Eiffel Tower was born at a psychiatric hospital in the Chicagoland area where Alex (bass), Matt (handclaps) and Pete (bells) were working as orderlies. The three were in a seclusion room holding an aggressive patient who, in a last-ditch retaliatory effort, took the liberty of urinating on the floor. With the patient somewhat subdued, the three made a gallant dash to exit the room before the patient, hot on their heels, could egress. Things only went further awry when Alex lost his footing and slipped three feet across the slick, linoleum floor through the puddle of tepid urine. Matt and Pete instantly tumbled over Alex and found themselves equally soaked. The three spent the rest of the shift donning patient pajamas and questioning their chosen career path.
The three bonded over their work with psychotic patients and obsessively collecting their clients’ personal narratives. They found the coping mechanisms of the patients not far removed from many of their own misguided efforts to make sense of the world around them. They came to treasure these stories as the stuff of myth and legend. As the band began to write music, they focused on how alienation often leads to obsessive or delusional thinking. Musically, the band’s exultant energy was been characterized as “Frank Sinatra meets Bad Brains,” and as “marr[ying] the jangle-pop of Feelies with the playful self-loathing of Stephin Merritt.”
The trio quickly settled on the name Eiffel Tower, after the French monument. Upon its completion, the tower had widely been considered as a mistake and an eyesore. Guy de Maupassant, who reportedly hated the tower, was known to have lunched in it daily. When asked why, he remarked that it was the only place in all of Paris where he could not see the awful structure. The band Eiffel Tower celebrates the grandiose courage necessary to pursue seemingly foolhardy ambitions.
For over thirty years, several releases, dozens of international tours and hundreds of shows, Chixdiggit! has only ever wanted to have the most fun possible. Originally conceived as a Tshirt logo that three friends could sell at their high school, KJ Jansen, Mike Eggermont and Mark O’Flaherty quickly evolved into a real band with real instruments and real songs. With incredible hooks, infectious energy, inspired lyrics, and the singular motivation of having a laugh, the Calgary based band continued to produce some of the catchiest pop-punk around. Now alongside Tyler (Drums), Billy (Guitar), & Robbie (Bass), KJ carries on from scene to shining scene hoping you enjoy the show as much as they inevitably will. Let’s hear it for that!
The Manges. Old school punk rock. Weird irony. War, cinema, crime and rock references. Radical Ramones monkeys. No coherent opinions expressed. Negative minds. Low profile. High determination.
Ugly Radio Rebellion was originally formed in July 2002 as a Detroit, MI band known as Uncle Meat. Guitarist Scott Schroen felt inspired to start a project consisting of everyone and anyone capable of playing the music of Frank Zappa. An ad was placed in the local paper simply stating, “musicians wanted to perform the music of Frank Zappa” and so ensued a few weekends of what was later dubbed, “Zappa Survivor”. Groups of musicians would essentially drill selected pieces during rehearsal and later everyone would vote on who they think should stay for the next round. After a few no-shows, a few driven to quit by musical intimidation and a collection of other circumstances, the few that were left from the ‘survivor’ sessions ultimately became the lineup for Uncle Meat. The project performed FZ around the greater Detroit area until the last show on FZ’s birthday, December of 2003. With only a few adjustments, Uncle Meat was disbanded and Scott Schroen and Preston Parish reformed the project as…
Keith Scott is one of Chicago’s most vibrant musicians. For the past 20 years he’s built his reputation as a sizzling blues guitarist, dynamic performer, noteworthy songwriter and bandleader. Keith has toured the U.S. and Europe both with his band and blues great Jimmy Dawkins.
Merging brutal physical power with an unerringly precise attack, Decrepit Birth are a technical death metal band from Santa Cruz, California. The band’s story begins in the mid-’90s, when vocalist Bill Robinson met guitarist Matt Sotelo, and the two discovered they shared an ambition to create truly uncompromising music. In 2001, things got serious when Robinson and Sotelo teamed up with bassist Derek Boyer and began assembling material. By 2003, the band had developed a reputation for their striking live shows, and they released their debut album, … And Time Begins, with the three musicians joined by drummer Tim Yeung. Yeung didn’t last long with the group, and in 2004 K.C. Howard became their new drummer. After extensive touring, Sotelo began writing material that gave Decrepit Birth a more melodic sound without cutting back on their ferocity. The result was their second full-length album, 2008’s Diminishing Between Worlds. While Joel Horner was playing bass with the band by this time, he didn’t appear on the album, with Sotelo playing bass and keyboards as well as guitar. By Decrepit Birth’s standards, their next album was completed quickly, with Polarity released in 2010 by respected metal label Nuclear Blast; the Robinson/Sotelo/Horner/Howard lineup was supplemented in the studio by guitarists Dan Eggers and Ty Oliver and drummer Lee Smith. By the end of 2010, Sam Paulicelli became the group’s new drummer, replacing KC Howard, and Sean Martinez took over from Horner on bass in 2013. While Decrepit Birth toured hard in support of Polarity, the group took a break after Sotelo became a father for the first time and wanted to stay home with his young son. However, he didn’t stop writing new songs while on paternity leave, and with Sotelo and Martinez recording in their respective home studios and Paulicelli cutting drum tracks at a studio in Canada, Decrepit Birth returned in 2017 with the album Axis Mundi. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Sepultura is a phenomenon. For over twenty-five years, the band from Brazil has been delivering a brutal mix of metal, hardcore, thrash, punk and tribal that could hardly be more intense or more passionate. What had begun in Belo Horizonte in 1984 soon turned into a metal hurricane of threatening proportions and has taken on undreamt-of dimensions since the enlistment of American vocalist Derrick Green in 1998. You have to experience this band live on stage to understand the fascination that this South-American act holds. And Sepultura’s current songs always indicate the future of heavy metal.
Inspired by Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate, Motörhead and Venom. Destruction was formed as “Knight of Demon” in 1982. The original line-up featured vocalist and bassist Marcel ‘Schmier’ Schirmer, drummer Tommy Sandmann, and guitarist Mike Sifringer. They soon changed their name to “Destruction” and released a demo titled Bestial Invasion of Hell in 1984. After this the group signed with Steamhammer Records and released an EP titled Sentence Of Death later that year. Destruction released their first full-length album titled Infernal Overkill in 1985, followed by Eternal Devastation in 1986. The trio then added a second guitarist, Harry Wilkens, and released the EP Mad Butcher in 1987, followed by the full length album Release from Agony in 1988, then a live recording Live Without Sense in 1989, and Cracked Brain in 1990. In 1989, Schmier left the band and Mike Sifringer continued to release albums under the moniker of “Neo-Destruction”. In 1999, Schmier rejoined, and things began to look up for the band as they signed a record deal with Nuclear Blast. They then released three more albums: All Hell Breaks Loose in 2000, The Antichrist in 2001, and Metal Discharge in 2003. The band would then sign with AFM Records and release Inventor of Evil in 2005. The band’s latest album, Day Of Reckoning, was released in February 2011.
Without Waves range from extreme metal to jazz fusion to atmospheric rock, showcasing blistering riffs and unorthodox time signatures paired alongside dreamy melodies and poetic chord structures.
“What is Wookiefoot? What isn’t Wookiefoot?! Wookiefoot is a band, a Non-Profit 501C3 Charity Organization (www.bethechangecharities.org), a circus, a philosophy, and a community of globe trekking bliss junkies and believers that are the fuel to keep this Tribadelic Spaceship going! Their charity organization (with the support of their community) has donated over $500,000 to third world relief efforts. Wookiefoot invites their community home every September…when they host and headline their own Global Conscious Gathering called Shangri~La Festival at Harmony Park in Southern MN.Wookiefoot’s live sets are an always inspiring and entertaining barrage of sonic and visual stimulation.The fast paced circus like set has been called “Short Attention Span Musical Theater”.These live performances are a one of a kind experience that mixes Reggae, World Beat, Hip Hop, Irish, Funk, Folk, Rock & more with a large band featuring everything from a vintage Hammond Organ to Bag Pipes!Combine that with a mind-blowing stage show that may include anything (such as a light show, projection, costumes, fire, dancers, aerialists, magic, clowns, puppets, etc)…and you better buckle up!Welcome…and thank you for riding Wookiefoot!”
Zip Tang began as a conversation between Perry Merritt and Rick Wolfe at a local jam session in a suburb of Chicago, IL. in 2002. The idea was to start a fun little project covering some of their favorite artists’ music – Steely Dan, Jeff Beck, Traffic, Yes, King Crimson, etc… The search began for a drummer and keyboard player, and Fred’s audition locked in the core trio of the band then known as RPM. With no luck finding a keyboard player, Fred brought in his orchestral mate from the College Of DuPage big jazz band – Marcus Padgett – who played saxophone and a little keyboards.Soon after, the band’s name was changed to Zip Tang and the decision was made to start writing original material. The first album released in 2007 – Luminiferous Ether – gained some recognition with the track “Tower Of Tuna” and their interpretation of the “Tarkus” suite by ELP. The next album Pank was warmly welcomed by critics and was nominated for best progressive rock album by the “grass roots Grammys” organization Just Plain Folks in 2009. Great reviews continued with the two follow up releases Feed Our Heads and Das Reboot. In the summer of 2015 ZT v2.0 released their fifth collection of tunes Private Shangri-La. We are currently working on our first concept album with our new bassist Andrew Bunk. Stay tuned for the next chapter!
If you are looking for a versatile rapping style infused with intricate bars and self-inspiration, Rockie Fresh is the artist for you. The independent Hip-Hop vet is a product of the cultural hub Chicago and brings a style unlike any other from the city.
Rockie Fresh aims to reach new levels of success, inspiring fans and living up to promise to his friends and family along the way. In each release, Rockie seeks to show a different side of himself as a person and an artist, providing a complete look into his story with each bar and beat. The latest glimpse into Rockie’s world is the Slide Thru Part 2, capitalizing on one of the best 2020s of any artist and pairing him alongside some of the elite artists in his city.
His family currently inspires Rockie Fresh, presently engaged in a journey of fatherhood alongside music. He is presently using his music to give his take on everything that is going on in his world.
“My recent life experiences taught me that prayer is important when trying to navigate properly through life,” Rockie said. “Also, hard work can beat bad situations; when times get tough, work harder.”
With a new project on the horizon, Rockie Fresh is focused on creating better art with each drop. With two albums in the works for 2022, Rockie exudes excitement for his new music.
“Pop punk. Depending on how old you are, how many pairs of Dickies short you used to/currently own, or how many times you have suffered waiting in line for a port-a-potty at Warped Tour, the term “pop punk” could mean a hundred different things. We are some twenty-one years removed from the pop punk explosion from the turn of the millennia and we are finally starting to see some a return to the pre “Enema” era of pop punk. Publicity Stunt hailing from Northwest Indiana is putting their own spin on the classic pop punk sound. You dig the Smoking Popes, Face to Face, or Wax? Then Publicity Stunt will be right up your alley. They recently dropped a live recording from the Super Satan Show from back in October and I must say the set delivers. High energy, guitar driven, and tight it was a joy to listen to.” — James Lear, Middle Music
In January 2007, Jerry Kavouriaris, Steve Uildriks, Stephen Kavouriaris, and Ken Kurasz, decided to start a band that would use their obsession for Horror and mix it with Death metal. In May, 2007, guitarist, Justin Clark, (ex Trench Feeder), joined the band. In May of 2009, Stephen Kavouriaris quit the band. In July of 2009 John Usher, (ex Mordrid and Degradation) joined up. We are in the process of recording our first album, entitled “The Organic Phenomenon of Human Decay”
“Now, here is a band I can get behind. Chicago-based Tim Larson & the Owner Operators recently dropped A New Deal, a record lands on the spectrum somewhere between Nebraska and The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place, depending upon how much you goose the volume pot. Clearly influenced by the stark lyricism of both Cave and Cash, Larson and his boys fill their bag o’tricks with layers of guitar that will send the meeker Americana stock running for the hills.” – Dodge, My Old Kentucky Blog
Formed in the late fall of 2006, Indianapolis-based trio Tonos Triad has continued to
push beyond the boundaries of genre. The Triad is currently made up of upright bassist
Aaron Ransdell, guitarist Luke Stanley on nylon strings, and accordion / mandolin
player, Rod Schindler, who also plays a makeshift drum kit consisting of a suitcase and
cardboard box, played with brushes. Though primarily an acoustic band that centers
their sound on complex and euphoric melodies, they can shock listeners by plunging into
the intense realms of avant-garde ferocity before settling down into hard groove. If one
were to try to compare Tonos Triad’s music to anyone else, Astor Piazzolla or John Zorn
might come to mind, however, being that their sound is so diverse it is almost impossible
to label them under the school of any one master. They seem to be an enigma that
wanders on the outskirts of genre and classification yet, enters the listener to pluck their
heartstrings with subtle notes weaved with pop nostalgia and the dark unknown.
TOXIC HOLOCAUST mutated into existence in 1999, when Joel Grind merged his love for classic punk and metal into his ideal band. Like his influences – Bathory, Venom, English Dogs, Possessed, Broken Bones – TOXIC HOLOCAUST featured blazing riffs, gravel-throated vocals, and a deadly fixation on the evil in man and a post-apocalyptic world. Grind wrapped all of these elements up with a DIY attitude.
Taking chances is always easier said than done – musically, there’s nothing quite like a risk taken to shine light upon an artist’s growth from their former selves. Boston rock outfit Transit has stirred up a unique recipe for success throughout their career, packing one album after the other with fresh ideas. Their newest collection of stripped down tracks in the form of an EP, Futures and Sutures, showcases the group’s collective ability to take on new concepts and come through flawlessly. Futures and Sutures features 5 musically revamped fan-favorites taken from Transit’s previous two full-length records, plus a bonus instrumental track.
2013 also brought on the anticipated release of the band’s full-length, Young New England, which debuted at #4 on Billboard’s Heatseeker’s Chart and was followed by a U.S. headlining tour. Young New England features a collection of Transit’s signature punk-infused tracks with thoughtful lyrics tying together the overall theme of the album, the band’s hometown of Boston.
Composed of Joe Boynton (vocals), Tim Landers (guitar/vocals), Torre Cioffi (guitar/vocals), P.J. Jefferson (bass) and Daniel Frazier (drums), Transit formed in 2006, signing with indie label Rise Records in 2011.
Transit’s following has grown immensely over the past year alone, many thanks to their ability to move forward musically. This summer, the group took advantage of (hometown) Boston’s lively nightlife and took excited fans along for a bar crawl to film a fun music video for the track “Young New England.” The true power of the internet came to surface when an online post inviting people to be a part of the video shoot sparked interest from a girl to fly across the country from California into Boston to be a part of it all.
Transit wrapped up 2013 in the strongest way possible, headlining a sold-out NYC show, embarking on a nationwide tour with Taking Back Sunday, and announcing their headlining role in 2014’s Acoustic Basement Tour presented by Vans Warped Tour. For a band that treads a notably unique line between indie and alternative, one thing’s for certain – expect the unexpected from Transit in 2014.
