THE VAMATO
THE VAN BUREN BOYS
Chicago Rock n’ Roll / Power Pop!!!
“fun with a capital F”
– Un-Herd Music
“I probably shouldn’t like this as much as I do, but I probably shouldn’t drink so much or eat red meat either. But I will. And I do.”
– Roy Pearl, Pearl Before Swine
“Breathing oily rock n roll heart, these guys are wickedly in tune with each other…”
– Brian Kirst, Horror Society
“Right in line with The Riffs or some Eddie And The Hot Rods loving pre-junkies. Heavy on the pop sensibilities, this is ready for the big time.”
– Robert Collins, Maximum Rock n’ Roll
THE VAN GOGHS
THE VANDALS
THE VANDON ARMS
THE VENETIA FAIR
THE VERONA ACCOUNT
THE VIBRATORS
First wave U.K. Punk Rock since 1976. Still touring and recording.
THE VILLAINS OF VERONA
THE VINDITS
THE WABASH CANNONBALLS
THE WANDERERS
THE WANTON LOOKS
THE WARHAWKS
THE WARNING LABEL
THE WARRIORS
THE WAX INTELLECTUAL
THE WERKS
THE WEST SIDE WINDERS
THE WESTERN
THE WIITALA BROTHERS
THE WOODBOX GANG
THE STATION
THE STATUS
THE STEEPWATER BAND
You should already know these songs. If the old saying about talent equaling success were true, then The Steepwater Band would already be a household name, rubbing shoulders with Aerosmith, Bad Company and other like-minded travelers in our collective Rock ‘n Roll Fantasy. But that’s not how things always work, and this band knows it and still leans into it, smiling, with everything in them, not for brass rings and marquees, but because they must! For them, the music life is a calling and not some stupid costume one puts on to shake loose gold, fame, and groupies. In a land of caricatures, it’s striking to come face-to-face with the real thing.
Something primal lurks in their music, but always wrestling with emotions and stories that are everyday-ready ~ music at once strut-inducing sexy and brass knuckles honest, a sound evolved smartly & patiently through countless gigs, running the bulls whenever and wherever they’ve been welcomed since 1998. AC/DC once said, “If you got the dollar, we got the song / Just wanna boogie woogie all night long,” and The Steepwater Band surely embodies this lip-smacking urge to get some in this mean old world, befitting the group’s Chicago roots and their earthy understanding of crackling city blues.
The abiding, resounding passion inside this band is never in question. Dive into their seemingly endless catalog of songs just about anywhere, and the heart and muscle pumping away inside every track are palpable and present in a most pleasing way. Their sound is like a soundtrack for arm wrestling The Devil and then drinking shots with him ’til sunrise after you’ve pinned him down. Their songs bridge the miles between lovers, throw lines to brothers and sisters in need of some understanding and a spark that makes them shuffle, eyes closed, shaking off the day’s heavy load, ready for another round because the right song by the right band made them feel they had enough fight left in them. That’s the kind of band you’re dealing with here, and they’ll be doing this long after all the pretty boys, package acts, and pretenders have left the stage. – Dennis Cook
THE STEEPWATER BAND IS ~
Jeff Massey ~ lead vocals / guitars
Joe Winters ~ drums / percussion
Eric Saylors ~ guitars / lap steel / backing vocals
Joe Bishop ~ bass / backing vocals.
THE STEREOFIDELICS
Imagine you’re back in time enjoying the groove and virtuosity of a 70’s art-rock band then hurled decades forward, colliding with the energy and intensity of today’s rock scene. Four instruments, two dynamic voices, and a record of relentless touring have earned virtuosic pop-rock duo the StereoFidelics their reputation as a fun, high-energy live act. They perform with a natural passion and synchronicity that is augmented further once the audience realizes the guitar player is also playing bass with his feet or the drummer keeps the beat going while putting down the sticks and shredding the violin. Hard-core touring of the US and calling their van home for much of the year (performing around 225 shows per year) has gained the StereoFidelics a dedicated following around the country.
THE STITCH UP
THE STORY CHANGES
THE STORY OF EVEREST
THE STRAIGHT AS
THE STRANGE PILLS
THE STRANGER
THE STREETERS
THE SUBMARINE RACES
THE SUEDE BROTHERS
The Suede Brothers are a band from Ohio. They formed in 2007 and thrive in a coal room outside of Cleveland.
” The first things you’ll notice are the huge riffs singer/guitarist Dylan Francis punches you with. Rust-belt rock, if indeed a genre, has never been so large. An immediate recent reference that pops to mind is Wolfmother, but the major difference is Suede Brothers’ sound involves no gimmicks and the overall vibe and feeling of throwback power blues is honest and sincere. Francis shreds on his Les Paul and his high-pitched vocals are pulsing with raw energy.
THE SUMMER HIGHLIGHT
THE SUPERVILLAINS
Since the beginning of the year, fans of the Supervillains’ live shows have noticed something different in the band’s personnel department. Long-time bassist (and production wizard) Dan Grundorf has permanently handed over the reins and bass duties to BJ Hall, the band’s long-tenured stage/guitar-tech and bus driver. While Dan’s prowess and stage chops will be missed, fans should be more than satisfied with the new addition of BJ. A talented musician with a lengthy resume in the Central Florida scene, he is most recently recognized as playing with Abandon The Midwest, one of the main support acts for the Supervillains (as well as being signed to their label Rah Rah Rah Records). The Florida natives have been spending the winter months hunkered down in the Sunshine State playing festival dates (Including the inaugural OkeechobeeFest, one of the biggest Florida festivals in recent memory) and prepping songs for a new record (their 9th overall) tentatively slated for a late-2016 release. Gravitating back to their ska-punk roots, fans of the band should be excited for an up-tempo throwback record that showcases the Supervillains’ knack for mixing it up while still including a few staple slow-burn reggae gems. Look for the band to work in some of the new tracks alongside of their fan-favorites as they plow their way across the country in 2016.
THE SWAGGSTAS
THE SWEEPS
The foundation of any band is musical kinship. Within the exposed confines of a trio, this rapport is amplified, leaving an indelible mark on the songs. Glance through rock history and we see this repeatedly; the groundbreaking strut of Cream, the irresistible pop of The Police, the undone roar of Nirvana. Remove any member and the band’s core unravels. For Chicago-based trio, The Sweeps, this affinity is vital. Their core is firmly intact.
Each member of The Sweeps–Bob Dain, Santiago Torres, and Chris Dye (ex-Chin Up Chin Up)–brings a hefty presence to their lean arrangements. Challenging the sonic boundaries of a trio, both Dain and Torres sing with longing, conviction and fury. Dain’s dexterity, equal parts pedal-board and guitar, ranges from a delicate strum to an incandescent wail. Countering Dain, Torres brings a solid bass thump; playing slinky, soul-inflected rumblings along with fractured melodic fuzz. Dye’s hook-heavy drumming supports Dain and Torres, while lending a swaggering rhythmic architecture to the songs. Live, the band explodes with an infectious adrenaline that has ignited their strong Chicago fanbase, propelling them toward building a national audience.
On the band’s full-length debut, Swift Armour (out now), The Sweeps capture a live immediacy, yet further explore and refine their craft. Recorded at Chicago’s Minbal Studio with the help of producer/engineer, Benjamin Balcom, Swift Armour is an emotionally rich and honest evolution for the band. It is a collage of loud guitars and chanting vocal hooks, an intimately pounding cadence, a call to arms. It is a record with a strong sense of place, Chicago to be precise—the historic struggles, the dying and thriving neighborhoods—all inhabit these 13 tracks. From the lush death march of the opening title track to the dark pop hymn “1600cc Engine,” this record is equal parts confession, exultation and vindication: embittered but embracing. Swift Armour is an ode to Chicago: a battle between the harsh and the beautiful.
THE SWELLERS
THE SWORD
THE SYLVANS
THE TAKEOUTS
THE TALLEST
THE TARDS
THE TEAPARTY
THE TEST PATTERNS
THE TEXTBOOK COMMITTEE
The Textbook Committee are a group of dudes who like to drink beer together and throw the ball around. They also get together every now and then and play marathon sets of your favorite Robert Pollard / Guided By Voices songs, and it’s always more fun than whatever other party you were going to go to.
THE THEY
THE THICKNESS
THE THIEF
THE THIN MAN
THE THUNDERCHICKENS
THE TOSSERS
The south side of Chicago has a tough working class reputation, it’s also known for one of the largest populations of Irish people this side of the Emerald Isle. So it’s not entirely incongruous that a hard luck kid from the south side of town would choose to play traditional Irish folk music in pubs around the neighborhood. At 18, Anthony (T.) Duggins, was doing just that – playing pub favorites and covers of greats like Christy Moore, and Ewan MacColl. Before long his brother and his best friends were playing the original songs he had written as well, and so became The Tossers. The name was taken from an old slang term used for worthless British coins in Sean O’Casey’s play The Plough and the Stars. The coins became useless after the southern Irish Free State won independence from Britain, and started to print it’s own currency. The term tosser has since come to mean wanker, or it’s American equivalent, jag off.
THE SHITTY COUSINS & GRANPA KNOW
THE SHOTGUN BROTHERS BAND
THE SHOW DEVILS
THE SIDEKICKS
THE SILENTS
THE SINKING PINES
THE SINNERS
THE SKOEWS
THE SKWOD
THE SKY WE SCRAPE
THE SKYLIGHT
THE SLACKERS
For 31 years, the NYC-based and critically acclaimed Slackers have been touring the world with their blend of Ska, Reggae, and Soul.
Since 1991, the Slackers have released fifteen albums and countless singles, while their 1000s of live performances feed their fans with energetic sets of ecstatic music.
The press state that the Slackers are “the best ska band in the world” (Rude International), “the pick of the US crop” (Metal Hammer), “the sound of New York’ (New York Times), “is about as close to perfect as it gets” (Ink 19), and “one of the best bands in the United States” (axs.com).
In April 2022, The Slackers released a new album, “Don’t Let The Sunlight Fool Ya” (Pirates Press) which quickly shot to the top of the US billboard charts. This is the first time that a Slackers’ album has charted! Ironically after 30 years as a band, this qualified them as a Billboard ‘new artist.’ The Washington Post noted that the Slackers “remain at the top of their game.”
The chart topping performance of “Don’t Let The Sunlight Fool Ya” capped a 2 year comeback of the Slackers. When Covid stopped live shows in 2020, the Slackers pivoted to livestreams and made 5 full band concerts that were broadcast internationally. After the shows, they stayed in the studio and recorded the tunes that became Sunlight.
Returning to live gigging in the 2nd half of 2021, the band celebrated their 30th anniversary with 30 shows across the United States and Canada.
In 2022, the Slackers have 90 shows booked in the United States, Canada, UK, and Europe. At 31 years old, the band has been renewed and is looking to grow their cult following into its 4th decade.