Long time musician/producer Shlomi Lavie is going solo under the moniker, Van Goose. Yet another left turn in a career built on complete 180s creatively.
Echoing the early days of DFA, the propulsive no-wave and post-punk of 99 Records, and the iconic 12-inches of West End, songs like “Mike Myers,” “Right Wave” and “On My Hand” sound like they were beamed from an old-school disco in outer space.
Started in 2003 as “Gods of Gore” The band initially failed to establish any sense of direction following the separation and months of inactivity the band was re-formed under a new name of “Asphyxiator” and since that time the band had been through an almost unknown amount of member changes that has ultimately delayed the release the first full length album for about 8+ years. Various low quality demos were recorded but never released. Throughout the years the band had at best played a handful of one-off shows and fests with different session members. Fast forward to 2014 where now the band has now established a solid permanent lineup and lots of progress is being made on the writing of new material which will see release in the Spring of 2015 with the title “Inhaling Fluids of Thoracentesis” Shows are also starting to become a little more frequent again having already shared the stage with the likes: Devourment, Gorgasm, Unmerciful, Incinerate, Corpsefucking Art, and many others.
Situated in Rome and comprised of members from Aborted, Hideous Divinity sound is firmly grounded in the old-school yet possesses technical elements, coupled with a touch of blackened atmosphere.
BENIGHTED deliver the radical soundtrack to these savage times. With their new full-length ‘Necrobreed’, the French sidestep the steadily growing complexity of their previous albums ‘Asylum Cave’ (2011) and ‘Carnivore Sublime’ (2014) by recalibrating their sound along their roots. ‘Necrobreed’ is the result of modern violence combined with an undercurrent of old school feeling. BENIGHTED keep their grinding influences but classic death metal clearly shows through the fabric. Those insane pig squeals are backed-up by massive growling. Crushing riffing and nuclear drumming meet subtle melodies and hidden hooks are fueling the fury. BENIGHTED were spawned by members from French Death and Black metal bands DISHUMANIZED, DARKNESS FIRE, and OSGILIATH, who joined forces in 1998 for a more brutal, heavy and modern way of expression. When their first self-produced and self-titled full-length hit the streets in 2000, it immediately had a strong impact. This turned a side-project into a main act. A fast-growing fan base was built by a string of acclaimed albums: ‘Psychose’ (2002), ‘Insane Cephalic Production’ (2004), ‘Identisick’ (2006), and ‘Icon’ (2007) were all enthusiastically received. On the live front, BENIGHTED quickly started to capture audiences with sweat driver performances that bulldozer any resistance mercilessly aside. This allowed the French to climb up the ladder fast and soon came invitations to all major European festivals including Neurotic Death Fest, Hellfest, Wacken, Brutal Assault, Summer Breeze, and Inferno Festival among many more. BENIGHTED recorded ‘Necrobreed’ once again in Germany’s Kohlekeller Studio in continuation of a very successful relationship. The other constant with these brutal death addicts is an album concept that comes based on a theme revolving around the abysmal potential of the human psyche. This time vocalist (and caretaker in a mental asylum) Julien Truchan penned lyrics dealing with a man, who is stitching dead animals to his abdomen. On feeling the warmth of his infected flesh, the schizophrenic “gives birth” to the carcass and places it in his house as the result of a severe childhood trauma involving a dead cat. ‘Necrobreed’ gives an extreme musical voice to the madness lurking within. Let your mind be shaken by BENIGHTED. In case of side effects, please see a doctor.
Formed in 1992, Cryptopsy has released eight full-lengths—counting As Gomorrah Burns—to date. Out of the gate, the Quebecers set new standards in death metal with their no-compromise attack and next-level musicality. Debut album, Blasphemy Made Flesh, shell-shocked all that encountered it, as follow-ups None So Vile, Whisper Supremacy (1998), and Once Was Not (2005) positioned the Canadians as apex predators. Throughout their storied career, the group embarked on high-profile tours, such as the inaugural Death Across America tour in 1998, the Summer Slaughter Tour in 2008, and the Devastation on the Nation tour in 2017. To date, they’ve performed over 1,000 shows across 47 countries. The release of As Gomorrah Burns on Nuclear Blast re-positions Cryptopsy for yet another reign of death metal domination.
Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. It was founded by actors Jack Blackand Kyle Gass, who were part of The Actors’ Gang theatre company at the time. The duo’s name is derived from “tenacious defense” – a phrase used by NBA basketball sportscaster Marv Albert.
Prior to the release of Tenacious D’s 2001 debut album Tenacious D, the duo had a three-episode TV series released on HBO, with the episodes broadcasting between 1997 and 2000. These episodes came about after the band had met David Cross and Bob Odenkirk on the Los Angeles music scene—and Black featuring in episodes of Mr. Show with Bob and David. The band also befriended former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, and this would begin a working relationship between Foo Fighters and Tenacious D. Towards the end of the 1990s, the duo would go on to support large rock acts – such as Pearl Jam, Tool and Beck.
Performed by Katie Andrick’s 90’s Cavalcade
The Wistful Larks are an alternative rock band created in the basements of the Chicago suburbs. The band was crafted from the remnants of the punk rock band Americana, started by high school friends Cody Varga and Tony Aguilar and longtime friend Steve-o Gonzalez.
The band is influenced by modern and vintage counter culture. Combining punk, indie, heartland rock, the darker days of 60s rock, love, hate, and the emotion between, the band wants to paint a vivid story with their unique sound. Trying to build a band with those ideas in mind within the Chicago suburbs, (an area dominated by metal and electronic) proved to be a struggle. The band poured everything they had into writing, practicing, planning, and put every last dime into buying a van to travel. After their first successful DIY tour they were offered a chance to play out west. In early 2017 the band packed up and headed west for 3 weeks hitting SXSW, San Diego, LA, and Las Vegas, among many others.
They have since gone on to be nominated as semi-finalists in the Unsigned Artist Competition and finalists in the 2017 International Songwriting Competition. The Wistful Larks are currently releasing their debut record Broke & Hearts through Takeover Records and with that have a unique sound and voice that demands to be heard.
Power trio for fans of crunchy riffs, snarling bass, pounding drums, and gruff singing mixed with searing falsettos.
Inspired by the rhythms and melodies of flamenco, jazz, classical, rock and the Balkan region, this performance features the unrivaled guitar artistry of two of the finest players of their respective generations. Their music is carefully balanced between blazing virtuosity and sheer beauty.
Goran Ivanovic and Fareed Haque recorded two CDs together, Macedonian Blues and 7 Boats, to great critical acclaim, even getting the nod as top best acoustic guitar albums 2004 from acoustic guitar magazine. Both have both been so busy that they have not been able to play again together for years.
Michael Johnson is a Chicago based stand up comedian, writer, drinker and has lived in the city his entire life. Known as the punk rock comic he has produced many different shows throughout Chicago, most notably “The Open Heckle Mic.” You can find him either at a bar performing comedy, rock club producing comedy, or at a dive bar drinking. TRIPLE THREAT!
Closer to Home is Grand Funk Railroad’s third studio album and was released on June 15, 1970 by Capitol Records. It was produced by Terry Knight. This album reached RIAA gold record status in 1970, making it the group’s third gold record in one year. The songs “Sin’s a Good Man’s Brother” and “Aimless Lady” were later covered by South African group Suck. “Sin’s a Good Man’s Brother” was also covered by the band Monster Magnet on their first full-length album Spine of God (1991), by former Dokken guitarist George Lynch on his 2004 covers album “Furious George”, and by Gov’t Mule on their album The Deep End, Volume 1 (2001). The album’s inside artwork shows a live photo of the band performing at Madison Square Garden in February 1970.
Performed by Captain & Crew
Smash Hits is a compilation album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Track Records first issued it on April 12, 1968, in the UK and included all four of the group’s singles (eight “sides”) released up to that time, plus four additional songs from the UK edition of Are You Experienced.
Reprise Records did not issue the album in the US until July 30, 1969, and it included some different tracks. It included two songs from Electric Ladyland and a stereo version of “Red House” from a different session than the original mono take found on the UK version of Are You Experienced.
Smash Hits has been reissued several times on CD, including one paring in 1999 with the Live at Woodstock DVD by MCA Records.
Performed by The Jimi Project
Fuzzlove was formed unexpectedly by strangers who had one thing in common: a passion for playing music. Now, great friends, these five young musicians from very diverse backgrounds soulfully blend together their different influences of funk, jazz and rock; creating a fresh, unique sound.
Ohio Heavy since 1999
Horehound had become a Pittsburgh, PA hometown heavy underground favorite quite soon after forming in early 2015, performing with both local legends and well-known touring acts. In one year, Horehound released their self-titled debut album (both digital and CD) in April 2016, via Blackseed Records. The album immediately coiled around the heavy music media world, appearing for two consecutive months on the Doom Charts collaborative, and cemented their standing as more than just local favorites.
Recently Horehound has engaged that debut album for a 2018 re-release with Hellmistress Records, the new East Coast label of veteran Melanie Streko (All That Is Heavy, Meteor City Records). The re-release is anticipated in early spring and will be re-mixed/mastered for both CD and vinyl pressing, including a bonus cover song, Mysterons originally written and performed by Portishead.
Fans have described Horehound as, “fucking heavy, doomy, catchy, and downright amazing.” Horehound would not disagree, citing their inspirations as Kyuss, (the) Melvins, and Alice in Chains, but you can hear a heavier sludge inspiration dwelling in the grinding guitar, haze-laden bass, bruising drums, and ethereally demanding vocals.
Horehound has made it quite evident in recent performances that their current lineup – including founding members Shy Kennedy (vocals) and Brendan Parrish (guitar) – have found their true sound with drummer JD Dauer and bassist Nick Kopco. The quartet is fiercer and impassioned to demonstrate it in sharing their next recording, currently being mixed and mastered for a 2018 release. The six track, Holocene, maintains the original Horehound-heavy, but has driven into deeper depths of dark, hardened post-doom metal. More information on the release and the band to come.
What’s Going On is the eleventh studio album by soul musician Marvin Gaye, released May 21, 1971, on the Motown-subsidiary label Tamla Records. Recording sessions took place in June 1970 and March–May 1971 at Hitsville U.S.A., Golden World and United Sound Studios in Detroitand at The Sound Factory in West Hollywood, California. What’s Going On was the first Marvin Gaye album for which Gaye is credited as producer and Motown Records’ main studio band, the session musicians known as the Funk Brothers, received a credit.
What’s Going On is a concept album consisting of nine songs, most of which segue into the next. It has been categorized as a song cycle; the album ends with a reprise of the album’s opening theme. The story is told from the point of view of a Vietnam veteran returning to the country he had been fighting for, and seeing only hatred, suffering, and injustice. Gaye’s introspective lyrics discuss themes of drug abuse, poverty, and the Vietnam War. He has also been credited with promoting awareness of global warming before the public outcry against it had become prominent.
What’s Going On was an immediate success, both commercially and critically. Having endured as a classic of 1970s soul, a deluxe edition set was released on February 27, 2001, and featured a recording of a May 1972 concert shot at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center. Worldwide surveys of critics, musicians, and the general public have shown that What’s Going On is regarded as one of the landmark recordings in pop music history, and one of the greatest albums of the 20th century. The album was ranked number six both on Rolling Stone’s 2003 list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”, and in the magazine’s update nine years later.
Mardi Gras Party- Professor Longhair, Dr. John, Dixieland Jam! With Special Guests
As Iron Maiden was to England and Metallica was to San Francisco, Culprit was to Seattle. For a generation that grew up on Kiss, Rush, and Ted Nugent, Culprit proved that Seattle and the Northwest could rock with the best. Inspired by Culprit, thousands went on to form bands. Others who were in awe of the musicianship and popularity were inspired to try other styles of rock or metal music. In part, you can thank Culprit for their influence on Sound Garden, Pearl Jam, Mud Honey, Alice-In-Chains, Queensryche, and even Nirvana.
The interaction and energy between Culprit and their fans is pure magic. With an army of head bangers in front of them, Culprit dominated stages in a way the Northwest had never seen before.
Featuring John DeVol and Kjartan Kristoffersen with a twin guitar attack, crisscrossing the stage like charging animals; Scott Earl, an “in your face” bass player, flying through the air while scissor kicking or at the front edge of the stage, teetering on monitors; Bud Burrill, a powerhouse drummer, towering over the stage, keeping it all together while being totally locked in with Scott; and, Jeff L’Heureux, a vocalist like no other, overseeing it all with his intense voice and great sense of humor.
Culprit delivered what people craved: intense high-energy metal in a British sounding vein, complete with cascading duo-guitar runs, split second time changes, staggeringly complex rhythms and piercing vocals that adds uniqueness to the band’s overall sound. Enjoy the taste of energy and insanity that is Culprit!
-Brett Hartman-
RAMIT is a power/speed/heavy metal band.
Members:
Lead Vocals: Davito
Guitar: Mike
Guitar: Gus
Bass: Pat
Drums: Rango
Chicago-based experimental pop.
The Chicagoan behind Wooden Rings, Ramah Jihan, is a fierce songwriter and experienced bandleader with an impressive magazine of broken-hearted love songs set into a lush fusion of acoustic folk and rock.
Two Trouser Betty is a Chicago based indie alt rock band playing original tunes.
FRANKIE is an amazing artist with an electrifying soulful sound; and captivating vocal abilities. A Chicago born native, with a hint of Florida living and sun-rays; FRANKIE displays a diverse array of music from Spanish, Reggae, and Country, that which embodies her upbringing.
Tower of Power is the third album release for the Oakland-based band, Tower of Power. This is their most successful album to date, which was released in May 1973.
The album peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Top LPs chart in 1973 and received a gold record award for sales in excess of 500,000. The album spawned their most successful single, “So Very Hard to Go”. The single peaked at No. 17 during the week of July 28, 1973 on the Billboard Hot 100. Two other singles from the album also charted on the Billboard Hot 100: “This Time It’s Real” and “What Is Hip?”. It marked the debut of Lenny Williams being the lead vocalist (though Williams had a solo career prior to joining T.O.P., plus he co-penned the song “You Strike My Main Nerve” from the previous album Bump City). Tower of Power was also the first Tower of Power album to feature future Saturday Night Live band leader Lenny Pickett, who was the youngest member of the band at the time, replacing original lead sax player Skip Mesquite. Also joining the lineup were organist/keyboardist Chester Thompson and guitarist Bruce Conte, who replaced original guitarist Willie James Fulton.
Performed by The Alliance and Friends
While the road, she calls Home, the Wonk hails from KY & The Highlife, from Cincinnati. Though, despite where they call ‘home’, all members are vagabonds and misfits in their own regard.
The Wonk has been playing tunes ever since Miami band, The Curious Hair, deemed her the ‘Wonk’ of her high school project, The Wonky Donkeys after finding them on this thing called ‘Myspace.’
Wonky Tonk has played with folks like Langhorne Slim, Jessica Lea Mayfield and Billy Prine; in America, toured with a Danish Eukele band through Europe and now, sometimes solo, in a little van named Loretta.
In 2017 Wonky Tonk was joined by a bodacious group of musicians who require ‘practice juice’ to create sweet, sweet music. They are The Highlife and they are handsome and kick ass.
2018 is the Year of the Wonk.
Growing up in Iowa, Jacob first learned of traditional music from his mother, a native of Kentucky who played the banjo in the old style. It was from this heritage that he became interested in the music of the Isles and the music and songs that were brought here and flourished in Appalachia.
Jacob has toured as a solo artist for a decade, first as a singer songwriter before becoming a documentarian and singer of old songs. His work has been to preserve this heritage of music. He has performed with the likes of Dom Flemons, JD Wilkes, Sarah Wood, Mike Oberst and Matt Kinman. His instrument repertoire includes banjo, fiddle, guitar, whistle and bohdran and he is ever working to expand upon that list.
Currently he plays in the English Folk duo Sweet William with ballad singer Eileen O’Connor.
Jacob currently resides in Kentucky.
The Upside is a funk & soul cover band, specializing in well known songs of James Brown, Gil Scott Heron, Parliament & Sly Stone to songs not so well known sampled in 90’s hip-hop. Members are Greg Firak (Mano) on guitar, Asif Wilson (Genome) on keys, Patrick Dinnen (This Must Be The Band) on bass, Sam Sharp (J Davis Trio) on drums & fronted by Jimmy Cobb (Snake Oil Salesman) on vocals.
The FunkeeJBeez is a Clyde Stubblefield tribute band based out of Madison, Wisconsin and led by musical director and Grammy nominated drummer Joey B. Banks. The band plays a monthly “Funky Friday” happy hour show at Madison’s High Noon Saloon and features an All Star Band of local, regional and nationally known musicians. The band performs all of Clyde Stubblefield’s hits with James Brown, The JB’s and songs from “The Original” and “Revenge of the Funky Drummer” albums. The band also performs some of Clyde’s favorite Funk standards. The band will be performing tribute shows all over the Midwest region and will be working to keep Clyde’s “Funky Drummer” legacy alive for years to come. Spreading “Peace and Love” through the music and beats of Clyde Stubblefield.
SPELL have renounced their minds and bodies to the sickness of Rock ‘n Roll to subvert the dogmatic values of an absurd society.
SPELL perform desperately, struggling to breathe value into a meaningless existence.
Lucifer is a multinational Heavy Rock band from Stockholm. Founded in 2014 in Berlin by The Oath front woman Johanna Sadonis, the group first consisted of Cathedral, Angel Witch and Ladytron members. The first 7” Single ‘Anubis’ and debut album ‘Lucifer I’, penned by Sadonis and Cathedral’s Garry Jennings and released by British label Rise Above Records, brought Lucifer international recognition. The band completed their line-up with Swede Robin Tidebrink from the band Saturn on second lead guitar. Lucifer has been touring the world including Europe, USA, Canada and Japan.
Lucifer’s is defined by their very heavy 1970s Hard Rock sound spiced with a good dose of Proto Heavy Metal and Doom Rock. Main influences are groups such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Blue Öyster Cult, Lucifer’s Friend, Steppenwolf, 70’s Heart and Fleetwood Mac.
With a shift of constellation within the band in 2016 and Johanna Sadonis’ move from Berlin to Stockholm, Lucifer were ready for chapter two. In Nicke Andersson, notable for his groups The Hellacopters, Entombed, Imperial State Electric, Death Breath among others, Sadonis found a new renowned writing partner. Together they wrote Lucifer’s second album ‘Lucifer II’ and produced it at Nicke’s studio The Honk Palace in Stockholm in the summer of 2017. The album was mixed by Swedish producer Ola Ersfjord at Cuervo Recording Services in Madrid.
With the critically acclaimed release of their long awaited second album ‘Lucifer II’ on Century Media on July 6th 2018 and the videos for their new singles ‘California Son’ and ‘Dreamer’, Lucifer is facing a new grand chapter. The album immediately jolted into the Swedish, German, British and American charts and received outstanding worldwide attention.
This year Lucifer played a number of international festivals like The KISS Kruise, Psycho Las Vegas, Hellfest, Desertfest, the long standing German cult TV program Rockapalast to name but a few and embarked on many European dates. Lucifer is now planning to return to Japan and the USA again this winter. With freshly recruited lead guitar players Martin Nordin and Linus Björklund, and the Austrian Alexander Mayr on bass, the band is ready to climb Mount Olympus of Rock.
THE SECOND COMING STARTS NOW.
Lucifer Line-Up:
Johanna Sadonis (vocals)
Nicke Andersson (drums)
Linus Björklund (guitar)
Martin Nordin (guitar)
Alexander Mayr (bass)
Daniel Wade is a singing, songwriting, guitar-playing dude. His first set of solo-artist songs are spread out across four EPs: Hyperconnector, Stronger Machines, Rising Moon Anxiety and One For The Void. Wade’s music is a burst of rock and roll sunshine that simultaneously feel fresh and familiar.
A Chicago resident, Wade also performs with Ryan Powers and The Secret Weapons, Treaty of Paris, and Michael Chorvat. He two jobs, drinks too much coffee, walks fast, and likes to bring up that one time he opened for Butch Walker or that time his band opened for Jack’s Mannequin. Daniel Wade wants his songs to remind you why you fell in love with rock music in the first place.
Cousin Simple 2017 instaband winner! Thoughtful songwriting and catchy lyrics with a mesmerizing, high-energy stage presence.
TYPICALLY, WHEN ONE THINKS OF A “VICTIM,” THEY THINK OF SOMEONE SUBJECTED TO A HEINOUS CRIME OR MARKED INJUSTICE. HOWEVER—TO A POINT—WE’RE ALL VICTIMS; VICTIMS TO OUR OWN ACTIONS AND THEIR REPERCUSSIONS. VICTIMS TO OUR THOUGHTS AND THE INSTINCTS THAT DRIVE OUR BRAIN—THAT DOUBLE EDGED FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE THAT CAN TAKE OUR OWN CATECHOLAMINES AND NEUROCHEMICAL IMBALANCES AND TURN THEM AGAINST US. THAT TYPE OF VICTIM IS THE SORT THAT SERVES AS THE NAMESAKE FOR ILLINOIS-BASED METALCORE ACT, VCTMS. BORN AT THE TURN OF THE DECADE, THE GROUP HAVE EARNED A REPUTATION FOR THEIR NU-METAL, HARDCORE AND HIP-HOP INFUSED STYLE OF METALCORE AND CONTAGIOUSLY CATCHY YET DEVASTATINGLY DEPRESSIVE WALLOP THAT IT PACKS.
VCTMS HAVE BECOME AN INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN POWERHOUSE IN THE METAL UNDERGROUND. EVOLVING THEIR SOUND WITH A RENEWED FOCUS ON INCORPORATING ENERGETIC AND FRENETIC NU-METAL INFLUENCE AND STARTING THE WRITING PROCESS FOR THEIR DEBUT FULL-LENGTH ALBUM, VOL II: INSIDE THE MIND—WHICH WAS RELEASED IN MARCH OF 2017 TO CRITICAL ACCLAIM. SINCE THE RELEASE OF VOL II, VCTMS HAVE REFUSED TO SLOW DOWN IN THE SLIGHTEST. TOURING ALONGSIDE TRAITORS, FILTH, AND FALSIFIER WHILE ALSO SERVING AS LOCAL SUPPORT FOR BANDS FROM VEIL OF MAYA AND EMMURE TO PEIRCE THE VEIL, VCTMS DOES EVERYTHING WITH THE UTMOST INTENSITY—AN INTENSITY REFLECTED IN THEIR NEWEST FULL-LENGTH RECORD, VOL III: HALFWAY HAPPY, AND IS SURE TO MANIFEST IN VOLUME IV, WRITING FOR WHICH IS ALREADY UNDERWAY.
SINCE THEIR INCEPTION, VCTMS HAVE TAKEN OVER THE EARS AND HEARTS OF HEAVY MUSIC LOVERS WITH CATCHY GROOVES, CRUSHING BREAKDOWNS, EMOTIONAL, HONEST AND RELATABLE LYRICS PAIRED WITH OVERWHELMINGLY POPULAR, UNIQUE MERCHANDISE AND A WORK ETHIC YET TO BE MATCHED. VCTMS ARE A BAND BENT ON IMPROVING THEMSELVES AND THEIR SOUND WITH EACH RELEASE AND SIMPLY CANNOT BE STOPPED.
NO LABEL, NO BOOKING, AND NO MANAGEMENT, THE D.I.Y GROUP’S NEWEST RELEASE VOL III HALFWAY HAPPY CHARTED ON BILLBOARD FOR THE WEEK OF SEP 15TH, 2018, BAD LUCK SEASON IS HERE BELIEVE IT.
#25 HEATSEEKERS || #22 HARD ROCK ALBUM SALES
El Hitta’s debut mixtape “Owe Nobody Nothin” is out now!! Listen here: https://hitta.lnk.to/OweNobodyNothin
Melodic, heavy, emotion fueled metal band from Chicago, Illinois
Chase was the debut album by jazz-rock fusion band Chase.
Bill Chase was already a well-established lead trumpet player when he decided to form his own band. He recruited three other veteran trumpet players and vocalist Terry Richards, backed them with a rock rhythm section, and created a band which merged both jazz and rock styles. The album was recorded in Chicago in November and early December 1970 and released in April 1971.
The album will be performed by Fred Cantu And the Big Brass Chasers
Gore/grind band from Illinois. Established in 1993
Anna P is a singer-songwriter from Chicago, IL. Her metaphoric lyrics, haunting melodies, and crystal-clear voice have propelled her to capture the attention of the local music scene and land gigs at legendary Chicago performance venues such as Cubby Bear, Navy Pier, and House of Blues’ Foundation Room.
Her new EP ‘I Was an Iceberg’ is a chronicle through a mental breakdown following a heartbreak. The painfully honest lyrics of songs like “Hesitate” and “Waves” paint a scenery of the inner struggles of mental health
While attending Alabama A&M University a couple of students with like minds happened by chance to run into each other. Logically, creativity attracts one another and such was the case of the band. Initially it began as a vent for singer Yumii and an classmate Sean P after an art history class. While coming up poems and melodies it has slowly evolved into a musical sobbing orgasm.
Chicago’s newest teen pop sensation
Garage rock’n’roll band from Tokyo, Japan.
Garage post-punk
Three piece instrumental band from Chicago.
Singer + Songwriter+Artist
CRUZ, DEANS & JONES
What a punk rock band would sound like if we grew up during the Happy Days.
Proggy-Jazzy-Grungy-Funky-Tasty good music born from a heaping pile of industrial beauty called Chicago, IL. It’s a band.
Enemy Of Creation started in 2017 as 4 guys in a Michigan basement, out to create heavy metallic hardcore music. In 2018 they relocated to a dingy Indiana basement and found the singer they had been looking for to complete the band. They soon finished writing their debut EP and proceeded to record it in April/May of 2018. Now they are ready to take on the world…one town at a time.
music band for people
Rock n’ roll is a tired old friend, limping along with a weak knee. With the grandparents still touring, the parents reforming and the adolescents swimming in a pool of mediocrity, its essence seems to have lost its way. Thanks then, for the arrival of Huttch, the ambitious rock trio from Windsor Ontario. Weaned on 70’s grooves, Sebastian, Robbie and Zack manage to reference the past, while giving a nod to the future. The infectious rock boogie, mixed with classic rock and slow jams, makes the perfect formula. This is authenticity at it’s best. Seeing these guys live is an entirely different matter. Their fervent energy is palpable and they won’t let you go, until they are sure you have had enough. And it is never enough. You will leave a Huttch show with a carefree swagger you didn’t know you had. And don’t be surprised if you start air drumming for no particular reason
Sam – Drums
Tim – Bass
Todd – Guitar
KIN are a new three piece ambient indie rock band from London, England. Grace, Ritu and Adam combine reverb drenched synths, catchy guitar riffs, pop lyrics and epic beats. If you like Warpaint, Wild Beasts, Blouse or Austra then you’ll love KIN.
Moon Mouth is a ghostly new duo comprised of Mariel Fechik of Fay Ray and Emily Blue. We’re recording our debut EP.
Schenay Mosley is a musician/singer/songwriter/producer based in Chicago, IL. She moved to Chicago to pursue her education and dreams in music. In 2015 Schenay graduated with a degree in Business and Entrepreneurship at Columbia College with a concentration in music business. With a new focus on her solo career, she then started to sing backup and play for Chicago’s emerging talent including, Adam Ness and currently sings background for Smino. She’s performed on national tours and festivals including SZA’s CTRL tour, Pitchfork, Lollapalooza, Afropunk and many more.
The future of British metal lies in safe hands with CONJURER, who continue their journey as the country’s most exciting young metal band with their incredible new album Páthos (Nuclear Blast).
A triumphant return from CONJURER following their world-renowned 2018 debut Mire, Páthos is a band flexing their creative muscles, deepening their approach and thought, and expanding their sound.
Opener ‘It Dwells’ is the perfect introduction – earth-shatteringly heavy, unconventional, uniquely beautiful, and instantly recognisable as CONJURER. The track is centred on the contradictions of the emotion of ‘fear’ – that fear can be comfortable and constant, haunting and crushing. It builds to a point of breaking – the need to end fear battling against your will to go on. The repeated screams ‘I’ll have peace’ are an ambivalent declaration of defiance – give in, or fight, either way fear is gone.
Track two ‘Rot’ continues this theme – a lumbering monster of a song, it’s a conversation between a person’s sense of self and their anxieties. As the song progresses both perspectives unify – the ‘I’ becoming ‘we’, the two halves becoming one. It’s a tortured, battered listening experience, and a blistering reminder of why the young band have become so praised so quickly.
Páthos is not an album for the half-hearted or faint-hearted. Elements of Sumac, Gojira, old Mastodon and Sumac, the new record is a multi-layered beast – sludge, death, doom, black metal and hardcore influences clash and collide throughout, all masterfully finished by Will Putney’s exquisite production.
The fifty-minute runtime of Páthos is not without it’s moments of the sublime. Post-metal nods to CONJURER and PIJN’s acclaimed Curse These Metal Hands project are heard throughout, most notably in track three, ‘All You Will Remember’, and the mighty, philosophical closer ‘Cracks In The Pyre’.
An suitably open-ended climax, Páthos ends with an expansive look at loss and the afterlife. That a band can be at once so triumphantly beautiful and gut-punchingly heavy is testament to CONJURER’s quality, and a surefire sign of their future longevity at the top of Britain’s heavy music scene.
CONJURER’s debut full-length Mire (2018) was released to a storm of attention from across the metal world, garnering significant acclaim from Metal Hammer UK, Kerrang!, BBC R1, Visions Mag (DE), MetalSucks, Metal Injection, Loudwire and many more. Recipients of award nominations (Kerrang!, Heavy Music Awards, Metal Hammer’s Golden Gods) and countless albums of the year lists, Mire is a stunning listen, capturing the attitude of a young band who already know exactly who they are.
Hailed as one of the metal world’s most devastating, thrilling experiences, CONJURER are a band never content to rest. Following Mire’s release in 2018 the quartet soon toured Europe for the first time, appeared at multiple UK festivals, and support of doom titans Conan and Will Haven.
In the following years the band have toured the US twice, supporting Rivers of Nihil (stopping to record an Audiotree session along the way), and then Voivod, with Revocation. 2019 also saw CONJURER’s debut Download Festival appearance, thrilling a packed-out Dogtooth stage, and the release of the joyous collaborative project with Pijn, titled Curse These Metal Hands.
It was only at the end of 2019 that CONJURER closed out their triumphant Mire cycle, with a sold-out UK run – their debut headline tour. Using the COVID-19 pandemic to record and craft Páthos, CONJURER returned to the live setting performing at the Download Pilot 2021 and Bloodstock 2021 mainstages.
CONJURER are:
Brady Deeprose (guitars, vocals)
Dan Nightingale (guitars, vocals)
Conor Marshall (bass)
Jan Krause (drums)
Incorporating elements drawn from myriad genres – including death metal, groove, grunge, electronica, slam, gothic rock, jazz, prog and more – and pushing progressive death metal in ever more imaginative directions, Time Will Take Us All proved that ENTHEOS continues to evolve with every release. Metal Hammer UK lauded a band, “poised to morph from a promising project into tech metal titans,” New Noise Magazine championed, “one of the best versions of modern riff–y progressive death metal we have now,” while Loudwire added, “the band plays with lockstep precision, turning the gears of their technical death metal machine as it steamrolls forward.”
We are an amalgamation of two local Chicago bands that are currently on hiatus. Members of Lost Generation and Early April have joined forces to create a new band of immense proportions and potential.
Infectiously catchy and energetic Punk Rock coming from Chicago’s South Side. Eddy and the Arsons is a 3-piece Punk Rock band that formed 2017. The band started as a solo project by guitarist/vocalist Eddy Arson. Eddy was joined by fellow local musicians, Adam Pilarczyk on bass guitar in 2017, and after a few brief drummer lineup changes, Jake Boszman in 2018, to form as a live band. The band independently released their debut album, “Wall of Text” in 2017, followed by two singles, “When Your Past Comes Back” and “Where Does The Time Go” released in 2018. In 2019, the band released their EP, “Marked As Safe” and single “Bedbug” in 2020. In 2021, the band teamed up with Damaged Heart Records, and released 3 more singles, “It Will Get Better”, “Skummy”, and “Born Into War”. The band is currently working on more new material.
Eddy Arson – Vocals, Guitar Adam Arson – Bass, Vocals Jake Arson – Drums
“I was sitting in my first period precalculus class. I checked my phone and thought I was seeing things. The video had gotten 7,000 views the night before and was up to 100K by the morning. I almost fell out of my chair.” Needless to say, precalc was a wrap for the day.
The video for “No Sucka MCs” earned 17-year-old wunderkind Token his first real burn on the rap blogs. Littered with timely, toothy, subliminal lyrics like “Until the XXL cover will set it up / I’m a junior now, I’ll f*** a freshman up,” the track catapulted Token from provincial problem to national nuisance. Originally submitted to an online rap competition –one of several Token ended up winning– the song has amassed 1.6 million views on YouTube. It was this track that prompted another Massachusetts native who’d gotten his start rhyming, superstar Mark Wahlberg, to take to Twitter and proclaim Token his new favorite rapper.
“No Sucka MCs” also prompted iconic hip-hop tastemaker Sway Calloway to invite Token to spit on his influential Sway in the Morning SiriusXM show. “I rehearsed day and night for Sway,” Token reveals. “I wanted it flawless. And I actually prepared about 11 minutes of material, roughly 250 bars. Then, literally the day before, I got the news that I would have about half that time. I had to chop 11 minutes down to like 6, basically overnight. It was nerve-wracking.” Sway’s cohost Tracy G actually broke down in tears with his verse—the video of which has garnered over a million views in a single 24-hour period, and totals more than 5 million views to date. The internet was set aflame by an apparent rap prodigy. A star was born.
Token’s trajectory is unorthodox bordering on inexplicable: “When I was young, doctors and analysts literally told me I can’t put words together like normal people do,” recounts the rapper, real name Ben Goldberg. “That my brain doesn’t have the ability to process language and understand long words. Of course, this is so ironic because this is what I do—how I choose to spend my time.” Token was put into special ed classes and diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and a learning disability.
These outward pivots belied Token’s true nature: “I always felt very different from everyone, always felt disconnected,” he admits. “I was such a thinker as far back as the first grade. I was embarrassed by a lot of what I was feeling and didn’t think people would take me seriously at that age. So I started a diary, like poetry conveying the way I was feeling. I would hide the pad under my bed. It became something I relied on—something I’d look forward to doing.”
Fast forward to the present, and it’s scores of fans who look forward to Token’s writing. The naysaying therapists have been replaced by reams of positive YouTube comments. But don’t get it twisted: despite his pedigree in online cyphers, Token makes it clear he’s built for the flesh: “I’m not just this internet guy. I take time to make sure my live show is dope. I’ve grown a lot and I encourage people to come to my shows to take me in. You don’t know who or what Token is until you see me live.”
Take him in, fans have. In April 2016, he made a run through France, including a performance at the heralded Chorus Festival, alongside rap icons The Pharcyde and current soul/funk phenom Robert Glasper. He returned to the States as the video dropped for his collab with Slaughterhouse flamespitter Joell Ortiz, “Kill at Will.” “This is someone I grew up listening to,” Token reveals. “I have his whole discography. I was listening to him every day, so when he reached out to me, I couldn’t believe it.” Indeed, “Kill at Will” slotted in as the lead single off Joell’s most recent project, That’s Hip-Hop. Meanwhile, kudos and cosigns kept rolling in: from D12, from Fred Durst, from Flo Rida, from fellow MA musician Clinton Sparks. Somewhere along the way, Token attended his junior prom, too.
This seems the stuff of fantasy, not high school yearbook. But Token learned in grade school to be the architect of his own fate. So what seems unattainable to outsiders is simply Ben Goldberg’s fuel: “I hated the way I looked. I went to the doctor and he warned me I was destined for diabetes—just like my dad, and his dad, and his dad before him. So I snuck into the local gym to start exercising; as kind of a big kid, I could get away with it. I lost 50 pounds going into 5th grade. I realized I am blessed with dedication. If I put my mind to something, if I can visualize an end goal, then it’s something I can make happen. So I took the same approach with rap: Every day after school, I would come home, do my homework, then write and record. Every single day. The same is true now. I look at each day as a schedule, as part of a larger plan.”
Token’s hours are now filled with putting the finishing touches on his first full-length project, a forthcoming mixtape: equal parts verbal acrobatics, clever conceptual records, and emotional childhood revelation—the first of which is “Necessary Evil,” courtesy of renowned VA producer Nottz. A boisterous mix of kick and bass, accented by insistent horn lines, serves as Token’s vocal canvas. Look also for “Waist Down,” an irrepressible, high-energy anthem that’s both tongue-twisting and tongue in cheek. Token is likewise sorting out a tour in support of the project.
At only 17, Token is already many things to many people. What’s singular is his drive: “I have a lofty goal; I want to make a living off my passion. Music is what helped me get confidence. Music is my time to be invincible. Even though I’m young, my childhood already feels like a different life, because I’m looking back and writing on it. I’m in love with writing and I’m not going to pigeonhole myself.”
What started as a humble graffiti ‘zine in 1996 would soon grow to be one of the most trusted outlets for youth-spawned urban culture. Today, Mass Appeal is a media collective led by authentic voices and inspired minds. We are a platform for radical creatives who are transforming culture.