Upcoming Shows

For fun our real band learned a bunch of James Brown songs for a big Halloween bash, each time we got one down, we started another, before we knew it we had a long set, we had one trumpet player in Jerry, and found three more on the internet, now they are our drinking buddies and we do this for real now, nothing makes a room move like a bunch of James Brown tunes, and nothing is more fun than causing that unexpected dance party, now we are continuously learning more, we feature a balance of "the hits" and songs that make you say "damn, never heard that one, I need to buy whatever album that song's on" that's what it's really about, spreading the awareness of the most exciting entertainer known to man worldwide, ever arranging these in an extremely exciting way, we're all becoming better dancers and we are ready to rock your show!

The Bama Lamas came together over their love for old scratchy R&B, Soul, and Rock 'N Roll 45s. Throw in some beer and you have one greasy stew of red hot Rock 'N Roll! Dig it...

Pre-Heat Oven to 350 degrees. Take a sprinkle of of local Chicago groups current and past. 1 Part Wisconsin Hardcore. Blend Viscously. The End Result is a Power Folk Sextet that pulls influences from the local Chicago Music scene to bands like Fleetwood Mac, the end result is a truly original, refreshing style of music unlike any other. Devon Kay the Solutions are starting to play their infectious style of music all around Chicago, be sure to check it out so your not the last to know.

After playing in several local Dallas bands Jonathan, Kansas, Nick, and Jordan formed Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights. Since recording the full length album Hot Trottin' with Dallas' own sound engineer, Chris Bell, the band has opened for major acts such as Erykah Badu, Heart, Deep Purple, Cross Canadian Ragweed, The Arc Angels, Chicago, Kool the Gang, and many others. Recently the Northern Lights have ventured out of Dallas playing on regional and national tours opening for Stoney LaRue and O. A. R.

The Wildbirds like spittle on their mics and distortion in their amps. They like their guitars to bite, their drums crisp; hair flapping like a free flag in the smoky venue night. They are hooked. Life long prisoners of a classic sound that taunts their ears relentlessly.

Indiana Bandana is a band charged with the task of shinning the torch on the unsung, forgotten heros of 70's outlaw country that hailed from Indiana. These heroes may not be household names, but they nonetheless played a vital role in the emergence of outlaw country in 70's. They were the names behind the names. Heroes like Marty Allen Deckard, Earl John Pettyjohn, Merle Skervins, and Bill Monroe Pluchinski. We are the torch shining the truth and the light on those heroes, we are Indiana Bandana.

Psychedelic rock band from Chicago.

Once upon a time, Dr. Nick, Shortound, and Schryver decided to start a band. Although the members stated that the band was predicated on artistic expression and creative freedom, it was later found that the band was really just an excuse to get together once a week and drink obscure micro-brewed beer. After going through several stylistic iterations (including a full-costume Manowar cover act, complete with battle axes), Static Like Waves was born. When asked about the atypical nature of the band's lineup (guitar, drums, and keyboard), Shortround stated that "The minimum weight requirement for this band is 225lbs. We couldn't find a fat enough bassist." The collective result of the band's fatness (fat with an "f" not a "ph"), a whole hell of a lot of beer, and three understanding wives is Static Like Wave's music. The band's sound is drawn from a variety of influences including Snapcase, the Misfits, Kyuss, Every Time I Die, Fu Manchu, Rush, and countless others. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, and, as a result of Schryver's propensity for triplets sometimes "too busy"

GEHENNA is a new postmodern rock trio making passive-aggressive music for the more drama-filled and annoying times in your messy-ass life. All over the emotional map but center, the shit's not for everyone all of the time, but it might be for you, now. You can listen to it right on that music player up there. Then tell US what to write in this space, cause we have no friggin clue.

The Blue Effect is the new sound of piano based pop rock. Drawing on 60's influence pop rock with a saxophone thrown into the mix, the Blue Effect has a sound which is truly independent from the majority of recording artists today. Performing regional shows for the past three years, the band has created a loyal fan base, which they are adding to all the time. Formed in 2007, the band has created a full length album available on iTunes, released under Diversion Productions in Southfield. The band has been a featured artist on Break Thru Radio (highlighting top college bands), and "Mother Mary" was the song of the month in April for a Singer/Songwriter online showcase.

From the ashes of Burning Bright and Domestic Play rises Silent Sirens. A blend of melody and aggression, cohesiveness and chaos, Silent Sirens brand of rock and roll is an experience to be reckoned with. Their frenzied live shows will move your feet and their songs, like arrows straight to the heart, will be impossible to remove from your memory. Prepare to be moved.

Incredible Shrinking Boy is the story of a young man coming to grips with the frightening reality of the world he was born into. Originally, a song written by singer/songwriter Paul Taneja on a hot summer afternoon in 2003, Incredible Shrinking Boy is about a journey and the road he continues to travel down today. What separates Incredible Shrinking Boy from many rock bands today is Paul’s willingness to wear his heart on his sleeve, combining clever lyrics with catchy pop music. Sometimes storyteller, other times impulsive thoughts turned into music, there is no denying a talent that spawns unforgettable modern pop/rock songs.

The point of Cains&Abels is to tell one specific story. The story is called "The Reluctant Trucker" for now. "The Reluctant Trucker" is a mixture of autobiographical details and the kind of day-dream you have when you have a crush on someone and you want them to notice you so you think of some horrible thing that would make them feel sorry for you, like your parents dying. The story is translated to music by the band, approximately at the rate of one song to one chapter. The songs are always played in a specific order.

A Lull are Nigel Dennis, Mike Brown and Todd Miller, among others, various friends who have been kind enough and willing to lend a hand or two along the way. All three are formerly of other Chicago based bands, Nigel and Todd (and Mike briefly) of The Evaluation, and Mike of The Skies We Built and Mike (and Nigel briefly) of Ateriavia.

Aside from referencing a piece of Lou Reed's philosophy about recording rock bands, the name "Cymbals Eat Guitars" is suggestive of a group of musicians infighting, vying for dominance over the sonic field— Reed and Cale on White Light/White Heat, organ vs. fuzz guitar. Well, we'd best put a halt to the Velvets nods so as not to mislead you… Cymbals Eat Guitars sound nothing like the Velvet Underground, and they have little interest in attempting to drown each other out. They draw little inspiration from the skuzzy, minimalist heroin-cooled din that group pioneered in the late 60's. What do they sound like, then? One could sit around rattling off possible sources of influence for days—the highly unusual and infectious melodies could suggest an obsession with Pavement, the moments of hair-raising, goose bump-inducing, utterly anthemic sonic assault would seem to point towards Built To Spill or Sonic Youth… the streamlined pop of "Some Trees (Merritt Moon)" even suggests Wire circa Chairs Missing. The angular, atypical lead lines channel Isaac Brock on The Lonesome Crowded West. The eruptions of white-hot guitar force lightning scream Ira Kaplan. The tasteful ornamentation of keyboards calls to mind some of the work Leroy Bach and Jay Bennett did together on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Yet, somehow after repeated listening, these obvious points of comparison melt away along with your face, and you're left with something singular, something inimitable. Cymbals Eat Guitars have, with their expressionist manifesto Why There Are Mountains, opened all the windows in the musty and disused attic of indie rock and roll relics.

Sybris’ diverse mix of art rock, sweet folk and heavy metal drumming may sound odd on paper, but one listen to the band it will all be put into place. Sybris’ mission is to make tunes for pop fans as well as those who embrace more fringe genres in music, uniting divergent cliques of music lovers into one harmonious dynamic.

Unicycle founder Jim Carroll crafts tunes and lyrics that can be simultaneously dark and toe-tapping. Hear a Unicycle song once and discover it has burrowed into your frontal cortex. Jon Pollock, after just a few mega-calorie-burning minutes on stage, has the appearance of a hallucinating shaman emerging from a sweat lodge. Nicole Vitale, Baker and Labrada provide a percussive wall of often bouncy, always novel punk driven beats that buoy three-part harmonies and conjure up tuneful artifacts of pop evolution

There is no one signature sound for this sometimes sextet from Chicago, whose intent is to "kill the crowd with sweetness" by way of one divine melody after another.

Akron/Family is a folk-influenced experimental rock band that formed in 2002, and is currently based in New York. Though each member of the band — Miles Seaton, Seth Olinsky, Dana Janssen and formally Ryan Vanderhoof can be relegated to loosely defined roles (drummer, guitarist, bassist, vocalist), all of them in fact play several instruments and sing, as evidenced by their shows and recorded material. Live, the band uses improvisation and vocal harmonies in prominence. On their self-titled debut record, field recordings of a creaking chair, thunderclaps and the white noise of a television find their way alongside psychedelic and electronic elements, guitars and a glockenspiel.

Icy Demons create genre defying sonics melding elements of African music, Tropicalia rhythms, and Electronica arrangements with nods to soul, hip hop, and ambient music. Post-Everything to challenge mind, body, and soul.

Mittens on Strings is a collaborative effort where everyone writes the songs and nearly everyone sings. This is explained in detail in our band schematic. The sound ends up being distinctive and varied. Smooth melodies erupt with a folky quality, and a drone is often hanging around that has a touch of darkness to it. Male and female vocals compliment each other in a common Kentuckiania porch/mall type fashion.

The Dirty Vibe came together in Spring 2008 as the brainchild of cousins Nick (bass) and Pete (drums) after parting ways with their previous band. The goal was simple: put together one bad-ass, funky, hard-rocking band. The first step was to find the right guitarist - someone capable of bluesy grooves, killer riffs, and face-melting shredding. Enter Adam, guitarist extraordinaire. The trio spent several months writing and jamming with Pete and Adam on vocals, but the band knew it was time to complete the lineup and find the perfect singer. Enter Anna (former frontwoman of Leathur Cheetah) the perfect voice and presence for The Dirty Vibe's brand of rock n' roll.

Formed by veterans of the Pillowmints and Not Rebecca, The Venom Lords are another two-girl, two-guy quartet, but they're aiming for more of a stripped-down and danceable New Wave of New Wave sound: You can tell by the black shirts and white ties, as well as by the song structures, which are part Blondie or Joan Jett and part early '90s English shoegazer rock. They haven't quite perfected their sound on their self-titled eight-song EP, but guitarist-vocalist Gina Knapik has personality to spare, and she and Dan Knapik unleash a powerful two-guitar attack on songs such as "Parachute Pants" and "Witch King." --Chicago Sun-Times

One day a girl found a message in a bottle. The message was from a person she'd never met in a place she'd never been. Every day, the girl would read the message and every night she would write a song. She would imagine all the things the person would do, the things they would see and the sounds they would hear. This went on for some time until one day the little girl took all of the songs and put them in a bottle. She went down to the ocean where she found the message and wrote a letter telling the person about all the songs she'd written about them. She signed the letter "Very Truly Yours" and threw the bottle into the ocean, hoping it might one day it might reach that place she'd never been and find the person she'd never met.

Fulton Read is one of those bands that wants it all- your attention, your respect, your mind and maybe your heart- with the hope that you will realize those timeless moments that music brings are priceless. This free spirit reaches back to their early years when they sang, "How the music made us feel, its worth nothing they can steal." Now full circle, Fulton Read has embraced its childhood values and any music fan can agree- the Best Things in Life are FREE.

“When you’re dancing, you free your emotions and say things you can’t with words. You’d never tell how shy I am if you saw how I dance…” Lykke Li can’t stay still. Her life and her career are relentlessly pulled forward by an impatient desire to see what’s just around the corner, her music full of ideas about moving on and breaking free. Just 18 months ago she was complaining to her mentor, Bjorn ‘of Peter and John fame’ Yttling, that everything had gone wrong because she was 21 and still hadn’t released an album. Now 22, she’s finding that things are on track. With the release of that album ‘Youth Novels’, already out in Sweden through her own label LL Recordings, she’s been surprised and maybe a little embarrassed to find that the world is falling at her feet. She’s just the kind of person people can’t help falling in love with.

A large portion of the people involved in the "creative" side of the music business spend their entire career dedicated to the singular goal of recognition, specifically the type that gets you recognized - be it magazine covers, billboards, TV, etc. In a culture obsessed with becoming famous, what do we make of artists who chose to remain anonymous? Or, for that matter, use a jackalope as their visual representative? This brings us to Miike Snow. Up to this point they've remained pretty mysterious, proving nearly impossible to find any information about, photographic or otherwise. Man? DJ? Robot? Miike Snow is a band. Miike Snow bristles with confidence. It's intelligent pop music that has the ability to cradle taste making purists and reach anthemic heights. Showcasing melodic songs built for the anything goes environment of the club, Miike Snow will make anonymity an impossibility.

Esser is a person not a band. He uses a computer machine and some instruments to make popular songs. Most of his songs are in the key of E. When he was fairly young he managed to wear two ties to school. One on top and one underneath his shirt. But look at him now!

Nebula are the full embodiment of heavy-psych rock: high-energy electric blues, lead-footed psychedelic warriors, rock & roll road dogs and the best damned band to come down the pike in a long, long time. If you're unconvinced, their latest havoc-inducing platter, Atomic Ritual, will send you preaching at the pulpit of Nebula.

fronted by Guy Blakeslee; the Baltimore born, former bassist for highly unrecognized post hardcore 70's areana pysch and afro beat throw down, The Convocation Of; brings us the darkest side in Free Folk America to be had , a doom soaked electric blues punk sound only possible with help from players, Paz Lenchantin (of Silver Jews, Zwan, A Perfect Circle), film maker Maximilla Lukacs and long time mate on the kit, Derek James.

With Chicago's early reputation on being a city infested with organized crime during the turn of the century, it's only fitting that 88 Fingers Louise took their name from a piano playing gangster, even if it was from an old "Flintstones" episode. Not that any of them where involved in the Maifa, they just started out wanting to play sloppy, fun punk for themselves back in the Spring of '93. Later on that year, 88 self-released their first EP and appeared on a couple of local compilations before getting hooked up with Fat Wreck Chords in 1994. On April 26th 2009, 88 Fingers Louie have announced that they will be playing a 1 night only reunion show on August 15th, 2009 at the Bottom Lounge in Chicago, Il. The lineup will be as follows: Denis Buckley - Vocals Dan Precision - Guitar John Carrol - Drums John Contreras - Bass Original bassist Joe Principe could not attend due to touring obligations with Rise Against but has given his blessing.

Shot Baker plays an honest form of aggressive punk rock with driving melodies and addictive choruses. They're here to play music that drives them. It's this simplified way of raw aggression, anger, passion, and love for the music that makes them such a refreshing act to see these days.

In over ten years of recording and touring the U.S. and Europe, Apocalypse Hoboken constantly pushed for new ideas of what punk rock should be. They established themselves as one of Chicago's most uncompromising bands, and a dynamic live act to boot.

In a music scene where faux nostalgia seems to be the order of the day, Matt and Kim are the real retro deal. While their upbeat dancepop is modern, their ethic is straight outta the early '80s. They tour constantly, eschew clubs for warehouses and basements, and even encourage crowd surfing. While every unsigned MySpace band seems to have their own publicist now, Matt and Kim are busy booking their own fucking lives.

Amanda Blank is an underground MC/Rapper from Philadelphia. She is best known for her collaborations with Spank Rock and Aaron LaCrate. Her popularity at events like South by Southwest Festival can be attributed to her carefree attitude and lyrical flow.

New Model Army are a modern punk band, more melodic than many of their classic counterparts and widely respected for their unwavering political stance and working-class ethics. The band was named after the English revolutionary army of Oliver Cromwell. Led by guitarist/vocalist Justin Sullivan (who goes by the name Slade The Leveller), the group has an extremely loyal core following. The Army's music is intense, angry, and powerful; the group experiments frequently with quieter, acoustic material, which often captures the feel of their best punk.

Featuring Chicago punk legend Jeff Pezzati of Naked Raygun/Big Black fame and a solidified line-up that includes bassist Pete Mittler and drummer Mike Soucy from The Methadones, and guitarist Jeff Dean (x-Story So Far) -- you know you're in for something special. THICK will release the newly recorded 'Indecision' CD (produced by the incomparable J. Robbins) this fall. Download the the title track by clicking URL.

Loney Dear is the disguise of multi-instrumentalist and ex-pro cyclist Emil Svanängen from Jönköping, Sweden.

Asobi Seksu is a NYC quartet that plays a delicious blend of J-pop and noisy, blaring guitar rock. Distorted guitars roughhouse with peppy synth melodies and lead singer Yuki's dreamy swanlike voice brings this beautiful mess together as delicately as a sucker punch.

As backwards as it might sound, for a singer/songwriter to be able to touch people with their music, the actual process of writing is one centered on solitude. "You have to be able to spend a lot of time with yourself and inside your own head," confirms Sweden’s Anna Ternheim.

Shonen Knife has made major fans out of alt-rock's elite (Sonic Youth, Nirvana, and Redd Kross, among others) and built a solid, worldwide cult following with their Ramones meets the Beatles brand of sticky sweet punk-pop. Naoko writes great songs of unforgettable pop melodies with ironical lyrics. Having a rich musical background, she creates the characteristic Shonen Knife world. She is influenced by late 70’s punk & new wave movement.Atsuko's energetic drumming is an important key point of Shonen Knife sound. Audience loves her cheerful stage performance. She does making stage costumes or art works for albums. From 2000, she plays the bass on the stage.

Featuring Miss Alex White and her brother Francis

The Dials play 60's girl-garage, power-pop, a la 80's punk & roll powered with tubular tunefullness and beach party bombast. They play epic bubblegum songs of disenchantment, frustration, and making out behind the grocery store. It's a rock & roll tsunami that'll blow your panties off!