rare 1994 Obscure and Deep EP). Blutsabbath (1997) and Necrodaemon Terrorsathan (2000) were released via , and in 2003 Belphegor inked a deal with for their fourth studio long-player, Lucifer Incestus.
Arriving in 2005, Goatreich-Fleshcult would be the band’s last outing for the label, as the following year saw them move to and issue Pestapokalypse VI –- by this time, Helmuth was the last original member remaining. Released in 2008, Bondage Goat Zombie was partly inspired by the writings of the Marquis de Sade, while 2009’s Walpurgis Rites: Hexenwahn cited the history of witches as its inspiration. Both albums appeared on the German and Austrian charts, with the latter effort racking up sales in the U.S. Blood Magick Necromance (2011) followed a similar narrative path and was the first Belphegor release to chart in the United States. 2014’s acclaimed Conjuring the Dead, which Erik Rutan recorded at Mana Recording Studios in Florida, became the band’s highest-charting effort to date. The merciless and bludgeoning Totenritual appeared in 2017, followed by the equally unrelenting Devils, the extreme metal veterans’ 12th long-player, in 2022. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia & James Christopher Monger, Rovi
As one of the most celebrated producers and rappers of his generation of hip-hop artists, Black Milk has conditioned fans and critics to expect the unexpected with each release. Few producers have earned the notoriety and respect he has as a musician, and when that is coupled with commanding talent as an emcee, it’s no surprise that his solo releases are met with exalted anticipation. His forthcoming full-length album If There’s A Hell Below continues Black’s trend of releasing material that maintains his signature sound while pushing it into new territory.
With more than a decade of industry experience and a rich catalog of recordings, Black Milk has transitioned from one of hip-hop’s young rising stars to a veteran with a uniquely well-rounded pedigree. After scoring his first production credit for Slum Village as a teenager in 2002, he eventually worked closely with the group and co-produced much of their two following albums. His self-released, full-length project Sound of the City (2005) led to his first record deal, and he began to gain international attention for the soul-sample driven style on his proper solo debut Popular Demand (2007). Four solo rap albums (Tronic, Album of the Year, No Poison No Paradise and Glitches In The Break), an instrumental album (Synth or Soul), numerous collaboration albums (Caltroit with Bishop Lamont, The Set Up with Fat Ray, Black and Brown with Danny Brown, Random Axe with Sean Price and Guilty Simpson and Burning Stones with Mel), and 2 singles with Jack White later, Black Milk remains one of hip-hop’s most consistent artists.
Bringing his numerous recordings to life with live band Nat Turner, Black Milk has also been recognized as a genuine and poised performer, one of hip-hop and music’s most acclaimed live acts.
Formed from the ashes of Usurper in ’09, Apocalyptic Warlord (drums), Carcass Chris (guitars) and Jon Necromancer (bass/vox) are coming to bludgeon your brain with their unique brand of 3 chord heavy metal. Not exactly death metal, or punk, or black metal, but a weird hybrid of all forms of LOUD music.
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.
Cheryl and the Dynamics play gritty electric blues and raucous R&B. They play at various venues in Chicago, most notably Buddy Guy’s Legends and the main stage at the House of Blues. They are happy to be returning to Reggie’s to bring their flavor of great Chicago music.
The Socialists are a sister, brother, sister, father 4 piece band from Chicago. They are called The Socialists because every band member sings and plays every instrument. They learned to play music by playing covers of their favorite bands like The Smiths, Joy Division, and LCD Soundsystem. The Socialists distinctive sound can be heard on their debut EP, Eponymous. They continue to perform locally in many of Chicago’s legendary concert venues.
Might Could started as a duo. Andy Tillotson and Tim McCaskey used their acoustic guitars to survive grad school. They made a home-burned CD with a few songs on it.
Around 2003, they met Aaron Geller, an undergrad chem major at the time. It just so happened he knew an obscure harmony part to a video game song the duo knew, so he joined up and made Might Could a three-guitar band. Andy and Aaron are the main songwriters.
Luis “Gordo” Nasser knew the original duo from the physics department (so now 3 of the members have a PhD in physics), and happily signed on. Might Could happily welcomed Gordo since he is a veteran of several musical projects (like Sonus Umbra and Kurgan’s Bane) and he brought bass and songwriting expertise to Might Could. The full lineup of three guitars and one bass is full, dynamic, and fun to listen to.
We’ve released three critically acclaimed (and more importantly, warmly received) full length albums: The first is called All Intertwined, and it was finished in August of 2005. The second is called Wood Knot, and was finished sometime in 2007. Our latest, Relics from the Wasteland, was released in 2013.
Might Could tries to entertain listeners by creating and performing songs with rhythmically interesting, tight, and neatly interlocking parts. Our music serves as a contrast to guitar albums filled with endless soloing. People have told us our songs seem to draw from influences ranging from heavy metal to progressive rock to jazz, and we’ve been compared to King Crimson, the California Guitar Trio, Steve Morse, Michael Hedges, and Béla Bartók. Our interests are playing live often and writing material that is challenging and rewarding, both for ourselves and our audience.
Andy, Tim, and Luis also perform in the band Sonus Umbra.
– Founded in 1993, Jucifer pioneered the sludge / doom metal duo
– They are one of the earliest heavy two piece bands and even more unusual for playing all-live (no loops, keyboard bass samples or drum machine).
– Jucifer trademarks including their enormous amp rig and unconventional shifting / combining of genres have influenced and inspired many over two decades.
– The band has performed steadily and released albums through the 90’s and 00’s on both major and indie labels as well as recently founding their own Nomadic Fortress label which is distributed by Relapse.
– During the 90’s Jucifer was based in Georgia, but in 2001 moved permanently into their tour vehicle. They have lived entirely on wheels for the 13 years since and have stated that this homeless, nomadic life was undertaken to facilitate playing “as many shows as we possibly can”. Their endless tour typically covers 20 or more countries each year.
– Jucifer shows are known for being extremely heavy and loud, blending elements of sludge, doom, black metal, death metal, thrash, crust, grind, drone, and noise with occasional melodic passages. Performances are ritual and cathartic, and frequently include improvised sections between or even during the songs. The guitar is downtuned to various non-standard tunings, which lends an unexpectedly pleasing quality to the high volume employed.
– Jucifer has expressed distaste for conforming to a genre but has invented names to describe their blend of styles including “deathdrone” “blackcrust” and “grindgaze”.
– Jucifer’s live sound has been compared to Celtic Frost, Melvins, Slayer, Black Sabbath, Necrophagia and Napalm Death, as well as bands of their own generation (Jesus Lizard, Darkthrone, Neurosis, Morbid Angel, Harvey Milk, Electric Wizard, Eyehategod, Acid King) and younger groups Lightning Bolt and Sunn0))).
– Because of their knack for odd compositions and onstage improvisation, some have also likened Jucifer shows to the work of Miles Davis and John Zorn.
– Jucifer’s albums are impressively diverse, though often not representative of their core style. 2010’s ‘Throned In Blood’ album was the first full length to draw almost entirely from this core, but its sparse production (planned to sound “old school” according to the band) fails to do justice to their massive tones live.
– Early work by Jucifer was released on local independent labels prior to 1999’s signing with major label Capricorn Records and subsequently (2006) Relapse Records.
– In 2010 Jucifer founded their own Nomadic Fortress imprint and issued the album ‘Throned In Blood’ via NF with distribution by Relapse, and LP licensed by Alternative Tentacles Records. Jucifer also licensed their ‘Autocannibalist’ EP to Canada’s Choking Hazard Records and contributed songs to a Terrorizer Magazine (England) compilation and to two French comps: ‘Falling Down II’ and ‘Endless DVD’
– In October 2011 the reissued 1994 EP ‘Nadir’ was released for digital download by Grindcore Karaoke, J. Randall of Agoraphobic Nosebleed digital-only label.
– LP version of ‘Nadir’ was released in October 2012 by Mutants of the Monster, the new label run by Christopher “C.T.” Terry of the band Rwake and filmmaker / video editor /metalhead David Hall (Maryland Deathfest The Movie DVD series, vinyl from Rwake, Surachai, Tellusian, and Biipiigwan). Mutants of the Monster is distributed by Sony RED.
– July 17, 2013 saw the release of Jucifer’s eighth studio album ‘за волгой для нас земли нет’ on limited edition CD via their own Nomadic Fortress label and partner Mutants of the Monster. A second CD pressing was issued in November 2013.
– Gatefold double LP of ‘за волгой для нас земли нет’ was also released in November via Alternative Tentacles.
– ‘за волгой для нас земли нет’ made several “best of 2013” lists including iTunes, NPR Music, and artist lists by members of Fuck The Facts, SubRosa and Deafheaven.
– Jucifer’s “20 Years Slaying Ears” tour from January through December 2013 included 32 countries including the band’s first performances in Bosnia, Serbia, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Lithuania and Greece.
– Jucifer is currently recording for a split 7″ on French label Witch Bukkake.
– Jucifer is also in the process of recording for a side project with drummer Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Fantomas, PHILM) and a split with Aaron Deal (Darkest Hour, ex-Salome).
– Jucifer’s endless tour continues with U.S. dates already announced for early 2014 as well as a mainstage appearance at England’s Temples Festival in May alongside Neurosis, Electric Wizard and Clutch.
The Aaron Williams Band has completed recording our new album to be released in spring 2014 in Austin during SXSW. We have been ambitiously recording and writing with Grammy producer Johnny K at Groovemaster Studio in our hometown, Chicago. Johnny, having a leading reputation in the music industry works with several reputable bands and musicians. Working with him has been a surreal process creating our new album by utilizing both our experience and passion for making music.
You can compare her music to many different artists, but at the end of the day, Blackjack Sass has a unique sound all her own. From her melodic songs of love that’s lost to more punky tunes of giving the bird to the world, Blackjack Sass really defines what it means to be 21 with attitude… even if she’s now 23.
The rock bands call us a surf band, the surf bands call us a rock band…..we are the HEAVIES!!! BIG drums-FAT bass-STINGING guitars…check us out and be overcome by a tsunami of sound! Christmas 1999: Jason and I were talking about music and got on the subject of surf-instro and both expressed interest in playing it. Three months later we started getting together at his place and learned about 15-20 songs with me playing rhythm and him on lead. We looked for about 18 months for a drummer and bass player with no luck. Jay knew Jim from some job sites they had worked at and asked him to play drums with us. The 3 of us started practicing regularly in the spring of ’02 in Jim’s parents’ garage while we kept looking for a bass player. Jim’s Dad thought the stuff we were playing sounded great and started learning the bass lines. We played our first “show” labor day weekend 2002 at a 3-band birthday party as a 4-piece. Two months later, his dad passed the bass duties on to Jim’s brother, who moved to California and soon the revolving door started. After 4 years and 7 different bass players we decided to become a 3 piece and Jay and I switch between bass and guitar during sets.
In the beginning there was Wraygun…The band started out as a tribute to The Late Great Link Wray, by Phil Tiki and Jack “The Ripper” Conley.I was asked to play bass, for a “one and done” gig, that turned into 2, then 3, and 10 years later… The calls started coming in for bigger gigs, so we supplemented our set with some Surf, and we were on our way.We all met Susie at the same time, she mentioned she played Sax, and was asked to be in the band, real simple.Jack’s girlfriend, Shannon (at the time, now his wife), came in on second guitar, shortly afterward, and we had our lineup solidified.This quintet performed for a couple years, until Shannon left, enter Steve Martini…Steve came over from his very successful band, Cocktail Preachers, and, like me, never left.With Steve in the band, we soon changed our name to 13 Tikis, which was a band name Phil used for other things he was doing musically.Shortly after the name change, Jack left, enter Tony Long…Tony played with us for a short time before, naturally he was our first choice to be our new full time drummer.With everything solid again, we hit it hard, playing all over, having fun, like you’re supposed to, then…Phil Tiki, the man who put this all together, broke it to us, he was moving to Las Vegas.Not really knowing how to go on without the glue that held this band together, we had to figure something out fast.Enter Justin Collins…We met Justin at a Memorial for a mutual acquaintance, our respective bands were on the bill, and we hit it off.Justin became a fan of the band, coming out to gigs, showing support, so when we needed a guitar player, I gave him a call.Initially, I asked if he was interested in sitting in with us, I didn’t tell him Phil was leaving, he said “sit in, or be in the band, because I would really like to be in the band”.Without any vetting, Justin was in the band, where he is today.October 21st, 2016, we celebrated 10 years as a band, with the current lineup, as well as Phil Tiki and Jack The Ripper.We have no intentions of stopping anytime soon!I’d also like to give honorable mentions to these fine drummers, for putting time in with this band.Rick Kubic, Leslie Walle-Santos,Grant Ossler, Mark ManzoThere you are,a “short” history of 13 TikisLorenzo FridayBass Guitarist13 Tikis
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.
Alcheystone is an original rock band from chicago. The group has several years of experience in the local and national scenes due to it’s members hard work and dedication to the craft of making unforgettable music.
ARSIS, which derived its name from the musical term “arsis and thesis” meaning unstressed (up-) and stressed (down-) beats respectively, makes music that is righteously tinged with black & thrash metal influences, but is completely dedicated to expanding the reaches of melodicism and technicality in the genre of death metal.
Austaras was born during Autumn 2008 in Chicago; while they have gone through their share of hardships, out of this turbulence has risen a fervent group of kindred spirits. While unmistakably a metal band, a myriad of influences are apparent – ranging from the darkest and most melancholic metal all the way to progressive rock, jazz, folk, and classical.
Chicago’s own Experimental/Folk foursome. Originally titled Moving Sunshine, the quartet re-named itself Young Sun….. Young Sun consists of four members, formed in mid 2009. The band is made up of Patrick Daniels (vocals/guitar/drum), Ryan Smith (vocals/guitar/bass/drum), Matthew Eble (vocals/guitar/bass/drum), and Erik Martin (vocals/percussion/drum).
YOUNGSTA
YOUR 33 BLACK ANGELS
Your 33 Black Angels is a rock band from Brooklyn, NY. The band consists of Josh Westfal (guitar, vocals), Dan Rosato (guitar, vocals), Adam Gerard, (guitar), Steve “Sunshine” Stapleton (bass guitar), John O’Callaghan (drums), Benji Kast (mouth harp, guitar, words), Jon Reeve (keys, squeezebox), Grant “Wanderson” Wanderson, and others. The band has produced five LPs to date, and is currently releasing a series of digital singles. It also tours extensively throughout North America and Europe.
