BENJAMIN DECKARD

B. DOLAN

The last time we heard from B. Dolan he was writing to us from a bomb shelter as the world ripped apart at the seams. On his newest album “Fallen House, Sunken City” he joins up with legendary indie-rap beatsmith ALIAS to survey the aftermath.

Dolan has already established himself as a master storyteller, but this time through he presents us with a full-throttle, unabashed, boombap hiphop record. You know, the kind of hiphop that was too grimy for mass consumption so it was declared “dead” by the unelected powers that be? With Alias behind the production board, B. Dolan’s aggressive delivery is accentuated by a special brand of bass-heavy breakbeats while the tailor made musical backdrops assist in the mood of impending doom.

As the title of the album may suggest, there is a fair amount of cynical content here, but that doesn’t mean the lyrics are wholly devoid of redemption. That would be too easy. What makes B. Dolan particularly unique as a lyricist is his ability to have philosophical underpinnings to every song without preachiness getting in the way of his art. The opening track, “Leaving NY,” is a great example of this technique. It balances the literal with the metaphorical and never tells the listener what they should or shouldn’t feel. The song has a truth of it’s own. In fact, that truth and message can easily be taken as the mission statement of “Fallen House, Sunken City.”

In 1999 B. Dolan moved from Rhode Island to NYC to pursue his passion. He had been writing and rapping for years, but Brooklyn’s Nuyorican Poets Cafe introduced him to spoken word which is when his career as a stage performer began. Finding himself on hard times he slept on park benches and subway trains before scoring a job as a doorman at a building that happened to be in close proximity to the Twin Towers. Just as he began piecing his life together the 9/11 attacks happened, leaving him in a paranoid mental state which ultimately resulted in his self-imposed exile from the birthplace of hiphop.

“Was I a coward to abandon the broken down mechanics / that crowned Biggie Smalls as the King of Atlantis?”

The move back to RI in 2002 proved to be a wise one for Dolan. Over the next few years hhe tapped into the local arts community, volunteered for at-risk youth programs, created the consumer activist website Knowmore.org, teamed up with Sage Francis, signed to Strange Famous Records and toured relentlessly from 2005 onward (most notably the Paid Dues Tour 2008 and Rock the Bells Tour 2009.)

It was on Sage Francis’ “Death Dance Tour” in 2007 that Alias and Dolan first conceived the idea of working on a full album together. Although Alias’ production is rooted in 90’s era hiphop, he had never produced a full rap album for anyone. In fact his production style had taken a turn toward more down tempo ambient-driven instrumentals by the early 2000’s. When the prospect of doing a full album with B. Dolan was presented, he took it as a challenge and an opportunity to fire up his MPC and return to a more traditional hiphop form.

It took two years of relentless work to mold the kind of album that not only avoids the spectrum of hiphop cliches, but downright destroys them. The true value of this record, however, is not in finger-wagging nostalgia for a lost golden era. At its heart, “Fallen House, Sunken City” is a record full of focused experimentation that would rather lead by example than romance the dead. “Economy of Words” finds Alias executing dubstep rhythms, “Body of Work” has Dolan exploring the mindset of a sex worker, and “Border Crossing” has a Providence marching band playing throughout.

Unlikely as it is, the two New England natives have crafted a sound rooted with authority in the best traditions of hiphop, with enough irreverence, energy, and vision to deface its tombstone and reanimate the corpse. This is post-rap, psychedelic-hop horrorcore politics.

Welcome to B. Dolan.
Welcome to a new breed of emcee.
Hip Hop is Undead.

BERSERKER THEORY

Bible of the Devil

BIBLE OF THE DEVIL

A Chicago mainstay since the end of 1999, Bible of the Devil played hard and traveled the country trying to get their music heard, often enamoring fans with their hardcore D.I.Y. aesthetic. Their music also transformed from a generic punk metal to a barn burning combination of traditional American rock music and 90’s-era punk. Their booze-soaked first album, Firewater at My Command, appeared in the summer of 2002 on Genuflect Records. ~ Bradley Torreano, Rovi

BIG D AND THE KIDS TABLE

Big D and the Kids Table front man David McWane has said, “There are people who want to be in a band and then there are musicians.” Once in a while a group comes along that makes music simply because they have no other choice – they are addicted musicians. For the past fifteen years Boston’s Big D And The Kids Table has proven just that, regardless of the band’s poverty. McWane describes the group as – “We’re modern American gypsies,” And you can feel that sense in their wildest record yet – For The Damned The Dumb & The Delirious.

“The person who put it best is [Warped Tour founder] Kevin Lyman”, McWane explains. “A friend once asked him if we were a ‘big band’, and Kevin replied, ‘I’ll tell you this…they’ve been around for 14 years and each year they’re extremely relevant.’

“Our new record is by far our best yet,” says McWane. “It’s a bomb! Our energy writing it was incredible. As friends, we had a blast; as musician’s, we knew exactly what we wanted to craft; and as tour mates, we were all on the same page, writing songs that would make the coming tour a slaughtering battle on stage. We love energy, and that’s what we packed these explosive songs with.”

For The Damned The Dumb & The Delirious is filled with driving ska-punk bangers, leaping off the stage thrash, seedy dub and topped off with a lot of that good ol’ fashion working class, Boston bar room beer toasting anthems. It’s gritty, bratty and raw – confident, witty and fun.

“I personally prefer shows where you have to prove yourself,” McWane adds when asked which of the band’s thousands of live performances stick out in his head. “The Warped Tours, Reading & Leads, and the Dropkick Murphys tours that we did were exciting because you had to prove yourself. The feeling is similar to when your band first starts out; you get that first-show anxiousness,” he continues. “When you play shows where everyone loves you, then it turns more into entertaining—and that can be fun, but that’s not where I personally come from,” he elaborates. “I like the underdog shows more because they add spice and kick.” Armed with a record as youth driven, honest speaking, furious and fun as For The Damned The Dumb & The Delirious, Big D will undoubtedly get the opportunity in sweaty clubs all over the world, to step up to the plate and prove themselves all over again

“We want to wake up the masses with this record, remind them that they’re more than just alive; and make their Mondays into Saturday nights. Lovers of our sound better get ready ‘cause no one’s gonna help them in the front row of this coming tour. If you wanna relax – head to the back.” – says McWane

BIG HOMEY DOE

BIG HOOK FEAT III CLICKS

BIG IN SHEBOYGAN

BEARQUARIUM

BEE VS MOTH

Beer Nuts

THE BEER NUTS

The “BEER NUTS are like 2 kegs of charisma ” 

                Jim Derogatis former writer at Rolling Stone
” While in the notorious band  RIGHTS OF THE ACCUSSED , Herb Rosen redefined modern rock bass playing as we now know it ”

               Billy Sheehan for  FOUR ON THE FRETS magazine
” The BEER NUTS , I hate those guys “
                Billy Corrigan
” Dickless is one of my favorite drummers. She hits hard and not to hard on the eyes either! “
              Scott Davidson DJ  at Rebel Radio   ,    rebelradio.com

BELLADONNA

Best known as the lead singer of the legendary group Anthrax who along with Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer are credited with originating the genre of Thrash metal, has been featured on over 10 albums that have sold over 8 million units worldwide. Belladonna has shared the stage with Iron Maiden, Kiss, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Alice in Chains, Dio, Public Enemy, Living Color, Primus, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Dio, Whitesnake, Testament, Overkill, Exodus, Helloween, and many others. Joey has also sung the National Anthem at Madison Square Garden and the Metro Dome in Minnesota for the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings. In 1988 he also starred in the underground cult classic film, “Pledge Night”.

With Joey as the lead singer of Anthrax in the 80’s to early 90’s the band was nominated for three Grammy awards, appeared on the Fox sitcom Married with Children, and Joey was voted the #1 metal singer two years in a row by Metal Forces Magazine.

Since rejoining Anthrax in 2004, Joey has toured with Judas Priest, Rob Zombie and has played in front of millions of fans across the globe. 2010 has found Joey with Anthrax sharing the stage with the pioneers of Thrash Metal Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth, all collectively known as “The Big Four” playing to sold out audiences across Europe for the Sonisphere festivals.

In the mid to late ’90s, Belladonna released his first two solo albums with great press and reviews from around the world. When not on the road with Anthrax, Joey concentrates his spare time writing, recording and touring with his solo band Belladonna and playing local shows in his home town area with his cover band Chief Big Way.

BEN JOSEPH AND THE MATHEMATICS

BARNFIRES

Baroness

BARONESS

Baroness is an American heavy metal band from Savannah, Georgia, whose original members grew up together in Lexington, Virginia.

BASSEL

BATUSIS

BEAR CEUSE

BAD CITY

BALLAD OF JIMI CRICKET

BALLYHOO!

A rock band with punk energy and pop reggae grooves, Baltimore’s BALLYHOO! are a fun, fan-loving powerhouse. These road dogs have tirelessly toured coast-to-coast taking their music to the people. Between the road and the studio, BALLYHOO! have crafted a sound distinctly their own; fresh, fun, and embodied by the soul of the party lifestyle. Lead singer and guitarist, Howi Spangler, has a reputation for mixing slick lyrics with his smooth but powerful voice. Drummer Donald “Big D” Spangler lays out the hard-hitting beats, which are underlined by JR Gregory’s funky and witty bass lines. Scott Vandrey (aka DJ Blaze) rounds it out on the turntables and keys.

BALLYHOO!’s unique sound, hardcore devotion to the road and their fans has pitched them into snowballing success. The band has performed with a myriad of national touring acts; 311, Slightly Stoopid, SOJA, The Dirty Heads, Matisyahu, and more. In 2011, after concluding the Last Calls and Liabilities tour with respected contemporaries, Pepper, they were honored with being included on the ever-popular Hollister Holiday Playlist. They were listed on MTV’s Top 100 Bands to Watch and even featured 2 downloadable songs on the popular video game ROCK BAND. Tour highlights include the 2011 311 Pow Wow Festival, the 2012 311 Caribbean Cruise, Bamboozle 2012, & the entire 2012 Vans Warped Tour.

The band’s last single “Last Night” saw rotation at various alternative radio stations including WHFS Baltimore, WRFF Philadelphia, KUKQ Phoenix, Star 101.9 Honolulu, & SiriusXM/Faction, as well as various specialty shows around the country. The band’s new single “Walk Away” is next and poised to open even more doors at radio with it’s melodic chorus and sing along vibe. Yesod Williams, owner of the band’s label LAW Records says of his newest addition, “Having BALLYHOO! join the LAW family is a perfect fit. They are an incredibly talented band with a really catchy style”.

 

BANG TANGO

AURAPHONE

AUSTIN

Austin Lucas

AUSTIN LUCAS

Raised in the backwoods of Monroe County, Indiana, Austin Lucas was born into a folk and bluegrass lineage. Learning to harmonize before learning to read, Lucas honed his vocal control early as a member of the nationally-acclaimed Indiana University Children’s Choir. In a narrative as well-worn as it is true, Lucas rebelled against his upbringing, leaving his Americana roots for the catharsis of punk rock. After the better part of a decade spent criss-crossing the globe with a series of bands in broken-down vans, living in the Czech Republic from 2003 and returning back to the USA in 2008. Lucas hit a musical glass-ceiling, eventually finding respite for his ringing ears in the delicacy of traditional song craft. Taking his music in the direction the Americana Roots and traditional country genre. Singing with the conviction of a preacher bereft of his faith, Lucas tackles recurrent themes of the soul, sin as personal purgatory, and the possibility of finding redemption in this life. The fallacies of man take center stage as the righteous false prophet is denounced as a “hollow vessel with unsteady hands.” Turning the harsh light of hindsight on himself, Lucas addresses the hard lessons learned in the passing of youth, ruminating on the failures and missed opportunities, pledging, “If there’s a light shining/ Point the way there/ A straight way of walking/ I’ll be like an arrow.”

Following his solo debut, The Common Cold (2006), Lucas has steadily built upon his recorded output, releasing Putting The Hammer Down (2007), the Bristle Ridge (2008) collaboration with Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music, and Somebody Loves You (2009), which debuted at #7 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart, A New Home In The Old World (2011) and after signing with New West Records, Stay Reckless(2013). Lucas has consistently evolved and grown as a musician and songwriter, resting on no laurels and developing the songs’ framework further with each successive album.

Having raised his profile on the road touring with Willie Nelson and Jamey Johnson on the Country Throwdown tour, SXSW and MNFW. He has also extensively toured with Dawes, Langhorne Slim, William Elliot Whitmore, Joe Pug, Scott H. Biram, Cory Branan, John Moreland and Drag The River. Lucas has also bolstered his loyal grassroots following with appearances at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Canada’s Sled Island Festival, Florida’s Harvest of Hope. Folk music is for the common folk, and Lucas delivers, often ending his shows playing on the floor amidst the crowd. Lucas has also toured extensively throughout Australia and Europe building his fan base with each passing show and new audience. Lucas is about to embark on a east coast tour and then later in 2015 he will be back in Europe.

AUSTIN LUCAS & BOB LUCAS

Authority Zero

AUTHORITY ZERO

Since ’94 Authority Zero has brought their unique signature blend of anthemic melodic-punk and reggae to the masses. A lot has changed in the 20 plus years since the band got their start and they’ve found a way to persist and thrive in today’s ever-changing music world. “It’s been a long trek,” says Jason Devore (singer and longest running member of the band) as he recollected on the band’s past. The band was formed in the mid 90’s in Mesa, AZ by a group of high school friends with ample ambition but no lofty expectations. After a few years, they refined and established their sound: a mix of SoCal punk with reggae and ska tendencies. With the release of their debut album A Passage in Time (2002, Lava Records), the band’s career gained momentum quickly and they’ve since spent their fair share of time on the road, having toured extensively with such acts as Pennywise, Sum 41, Flogging Molly and many more. In recent years Authority Zero has gained momentum internationally, spending time on the European festival circuit as well as stints in Japan, Australia and even Russia. They’ve released a total of 5 full length studio albums (most having seen spots on Billboard’s Heatseekers Chart), and their music has been featured in numerous video games, tv shows and movie soundtracks throughout the years. The band’s many successes have been accompanied by a few bumps in the road (as to be expected for any group that’s been around over two decades) including a slew of line-up changes, music industry letdowns, and most recently having their van, trailer and equipment stolen while on tour in Texas. Their secret to the longevity is simple: keep it pure and believe in your music.

Now, 23 years since the band’s inception, the future remains as bright as ever for Authority Zero, consisting of singer Jason DeVore, bassist Mike Spero, guitarist Dan Aid and drummer Chris Dalley (also in Pulley and Implants). Eager to move forward, the inspired new line-up started working on a batch of songs that will become the band’s sixth full-length record. “We’d gone through a couple members during the writing process the last few years, so we’ve kind of written this record twice. We had about 12 or 13 songs put together, a couple of the guys took off and we kind of had to start from scratch with what we did have from songs I had or Mike [Spero, bassist] had written, and build off of that,” says DeVore. They did their homework before rushing in to record the new tunes. “We really did honestly have more pre-production and a grasp on what the songs were going to sound like before we went in [to the studio] in a long time. This time things were really well put together,” says DeVore.

The band entered Fort Collins, Colorado’s legendary The Blasting Room Studio (Rise Against, Descendents, NOFX) in December of 2016 to start work on yet-to-be-named new album with producer/iconic punk drummer Bill Stevenson (of Black Flag/Descendents fame) at the helm. The process was unique: the whole Blasting room team (Stevenson, Andrew Berlin and Jason Livermore) worked on the record cooperatively, resulting in a highly efficient synergy they’ve developed though years of refinement. DeVore describes the process: “It was really cool. It was like a one stop shop where they are consistently working on the record in 5 different rooms. When one piece is done with the drums, it moves on to editing. While that’s happening you are working on the bass guitar or the guitars and getting all those tracks done with Andrew. It just keeps on moving around and around in a big circle to keep the process moving. They’ve got their formula and it’s works really well.” The band also stayed at the studio for the three and a half weeks during these marathon recording sessions. DeVore fondly reminisced on the process: “It became like the bat-cave ’cause you didn’t really know what day it was, or what time it was or anything ’cause you’d go out in the morning first thing and the next time you went out it was dark again. It was cool in that regard but it also messed with your head a lot. It was a brilliant process; we had such a good time out there. Bill would be there tracking vocals with me for 13 hours straight and he’d stick around and drink beers with me after in the kitchen and just tell stories, ya know? It was pretty cool, man … and a different experience than I’ve ever had.” Stevenson enjoyed working with the band as well: “Authority Zero proved to be a perfect fit with The Blasting Room. They showed up with great songs and we had the very best of times hanging out together — and just as much fun sharing our creative perspectives during the arrangement and recording process, all of which resulted in a really cool record.”

DeVore describes the direction of the new material: “It’s really going to be an exciting album. It’s a combination I think of The Tipping Point [released in 2013] meets the first album A Passage in Time. It’s really taking a step back to take a step forward — in the sense that you get a little more of what you feel like a lot of the kids that have been around for a long time have been missing out on a little bit, I think. There’s also some stuff on there that some people won’t have heard before I think as well … they’ll be like ‘that’s what band again?’ There’s a couple of surprises on there too that might throw people back a little bit — but in an exciting way. I’m pretty excited man. We’ve done about 15 tracks and we’re debating if we are going to use all 15 or hold off on a couple for bonus tracks.” The band shared an advance mix of the new record with longtime friend Jim Lindberg (singer of Pennywise) who liked what he heard: “Authority Zero are a great American band. They bring it every night they play and on every album, and this one is no different. It’s melodic hardcore at it’s best. Authority Zero bring it. Always.”

The new album will be released via Jacksonville, Florida’s Bird Attack Records, who is quickly developing an extensive roster of both up-and-coming and established acts in the skate/melodic punk genre — a perfect fit for Authority Zero. “I talked to [Bird Attack] a little bit at Music for Cancer in northeast Canada, they had some stuff going on there. Our biggest conversation was really out in Europe. We did some interview stuff with them and spoke a bit about the possibility of working together. As time went on and as the record started coming together, they stayed in contact and seemed somewhat more adamant than any other options that were coming about. They were excited to work with us as a band, and to me that’s the main thing you want to hear from anyone who’s a label these days — that they’re actually excited to put out the record and and care about it as much as you do. They showed a real desire to help us out, do the best they can with the record as far as the push goes, and get it out to the most people they can. That was a real exciting thing and it was always a thing we turned back to,” says Devore.

Authority Zero and Bird Attack are aiming for a summer 2017 release for the upcoming album that will be shortly followed by a full US tour, the first for the band in a while. Subsequent international touring is being planned as well to support the new album for Europe, Japan and possibly South Africa. DeVore is looking forward to it all: “It’s hard to say what’s going to happen or come up but hopefully all sorts of fun things.”