Upcoming Shows

Folk Uke, Liv Mueller

TodayJune 27, 20198:00pm $10.00

It was 1998 in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter when Cathy Guthrie and Amy Nelson met at a bar...where they both worked. One was a tramp and one was devastatingly pure. With a ukulele and an acoustic guitar, they formed a band for the same reason kids join gangs-- just to survive, but also to unleash the brilliance that was....

Kiefer Sutherland, Raye Zaragoza

MondayJuly 1, 20198:00pm $40.00

American Music Tour: The Blasters, Supersuckers, Wayne 'The Train' Hancock, Clownvis Presley

TuesdayJuly 9, 20198:00pm $30.00

Recently Added Shows

Tommy Tutone

FridayAugust 9, 20198:00pm $20.00

Tommy Tutone were an early-'80s power pop band led by vocalist Tommy Heath and guitarist Jim Keller. The group's first single, 1980s "Angel Say No," charted on the American Top 40, yet it was 1981's "867-5309/Jenny" that sent the group to the top of the charts. Peaking in early 1982, the single hit number four and went....

The Producers

FridayAugust 16, 20198:00pm $25.00

The Producers is a new wave and power pop band formed in the 80s from Atlanta, Ga. The original line up still includes Van Temple on guitar and vocals, Kyle Henderson on bass and vocals, Wayne Famous on keyboards and Bryan Holmes on drums and vocals. Originally formed as a Beatles cover band named Cartoon, they changed....

Jagged Little Pill - The Alanis Morissette Tribute, Don't Speak: A No Doubt Tribute

FridaySeptember 6, 20198:00pm $12.00

Jagged Little Pill is the go-to Alanis Morissette tribute band, nailing all her biggest and best hits. With a pounding rhythm section, rocking guitars and spot-on vocals, you will think you're at an Alanis concert.

Pundamonium: The Milwaukee Pun Slam

FridaySeptember 13, 20198:00pm $10.00

Pundamonium is a slam-style pun contest. One by one, 15 contestants make puns based on prompts. Then they do it again. Each contestant is immediately judged by five members of the audience, who have been selected before the show to be judges. They rank each punner on a scale of 1 to 10, often with hilariously long....

Roger Clyne Acoustic - Honky Tonk Union 20 Year Anniversary

ThursdaySeptember 19, 20198:00pm $20.00

Bridging the gap between rock & roll, roadhouse Americana, and the music sound of the southwestern United States, Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers have carved their own path over the last 25years. They've traveled the world, sent eight albums to the top of the Billboard Internet Sales Chart, launched an annual music festival....

Nobody's Girl

FridaySeptember 20, 20198:00pm $15.00

Hailing from Texas, Alabama, and Georgia respectively, now neighbors in Austin, BettySoo, Grace Pettis, and Rebecca Loebe are bewitching audiences with sumptuous harmonies and unforgettable songwriting. Friends now for a decade, they first met at the legendary Kerrville Folk Festival, each winners of the annual "New Folk"....

Davina and the Vagabonds

FridayOctober 11, 20198:00pm $20.00

Davina Sowers and the Vagabonds have created a stir on the national blues scene with their high-energy live shows, sharp-dressed professionalism, and Sowers' commanding stage presence. With influences ranging from Fats Domino and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits, the band is converting....

Ian Noe

WednesdayOctober 16, 20198:00pm $10 advance / $12 door

Rasputina, Charming Disaster

FridayOctober 25, 20198:00pm $20.00

Super-Unknown, Big Bang Baby, TEN Chicago

SaturdayOctober 26, 20198:00pm $12.00

Chicago's premiere Soundgarden, Audioslave, & Temple Of The Dog tribute, with spot-in vocals honoring the late, great Chris Cornell.

Savoy Brown featuring Kim Simmonds

WednesdayNovember 6, 20198:00pm $25.00

Dead Letter Office (R.E.M. Tribute), Without U2 (U2 tribute)

FridayNovember 22, 20198:00pm $20.00

Dead Letter Office has dedicated themselves to faithfully reproducing the music and energy of a live R.E.M. show. Since 2014, Dead Letter Office has been thrilling audiences throughout the U.S. & Canada, providing a show....

KICK - The INXS Experience

FridayDecember 13, 20198:00pm $20.00

Alternative Concert Group Presents

Justin Hayward

WednesdayAugust 7, 20197:30pm $70

At the Pablo Center for the Arts, Eau Claire, WI.

Tickets on sale at pablocenter.org.

Justin Hayward

ThursdayAugust 8, 20197:30pm $70 / $50

At the Grand Theater, Wausau, WI.

Tickets on sale at grandtheater.org or at the Grand Theater box office Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:30pm and 9:00am-noon on Saturdays from September through May.

Violent Femmes

SaturdaySeptember 14, 20198:00pm $50 / $40

At the Meyer Theatre, Green Bay, WI

Tickets on sale at the Resch Center box office, Ticket Star or by phone 800-895-0071.

Crash Test Dummies

TuesdaySeptember 24, 20197:30pm $35.00

At the Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI.

Tickets on sale at barrymorelive.com, or by phone at 608-241-8633 (Mon-Fri noon-5pm).

John Hiatt

SundayOctober 20, 20197:30pm $45.00

At the Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI.

Tickets on sale at barrymorelive.com, or by phone at 608-241-8633 (Mon-Fri noon-5pm).

Arlo Guthrie

SaturdayNovember 9, 20198:00pm $45.00

At the Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI.

Tickets on sale at barrymorelive.com, or by phone at 608-241-8633 (Mon-Fri noon-5pm).

Arlo Guthrie

WednesdayNovember 13, 20197:00pm $55 / $45

At the Meyer Theatre, Green Bay, WI

Tickets on sale at the Resch Center box office, Ticket Star or by phone 800-895-0071.

George Winston

TuesdayDecember 17, 20198:00pm $51.25

At Overture Center for the Arts, Madison, WI.

Tickets on sale online, at the Overture box office or by phone at 608-258-4141.

George Winston

FridayDecember 20, 20198:00pm $50 / $39

At South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, Milwaukee, WI.

Tickets on sale online, at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center box office or by phone at 414-766-5049.

Quick Calendar

Kiefer Sutherland (born 21 December 1966) is a Canadian actor, producer, director, and singer-songKiefer Sutherlandwriter. His full name is Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland.

Kiefer portrayed Jack Bauer in the hugely popular drama series 24 (which aired 2001-2010, 2014). His performance on the show garnered an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Satellite Awards.

Donald Sutherland is Kiefer Sutherland's father, and actress Sarah Sutherland is his daughter -- acting truly runs in the family.

He has also starred as Martin Bohm in the Fox drama Touch, and lent his acting abilities as Big Boss and Venom Snake in the video games Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

Fans have enjoyed Kiefer's stellar performance as President Tom Kirkman in the ABC political drama series Designated Survivor (2016-2018).

Kiefer got his first leading film role in the Canadian drama The Bay Boy (1984), which earned him a Genie Award nomination. Since then, Kiefer has entertained audiences the world over, starring in films such as Stand by Me (1986), The Lost Boys (1987), Young Guns (1988), Flatliners (1990), A Few Good Men (1992), The Three Musketeers (1993), A Time to Kill (1996), Dark City (1998), Phone Booth (2002), Melancholia (2011), Pompeii (2014), Forsaken (2016) and Flatliners (2017). Click to find out how many films Kiefer Sutherland has been in.

Kiefer Sutherland has been inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame and to Canada's Walk of Fame, and has received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Zurich Film Festival.

Kiefer Sutherland, whose "unexpected, unvarnished authenticity as a singer/songwriter" (Associated Press) and "edgy vocals blended with passion" (Rolling Stone)

Recently performed 50 shows in 7 countries in less than 3 months during his 2018 Reckless tour. This covered North American and European tour.

Sutherland's career as a touring and recording artist has catapulted him globally as a respected guitarist and vocalist. A riveting performer, Kiefer engages audiences with his self-deprecating wit and shares the stories behind his highly personal songs that populate his 2016 debut album Down In A Hole, and his forthcoming new release Reckless & Me, including his new single "This is How It's Done."

During his lengthy shows, he covers some of his favourite songs from Merle Haggard and Tom Petty. Displaying equal ease with both rock classics and country standards.

Though Kiefer Sutherland loves writing and recording, the stage holds a special place in his heart. For the last three years, Kiefer toured extensively earning the acclaimed actor a reputation as a relentless road warrior.

His primary motivation as an artist is the thrill of forging that connection with his audience through the music. "I couldn't have imagined the depth with which I have fallen in love with touring. To have the opportunity to convey intimate, personal stories to an audience, for me, has proven to be priceless," Kiefer said.

From early days growing up in the southeast Los Angeles suburb of Downey, California under the tutelage of T-Bone Walker and Big Joe Turner to their emergence as central figures in the eclectic LA punk/rock scene of the early '80s to their current status as internationally-renowned influences in their own right, the Blasters have spent their lives exploring and expressing the deep and diverse musical legacy that is best described by the title of their first album: American Music.

A performance by today's Blasters--vocalist-guitarist Phil Alvin, drummer Bill Bateman, bassist John Bazz, and guitarist Keith Wyatt--reflects influences that range from George Jones and Carl Perkins to Howlin' Wolf, James Brown and Bo Diddley. The band's 1980 debut album American Music (Rollin' Rock) was a powerful collection of fresh, distinctive performances that shattered the artificial boundaries between blues, rockabilly, country, R&B and rock & roll. The next three albums for Slash/Warner Bros. (The Blasters, Non-Fiction, and Hard Line) increasingly featured the unique songwriting voice of original guitarist Dave Alvin as the band's lineup expanded to include pianist Gene Taylor plus saxophonists Steve Berlin and New Orleans legend Lee Allen ("the man who put a saxophone in rock & roll"). As the Blasters' fame grew, they began to draw accolades from artists as diverse as Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton and Queen, and in turn the band encouraged and supported still up-and-coming LA musical peers such as Dwight Yoakum and Los Lobos

In 1986, Dave Alvin left the band to pursue a solo career, and over the next decade a series of renowned guitarists including Billy Zoom, Michael "Hollywood Fats" Mann, Greg "Smokey" Hormel, and James Intveld filled the position. Phil Alvin simultaneously expanded his own musical efforts with the release of two acclaimed solo albums, Unsung Stories (Slash/Warner) in 1986 and County Fair 2000 (Hightone) in 1994.

In 1996, current guitarist Keith Wyatt joined the lineup and the Blasters continued touring steadily in the US and Europe before returning to the studio in 2004 to record 4-11-44 (Rainman). After the departure of drummer Jerry Angel, the band reunited with original member Bill Bateman and subsequently released their 2012 CD Fun on Saturday Night (Rip Cat). Meanwhile, the Blasters' catalog was renewed with reissues of American Music along with two Slash/Warner compilations (Testament and The Blasters Collection) and the live recordings Trouble Bound and Going Home Live (Shout Factory).

Blasters shows have been described as "a cross between Creedence and the Clash," with a display of passion and energy only deepened by decades of experience. For all of the ways in which the world has changed in the past few decades, one thing is still guaranteed: the Blasters play American Music.

You've heard our name, you've seen our records, our t-shirts and our stickers. We're probably the favorite band of someone you know and yet maybe we're still a mystery to you. Well my friend, that's okay, you're at the right place to get to know the greatest rock-n-roll band in the world, The Supersuckers.

And the next time you see the 'Supersuckers' name, whether it's in the record store, online somewhere, or on the marquee at your local rock club, know that there's some quality, honest, ass-kicking, hard working individuals behind it all trying to make your life a little better through the "Evil Powers Of Rock-n-Roll" (and the occasional detour into the country music, of course) and we'd love nothing better than to have you there with us as! Just remember to wear clean underwear, because we're gonna rock your pants right off of you.

Since his stunning debut, Thunderstorms and Neon Signs in 1995, Wayne "The Train" Hancock has been the undisputed king of Juke Joint Swing - that alchemist's dream of honky-tonk, western swing, blues, Texas rockabilly and big band. Always an anomaly among his country music peers, Wayne's uncompromising interpretation of the music he loves is in fact what defines him: steeped in traditional but never "retro;" bare bones but bone shaking; hardcore but with a swing. Like the comfortable crackle of a Wurlitzer 45 jukebox, Wayne is the embodiment of genuine, house rocking, hillbilly boogie. Wayne makes music fit for any road house anywhere. With his unmistakable voice, The Train's reckless honky-tonk can move the dead. If you see him live (and he is ALWAYS touring), you'll surely work up some sweat stains on that snazzy Rayon shirt you're wearing. If you buy his records, you'll be rolling up your carpets, spreading sawdust on the hardwood floor, and dancing until the downstairs neighbors are banging their brooms on the ceiling. Call him a throwback if you want, but all Wayne Hancock wants to do, is simply ENTERTAIN you, and what's wrong with that?

The LA Weekly calls Clownvis Presley "Better than the real Elvis". A bold statement indeed, but when it comes to quick wit, incredibly catchy songs, and genuine showmanship, its safe to say Clownvis has earned the title "The King of Clowns". From the sideshow at Coney Island to the hottest comedy events in Los Angeles and everything in between, Clownvis is consistently brining his unique blend of comedy, song, and magic to stages across America.

Thanks to a controversial appearance on NBC's America's Got Talent, Clownvis is now familiar to millions of people around the planet. His phenomenally outrageous audition is a must see (check Youtube). Following this sensational break through, Clownvis has appeared on Comedy Central, The Tom Green Show, Sirius XM, and top FM stations across the country. He tours and performers regularly with such high profile acts as Mac Sabbath, Unknown Hinson, Insane Clown Posse, Neil Hamburger, Tim Heidecker and more.

With his unique voice, more unique song writing, and even more unique double necked "Guit-Steel" guitar, there has absolutely never been ANYONE like Junior Brown. He's an American Original. Born in 1952 in Cottonwood, Arizona, Junior Brown showed an affinity for music at an early age when the family moved to a rural area of Indiana near Kirksville. In the following years, Junior began to experience Country music and remembers it as "growing up out of the ground like the crops -- it was everywhere; coming out of cars, houses, gas stations and stores like the soundtrack of a story, but Country music programs on TV hadn't really come along much yet; not until the late fifties." Discovering a guitar in his grandparent's attic, he spent the next several years woodshedding with records and the radio. Junior was also able to tap into music he couldn't hear at home which older, college aged kids were listening to. This was possible due to his father's employment at small campuses throughout the next decade as the family moved twice again. As a young boy he was able to experience the thrill of performing before live audiences, at parties, school functions even singing and playing guitar for five thousand Boy Scouts at an Andrews Air Force Base jamboree; then while still a teenager, getting the chance to sit in with Rock and Roll pioneer, Bo Diddley. Armed with this broad spectrum of influences, he began to develop a storehouse of musical chops.

Early on, Junior realized he had to keep his interest in Country music a secret; "it was like a secret friend I carried around, being careful not to tell anyone (especially girls) about my love for it because I thought they would laugh at me." It wasn't until the late 1960's that Junior Brown would proudly explore the passion for the music he had loved since his early childhood in Indiana. With many prominent figures as his inspiration (Country legends, some who he would work with years later), he spent his nights in small clubs across the southwest. "I played more nights in honkytonks during the Seventies and Eighties than most musicians will see in a lifetime... I did so many years of that, night after night, four sets a night, fifteen minute breaks; I mean after that, you've gotta get good or you gotta get out. The early 1970's California Country dance club scene was particularly competitive, but I learned professionalism and stage demeanor which has served me well to this day." More recently however, Junior has shown himself to be equally adept at a wide variety of American music styles beyond Country. These include Rock and Roll, Blues, Hawaiian, Bluegrass and Western Swing.

There is a dependable consistency in Junior's writing style (he writes nearly all his material) yet he's always full of pleasant surprises. Though Junior always knew he could sing and play what he wanted, he had yet to explore his potential as a songwriter. "I realized no one was going to walk into a club and discover me...so I started hanging out with some songwriters who I'd played some jobs with, and they showed me how to support myself by writing and publishing." With his writing coming together by the mid-Eighties, Brown upgraded his gear in a way that no artist had ever done. Struggling through each show, going back and forth plugging and unplugging guitar to steel guitar while singing, he had a dream one night about the two instruments mysteriously melding into one. The result was Brown's unique invention, the "Guit-Steel", a double necked instrument combining standard guitar with steel guitar. Built by Michael Stevens of Stevens Electric Instruments, the Guit-Steel allows Junior to switch instruments quickly in mid song while singing. According to Brown, his guitar and steel guitar playing became more his own around this time, with less imitation of others and more his own original ideas and licks. This maturation coincided with the development of a completely "Junior Brown" style of songwriting which employs subtle dry wit to some songs -- others can be more overtly humorous, or just plain dead serious; like his playing, there is a wide range of styles that when combined can only spell Junior Brown.

In the early nineties Brown and his band (including wife Tanya Rae) relocated to Texas to the active Austin music scene and landed a weekly gig at the Continental club. Having worked as a sideman for many of the Austin-based acts over the years, Junior was already well familiar with the town. His unique and entertaining combination of singing, songwriting, instrumental and production skills led to a seven record deal with Curb Records that began with "Twelve Shades of Brown" in 1993. He later released two albums on the TelArc label. There were several Grammy nods, a CMA (Country Music Association) award for "My Wife Thinks You're Dead", movie and repeated TV appearances like Letterman, Conan, Saturday Night Live, Austin City Limits, SpongeBob, X Files, Dukes of Hazzard, Me Myself and Irene, Tresspass, Still Breathing, Blue Collar Comedy Tour 1 and 2, and more recently, Better Call Saul. And there were the Ad Campaigns; The Gap, Lee Jeans and Lipton Tea. As Junior became more well known, he began to collaborate on projects with some of his heroes. These include a duet with Ralph Stanley for which Junior received a Bluegrass Music Association Award (IBMA), a duet and video with Hank Thompson, as well as duets with video and record collaborations with the Beach Boys, George Jones, Leon McAuliffe, Ray Price, Leona Williams, Lynn Morris, Lloyd Green and Doc Watson. He even played guitar for Bob Wills' Texas Playboys in a radio commercial.

Junior is currently finishing up recording on his latest album, "Deep In The Heart Of Me". Release date is slated for Spring 2017. Junior's performance on the promotional song, "Better Call Saul" was recorded and released both as a video on AMC as well as a flexible 33 1/3rd vinyl record included in the show's box set from Season One. Junior, Tanya Rae and the band continue to tear up the highways and no doubt will be appearing in concert near you one of these days. Seeing Junior live is a definite must, so GUIT WITH IT 'cause he's AN AMERICAN ORIGINAL!

There's a bittersweet beauty to the passing of time -- the changes it brings are just as often heartbreaking as they are heartwarming. The inevitable tension that arises from that sway is Gretchen Peters' most trusted muse. "The years go by like days. Sometimes the days go by like years. And I don't know which one I hate the most," she sings in "Arguing with Ghosts," the hauntingly wistful opening cut on her new album, Dancing with the Beast.

Between the melody and the melancholy, the song sets the tone for all that is to come after and lifts the album over the high artistic bar set by her last outing, 2015's award-winning Blackbirds. Written with Matraca Berg and Ben Glover, "Arguing with Ghosts" began, as so many songs do, with one small grain of inspiration. "I think we were initially talking about how Nashville is changing, and Matraca said, 'I get lost in my hometown,'" Peters recalls. "And we went from there. Of course, it took on much more meaning, but I think that our starting point was just that sense of disorientation."

Whether a single sentence or a simple setting, once planted, even the tiniest seed can grow into a vision unto itself. Strung together and populated with strong and broken female heroines, those vignettes make up Dancing with the Beast and, indeed, Peters' entire discography. "The pictures and the details come first, and I think that's kind of necessary because they're sort of like little bombs of emotion," she says. "It's like when you pull out a Polaroid that you haven't seen in 25 years, and your heart just kind of explodes because it brings back a whole world."

Once immersed in a world of emotion, Peters digs underneath to see what's fueling a particular fire, as she does so stunningly with the overwhelming insecurities of female adolescence in "The Boy from Rye." Knowing very well that most teenage girls endure objectification and sexualization, and their ensuing loss of confidence and power, Peters put her pen to paper and told that story.

"I remember being that age -- summers on Long Island at the beach, the sense of freedom, being with friends, encounters with boys, and the pressure of suddenly being in competition with your best friends." she offers. "There was a feeling that you'd crossed some invisible line, and gone from being the subject in your own life, to being the object. It's a very treacherous time of life for girls."

Dancing with the Beast puts female characters at the fore, from teenage girls to old women. And intentionally so. With the 2017 Women's March and #MeToo Movement as bookends to her writing time, Peters knew that a feminist perspective would be the critical core of the record. "Those two events just put everything -- as so many things in 2017 -- in really stark relief," she admits. "You can trace the feminist DNA in my songwriting back to 'Independence Day' and probably before. The thing that 2017 did is just put it front and center. It was very easy to kind of go to sleep for a while and just not think about that stuff because we were lulled into complacency for eight years."

Scenery, too, played a part in inspiring several cuts on the LP, most notably "Wichita" and "Truckstop Angel," both sketches of women doing whatever they have to do to stand up in a world built to hold them down. Once she knew where the songs were set, Peters and Glover dug into the details. "'Wichita' was a lot like 'Blackbirds,' with me and Ben playing detective, like, 'What do you think happened here?'" she says. "I think I had the line, 'I hope I was the last thing that you saw that night in Wichita.' And the next questions were, 'What happened to this girl? How did we get there?'"

"Truckstop Angel" was an idea originally sparked 20-something years ago by a New Yorker article Peters read about people that lived in the wide open western reaches. "They just kind of went out there to get away from the world," she explains. "I read this article and I was fascinated, and one of the things in the article was these truckstop prostitutes. And I just never got that out of my mind." Peters wrote around the idea a lot in those two decades, but never got to the heart of the story until she encountered such a character at a truckstop in Alabama. "This woman -- a girl, really, as I don't think she was more than 17 -- at 1:30 in the afternoon, walks through the lot in five-inch platform shoes and short shorts. And I just thought, 'Oh my God, that's the woman. That's her.'"

A title -- and an election -- were the beginnings of "Lowlands." Though Peters doesn't consider herself a political writer, she is politically minded and, therefore, knew she had to address the 2016 election and all that has happened since... but in her own way. "I wrote on my chalkboard, 'Tell one little story,'" she says. "I just wrote it there, and I would stare at it for a while."

Soon enough, the title came, bringing with it both a feeling and a place. "The description of the geography gave me a feeling inside of low clouds and general gloominess, but also the idea of laying low and staying low." To capture that mood, Peters crafted a multitude of verses, whittled them down, and stitched them together. "It has no chorus. It's nothing but verses. It's very Dylan-esque, in that way," she says. "I just wanted it to drone on and on. We don't get a break. It's relentless, which is exactly how last year was."

To further drive the relentlessness, producer Doug Lancio built a foundation of programmed drums and synth drones, elements that purposely pushed Peters to the outer edges of her artistic comfort zone. "We struggled together over how far to go with that kind of thing," she confesses. "I wanted 'Lowlands' to sound like the sound of dread. But the first mix we had going just didn't feel like me. It had to have some beauty in there, too."

The final female voice on the album comes from Peters' mother, who passed away in late 2016. "Love That Makes a Cup of Tea" came out of a dream Peters had of her. "I can't remember what the rest of the dream was, but she, in a reassuring way, held my hand and she said, 'You know, honey, there is love that makes a cup of tea,'" Peters recounts. "She was the kind of person who would show you her love by baking you a pie or knitting you a sweater. She just said that in the dream, and I woke up and I thought, 'Okay, there it is. I'm going to write that.'

"I do remember feeling that I had to try to write something with hope in it," she continues. "It's not my strong suit. But I wanted that on this record, because I do think there's hope. I do see hope around me. I see a lot of trouble, too, but we have to try to find some light. Those are hard songs for me to write, but this was my mom's gift. She brought that to me."

Beauty tempered by dread, sorrow buoyed by hope, these are the ever-present tugs of war that make life worth living and songs worth writing. And they are the over-riding themes that make Gretchen Peters one of her generation's most compelling singer/songwriters.

Mighty Mystic is considered as one of the leaders in the U.S. Reggae scene and labeled by many as one of the more prolific artists to develop outside of Jamaica. He has gripped the scene with ferocious conviction and an uncanny ambition worthy to be mentioned among the greats. He has gone from being a fan of reggae music to being a contributor to the art. Mighty Mystic came on the scene in 2006 after scoring his first international hit with the song "Riding on the Clouds." However, it wasn't until the release of his first album "Wake up the World" (2010) that he became a household name. "Wake up the World" boasted several standouts, such as "Revolution," "Riding on the Clouds," "Original Love," and "Slipped Away" with appearances from reggae icon Shaggy and roots rocker Lutan Fyah. Mystic continues to wake up the world with his high energy, message driven brand of reggae music which he emphatically calls "HARD ROOTS." It is this unique spin on classic reggae blended with Hip Hop & Rock that has catapulted him to the forefront of today's Reggae Revival. Mighty Mystic is also the younger brother of current Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness. When asked, does being the brother of Prime Minister Holness have any impact on your music? Mystic simply says "Andrew has a job to do and so do I, impact or not we both have our own mission to complete".

Mighty Mystic was born Kevin Mark Holness in the farming community of Goshen, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica to parents Morris & Sonia Holness. As a child, Kevin showed early interest in his native island's music. It was common to hear him singing the latest tunes while imitating the actions of popular reggae artists. When Kevin was 10, the family relocated to Boston, MA in search of a new life. Though oceans apart Kevin never lost the passion for his beloved reggae music. Kevin's brother Stephen was already making a name for himself in the local Hip Hop scene as an up and coming rapper. This intrigued young Kevin and it wouldn't be long till he was bitten by the music bug. Soon he would be at every school talent show, every house party, every park showcase, every rap battle, every studio doing features, on every show as the opening act and before you knew it young Kevin had the ears of his City. It was becoming clear that this early buzz might be a real thing so he decided it was time for a musical name. He chose Mystic as it was his father's nick name as a kid and also the area Kevin was living in at the time, but moreover it was a reflection of the type of music he was into and doing. As Mystic arrived so would a new level of determination and passion. By the time he was 19, he had several songs as well as remixes produced by DJ Roy Barboza being played on Boston's #1 commercial radio station JAMN 94.5. The buzz would ignite like a wildfire and spread nationally. Soon the big boys like Funk Master Flex in NY was rocking MM, DJ Khaled in Miami and the Baka Boys in LA to name a few. And in a blink of an eye the foundation for a "Mighty" future was set.

Mighty Mystic has turned himself into one of the more sought after U.S. based Reggae artists on today's scene. His brand of "HARD ROOTS" with his high energy stage performance has been a magnet for the young enthusiastic reggae fan base. He has managed to hold firm to his Jamaican roots while adding elements of Hip Hop & Rock giving Mystic a more unique sound. Mystic has released 3 albums which all debuted in the top 10 on iTunes and Billboard reggae charts (Wake up the World 2010, Concrete World 2014, and The Art of Balance 2016). As well as a dozen bona fide single hits such Riding on the Clouds, Revolution, Concrete World, Something Bout Mary, Happy and Cali Green which was featured on VP Records "Hi Grade Ganja Anthems 4" compilation (2016). He has done over 20 national tours and several international tours. Mystic has toured and/or shared the stage with Ziggy Marley, Steel Pulse, Damian Marley, Buju Banton, Stephen Marley, Shaggy, SOJA, Toots and the Maytals, Collie Buddz, Sean Paul, Lee Scratch Perry, Barrington Levy, The Wailers, John Brownʼs Body, Luciano, Third World, Freddie McGregor, Capleton, Badfish, the Dirty Heads and the list goes on and on and on... Mystic's high energy stage performance is a sight to see as was evident at Jamaica's premiere reggae festival Rebel Salute 2018 and America's longest running festival Reggae on the River 2017. He has guest appeared on massive TV networks such as NBC TV, FOX TV, ABC TV and CBS TV. For many, this would be a summary of a long career, but for Mighty Mystic this is still just the beginning. Look out for a February 1st 2019 release of his 4th studio album titled "Enter the Mystic" and a 20+ city tour to support this venture via VP Records/VPAL.

For over 50 years, John Mayall has served as a pioneer of blues music, rightly earning him the title, "The Godfather of British Blues".
In 2013, John signed with producer Eric Corne's label, Forty Below Records, and has since been experiencing a true artistic and career renaissance.

The revival continues with the release of a brilliant new studio album Talk About That, produced by John and Eric at the famed House of Blues Studios in Encino, California. Joining Mayall (vocals, keyboards, harmonica and guitar), Greg Rzab (bass), Jay Davenport (drums) and Rocky Athas (guitar) as special guest is legendary guitarist Joe Walsh, who plays on two tracks, "The Devil Must Be Laughing" and "Cards on the Table," both John Mayall compositions. "We got a message through the studio owner that Joe wanted to come by and possibly play on a track or two as a guest," recalls Mayall. "Who was I to say no to that idea! So, he turned up at noon on the second day and with only a quick listen, plugged in and we did the song in one take. The second song closely followed, and with a smile and a quick photo, he was done and on his way. What a kick for all of us that day!"

For Joe Walsh, playing on a session with one of his musical heroes also held a special place. "It has been a bucket-list item since 1970 to play with John Mayall," he states. "John had a run of GREAT British guitarists (one after another) with his 'Bluesbreakers' albums, and that's how many of us in the States became aware of them. Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor - I studied them all for hours and became a much better guitarist as a result. The albums were legendary stuff and I have wanted to work with John for years and years, wondering what it would be like."

"Finally got the chance - and he was the complete gentleman and fine, fine musician I had always hoped he would be. When you meet a hero who helped shape your career - it's a wonderful feeling to find they're even cooler than you always thought they were." The album contains eleven tracks: eight originals, plus covers from Memphis soul music songwriter Bettye Crutcher ("It's Hard Going Up"), blues great Jimmy Rogers ("Goin' Away Baby") and rock singer/songwriter Jerry Lynn Williams ("Don't Deny Me"). It also showcases a three-piece horn section that adds extra punch on several tracks, including the infectious New Orleans-flavored "Gimme Some of that Gumbo."

The release of Talk About That comes on the heels of Mayall's internationally-acclaimed, Find A Way To Care in 2015. "Listeners who value a diverse, lyrical taste and a heavy dollop of classic blues music enjoyed Find a Way to Care, an album that fulfilled on every level." (Blues Rock Review), and A Special Life released in 2014. "I'd easily put this one among Mayall's best efforts - and that includes 'Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton,' 'A Hard Road' and 'Blues from Laurel Canyon!'" (about.com)

In April 2015, John and Forty Below thrilled the blues world with the release of the historical Bluesbreakers album, Live In 1967, featuring the three original members of Fleetwood Mac: Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood. "Sunken treasure doesn't get much better" (Classic Rock Magazine). Live in 1967 - Volume Two followed in 2016 and was hailed as a "welcome second helping" by Rolling Stone, and "essential listening" by Blues Music Magazine.

John Mayall was born on the 29th of November 1933 and grew up in a village not too far from Manchester, England. It was here as a teenager that he first became attracted to the jazz and blues 78s in his father's record collection. Initially it was all about guitarists such as Big Bill Broonzy, Brownie McGhee, Josh White and Leadbelly. However once he heard the sounds of boogie woogie piano giants Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson and Meade Lux Lewis, his desire to play in that style was all he could think of. At the age of 14, when he went to Manchester's Junior School of Art, he had access to a piano for the first time and he began to learn the basics of this exciting music. He also found time to continue learning the guitar and, a couple of years later, the harmonica, inspired by Sonny Terry, Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter.

After his two years at art school, he joined the art department of a major department store while starting to build up his own record collection that was to be his source of inspiration. At age eighteen, when he was due for National Service, he spent three years in the Royal Engineers as an office clerk in the south of England and in Korea all the time playing whenever he got a chance. As no one seemed to be interested in this type of music, John felt pretty much of an outsider throughout his twenties up until 1962 when the news broke in the British music magazine Melody Maker that Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies had opened a club in Ealing devoted to blues music. After Britain's ten year traditional jazz boom had about run its course, a new generation was ready for something new. Out came the amplifiers, guitars and harmonicas and out came young enthusiasts from all over the country eager to form their own groups.

This was all the encouragement thirty-year old John needed and, giving up his graphic design job, he moved from Manchester to London and began putting musicians together under the banner of the Bluesbreakers. Although things were rough at first, the music quickly took off thanks to the popularity of the Rolling Stones, Georgie Fame, Manfred Mann, The Animals and Spencer Davis with a young Steve Winwood. John also backed blues greats, John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, Eddie Boyd and Sonny Boy Williamson on their first English club tours.

After a couple of years and many personnel changes, Eric Clapton quit the Yardbirds and John quickly offered him the job as his new guitarist. Although John had previously released a couple of singles and a live LP for Decca, the now classic collaboration between Eric and John resulted in the all-time best-selling classic album, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers featuring Eric Clapton. However, by the time it was entering the charts, Clapton and bassist Jack Bruce had left to form Cream. So began a succession of future stars who would define their roots under John's leadership before leaving to form their own groups. Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood became Fleetwood Mac. Andy Fraser formed Free, and Mick Taylor joined the Rolling Stones.

In 1969, with his popularity blossoming in the USA, John caused somewhat of a stir with the release of a drummer-less acoustic live album entitled The Turning Point, from which his song, "Room To Move" was destined to become a rock classic. Attracted by the West Coast climate and culture, John then made his permanent move from England to Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles and began forming bands with American musicians. Throughout the '70s, John became further revered for his many jazz/rock/blues innovations featuring such notable performers as Blue Mitchell, Red Holloway, Larry Taylor, and Harvey Mandel.

In 1982, motivated by nostalgia and fond memories, John decided to re-form the original Bluesbreakers. Mick Fleetwood was unavailable at the time so John hired drummer Colin Allen to join with John McVie and Mick Taylor for a couple of tours and a video concert film entitled Blues Alive. Featured greats were Albert King, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and Etta James. By the time Mick and John had returned to their respective careers, public reaction had convinced Mayall that he should honor his driving blues roots. In Los Angeles, he selected his choices for a new incarnation of the Bluesbreakers. Officially launched in 1984, it included future stars in their own right, guitarists Coco Montoya and Walter Trout.

Throughout the '80s and '90s, John's popularity went from strength to strength with a succession of dynamic albums such as Behind The Iron Curtain, Chicago Line, A Sense of Place, and the Grammy-nominated Wake Up Call that featured guest artists Buddy Guy, Mavis Staples, Albert Collins and Mick Taylor.

In 1993, Texas guitarist Buddy Whittington joined the Bluesbreakers and, for the next ten years, energized the band with his unique and fiery ideas. Making his recording debut on Mayall's Spinning Coin album, he proved to be more than equal to following in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessors. Other modern classics followed; Blues For the Lost Days and Padlock On The Blues, the latter featuring a rare collaboration with his close friend, John Lee Hooker. On Along For The Ride, Mayall re-teamed with a number of his former mates, including Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, as well as ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Steve Miller, Billy Preston, Steve Cropper, Otis Rush, Gary Moore and Jeff Healey. The younger generation was well represented by teenage guitar sensations Shannon Curfman and Jonny Lang. In 2002, Stories debuted the Billboard blues charts at #1.

At a 70th Birthday celebration in aid of UNICEF in Liverpool a concert was filmed, recorded and released as a DVD and double CD in December 2003. Along with the Bluesbreakers, it featured old friends Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor and Chris Barber. The BBC also aired an hour-long documentary on John's life and career entitled The Godfather of British Blues to coincide with the release of Road Dogs. In 2005, John was awarded an OBE on The Queen's Honours list. In the Spring of 2007, John Mayall's 56th album release, In The Palace Of The King, was an entire studio album that honored and paid tribute to the music of Mayall's long-time hero of the blues, Freddie King. All garnered great reviews, critical and popular acclaim and represented Mayall's ongoing mastery of the Blues and his continuing importance in contemporary music.

In addition, over the last ten years, Mayall released live recordings on his own online label, Private Stash Records. (Some still available from his website johnmayall.com.) They included Time Capsule (containing historic 1957-62 live tapes), UK Tour 2K, (from a 2000 British tour), Boogie Woogie Man, (a selection of solo performances), Cookin' Down Under, (a live DVD from Australia) and No Days Off, (another British live show) and a 3 volume CD set of live performances covering the years 1970 to 1998 entitled Historic Live Shows.

In October 2008, John made the decision to permanently retire the name "Bluesbreakers" and move on to make a brand new start. It was a sad occasion to say farewell to Buddy and the guys after twenty years of great music and camaraderie but things had reached another turning point. This caused quite a stir in blues circles and led to rumors about total retirement. Happily for the fans, early in 2009 Eagle Records called upon John to come up with a new album. Feeling much revived after a couple of months off the road, he put together a new band for the project.

A few years ago, Buddy Whittington had introduced John to a fellow Texas guitarist, Rocky Athas and he recalled how impressed he'd been at the time. Luckily he answered John's call and was eager to come on board for the proposed album. With the need for a rhythm section of dynamic strength, John turned to bassist Greg Rzab who recommended his fellow Chicagoan Jay Davenport on drums. Finally, the three guys were put together with keyboardist Tom Canning and within two days of meeting up in Los Angeles, the album Tough was in the can. It had taken all of three days in the studio and ever since its release, and a growing schedule of world tours, a new era was born. Soon after its release Tom left to pursue other projects.

A leaner four piece line-up gave John more room to stretch out as an instrumentalist and the band's chemistry hit new heights. For the next seven years, John and the band continued to tour extensively throughout the world, and racked up their usual target of over a hundred shows per year. In 2010 a concert in London was filmed, and Live in London was released as a double CD and DVD through Private Stash.

After being invited to do a guest spot on Walter Trout's latest album, John met engineer/producer Eric Corne. John was so impressed that he asked Eric to record his new album A Special Life. Greg, Jay and Rocky flew in for the sessions which took less than a week to record and the end result was one of John's best albums ever, with it's deep devotion to blues and roots music. The album was released in 2014 to rave reviews, followed by an extensive tour of North America, Europe, and The UK to celebrate John's 80th birthday Find A Way To Care followed in 2015 and was equally well received.

Early in 2016 the co-producing team of John Mayall and Eric Corne assembled at the House of Blues studio in Los Angeles to record the new album Talk About That. This time around John wrote most of the songs that cover a wide range of exciting new material and are enhanced by some rock solid horn arrangements. The album with special guest Joe Walsh was released in January 2017.

2016 brought yet another change in the evolving Mayall history when serious Texas thunderstorms prevented Rocky Athas from making a festival date and John, Greg and Jay were compelled to perform as a trio. As fate would have it, the sound they came up with lent an amazing new slant to John's music and subsequently led him to explore the possibilities of making music as a trio. Unfortunately, this would mean a guitarist would now not be required as John was heading in a new direction. A sad parting of the ways, but Rocky has been supportive of John's decision. For information on what's happening next for him please check his website at: www.rockyathas.com.

So with a very full calendar of touring booked from coast to coast and all over the world, the John Mayall saga continues with his music as vital as it has ever been.

"Thousands of people have sent me their personal messages sharing their journeys, struggles, pains, joys, challenges and inspirations. I'm very humbled that the songs have touched people, each in their own way. All of you have become my teachers and inspiration."

"My great love is sharing with an audience my own folk songs and ballads mixed with raw rock, stripped down country and blues -- you can call it Americana but it is just continuing on the road started by the Allman Brothers..."

"Growing up our house was full of music. Bob Dylan, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Kris Kristofferson were big early influences on me as songwriters. I started to write songs in college and it has become an essential part of who I am. My earliest interaction with the music industry was an Atlantic Records A&R exec taking an interest in a song I had written called "Bye Bye Baby" about a young model who went out to LA and ended up dead. They wanted to send me to Nashville to record with producer Garry Tallent (E-Street Band) and I started the process of showcasing for Atlantic in New York City where I lived at the time.

My path changed after I met a mystic in Central Park and I started a journey that led me to meet my wife and start a family. Along the way always performing and the songs have continued to come down to me - starting with a lyric and sometimes as a melody. Every morning I carve out time to sit alone with the guitar and get into the flow - it keeps me going and makes it possible to cope with the painful struggle of this world and to be able to spread joy."

"As a young songwriter and guitar player, I loved Neil Young with his super sensitive acoustic and singing just suddenly firing it up with searing guitar. I first heard Stevie Ray Vaughn live at 14 and my father also took me to hear Santana live - those were life-changing experiences - seeing masters who performed on a level of prayer through music on stage. That set my mind and heart on playing music for life."

In 2015, Lots of Love Records put out Lazer Lloyd's first major international release of new material, a self-titled album that introduced Lloyd's songwriting and unique sound became one of the top blues rock records that year getting widespread critical acclaim with "Burning Thunder" reaching number one on the blues rock chart.

Lazer's second major international release "Freedom's Child" was dropped in September 2017 including 12 new tracks: 11 originals plus Lazer's take on Dylan and Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower" recorded with Grammy nominated producer & engineer David Ivory at his studio near Philadelphia. The album shot up the Americana charts as awareness of Lloyd's music grew into an expanded fan base of roots music lovers.

Canadian music sage John Kereiff wrote, "Critics have noted Lloyd's skill as a lyricist, saying he is 'able to elevate life's joys and struggles into inspirational material'. Couple that with supple musicianship, and that makes "Freedom's Child" one of the most compelling discs of 2017. Watch out, though - this one's gonna hit you right in the feels. Five Stars" John Kereiff (Gonzo Okanagan).

On tour in Connecticut in October of 2017, Lazer stopped off at Horizon Studios to record a few of his new songs with wizard of sound, Vic Steffens in West Haven. The result was several tracks including the Americana anthem "Backstreets" which was released as a single on Thanksgiving Day and went on to pass a million streams on Spotify, going viral on Facebook and Youtube as well.

As "Freedom's Child" was shooting up the Americana chart and "Backstreets" was going viral, Lazer was already on to the next project - recording an album with Eric Paul (Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt, Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson etc) at Ricky Skaggs Studio in Nashville featuring (Michael Rojas on keyboards, Michael Spriggs on rhythm guitar, Eddie Bayers on drums, and bass players Mark Fain and Eli Beaird). The brilliant band created by Eric and led by Lazer Lloyd produced music that is sheer heaven. To complete the album, Lazer found inspiration in the red dirt of Oklahoma and Texas working with many times Grammy nominated Chris Bell (Don Henley, Eagles, Erykah Badu, Luther Dickinson, Eric Johnson etc) at Billy Crockett's Blue Rock Studios in Wimberley with a group of young Tulsa musicians. The sound achieved by Chris is warm and real and soul transforming. Music from both the Nashville and Blue Rock Red Dirt sessions will be presented on two albums in 2019 on Lots of Love Records.

The Georgia Satellites were one of the most ferocious bands of the 80's. What set them apart from the other 100,000 bands who cranked their amps up to eleven was that their wild riffs and tanked up cries came from a band who, from the start, understood it's place in the rock tradition and fought hard to solidify it with each recording.

The story starts in the early 80's at Hedgen's, a "country club for the spiritually impoverished and emotionally destitute" as chief songwriter Dan Baird would later identify it. Bassist Keith Christopher, drummer Mauro Magellan and guitarists Dan Baird and Rick Richards were all playing on the Atlanta circuit in various bar bands such as The Hellhounds, The Brains and The Woodpeckers. These bands would gradually morph into the original Georgia Satellites, who signed to same the same management company as country-rock pioneers, Jason & The Scorchers, more of whom later.

#1 fan and road manager Kevin Jennings, sold an EP of early Satellites records to an independent UK record label, Making Waves, who released them as the Keep The Faith ep. The ep provoked an extraordinary response from the UK music press, which, in turn, woke up the previously indifferent US music industry. Elektra records quickly signed them and their first single, Keep Your Hands To Yourself, became a runaway hit. It reached #2 on the singles chart and their eponymous debut album reached the same position on the album charts. Both album and single only being kept off their respective #1 slots by Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet and Livin' On A Prayer. A second hit single, Battleship Chains consolidated their success.

Where the Satellites really earned their reputation though, was with their live shows. All those years of three sets a night, paid dividends laid waste to audiences across the States and particular, Europe, which took the band to it's collective heart, a love affair that continues to this day.

Two more Elekra LP's, Open All Night and the remarkable In The Land Of Salvation And Sin, plus a cover of The Singing Blue Jeans, Hippy Hippy Shake, on the Tom Cruise movie soundtrack, Cocktail followed, but by the early 90's, all those years of incessant touring had taken their toll and the band split. Dan Baird went on to a successful solo career with Rick Rubin's Def American, scoring major hits with the album Love Songs From The Hearing Impaired and the single I Love You Period. A second LP, the critically acclaimed Buffalo Nickel followed and Dan also developed as a career as a highly sought after producer.

The rhythm section on both solo albums were Keith Christopher (bass) and former Georgia Satellites drummer Mauro Magellan, the duo responsible for a large part of Dan's trademark sound.

Jump to 2007 and the band was completed by Jason And The Scorchers founder member and guitarist extraordinaire, Warner E. Hodges. The quartet released their debut album in 2008, championed by Alan Jones (Uncut), Scott Rowley (Classic Rock) and Bob Harris.

The band appeared at the Sweden Rock festival in 2009 and Hard Rock Hell in 2011 and 2012. In 2012 they headlined the prestigious Kilkenny Festival in Ireland. They have established an annual series of concerts in London that attract fans from all around the world.

In 2013, Circus Life, the long awaited follow up to the debut album, was released and attracted great reviews across Europe. The album was also their first CD to get a full USA release and their first album to album to appear as a vinyl release.

2014 saw long term bassist Keith Christopher replaced by ex Bonafide man Micke Nilsson as their touring schedule stepped up, seeing shows in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, UK and USA. The last night of the 2014 tour will see the band play their first ever acoustic show before a sold out London audience.

Squirrel Nut Zippers had the good fortune to make it to the big leagues at the same time the swing revival of the 1990s crested. Although the group's roots stretched far beyond the Rat Pack -- they were informed by New Orleans jazz, hot dance music, Harlem jazz, and other jumping music of prewar America -- they nevertheless benefited from the lounge revival, which helped lift their 1996 album, Hot, and its accompanying single, "Hell," into the Billboard charts. Squirrel Nut Zippers kept touring into the early 2000s, after which they went on hiatus. Leader Jimbo Mathus revived the group in 2008 for a live album but it wasn't until 2018 that the group released a new album, Beasts of Burgundy.

Jimbo Mathus (vocals, guitar, trombone) and Katharine Whalen (vocals, banjo) formed Squirrel Nut Zippers in 1993 in the Chapel Hill area of North Carolina. Settling in the nearby small town of Efland, the couple renovated a farmhouse, where they pursued various arts and crafts, and eventually the band fell into shape as Mathus and Whalen met local citizens like Don Raleigh (bass) and Ken Mosher (guitar, saxophone, vocals) who shared an interest in hot jazz. Before long, Chris Phillips (drums, percussion), Tom Maxwell (vocals, guitar, baritone saxophone, clarinet), and Je Widenhouse (trumpet) were added to the band, which was now named after an old-fashioned candy bar, Squirrel Nut Zippers. The group soon made its live debut in Chapel Hill and within a few months had developed a large fan base throughout the South.

The Inevitable Squirrel Nut Zippers By the end of 1994, Squirrel Nut Zippers had signed with Mammoth Records, and they released their debut album, The Inevitable, in the spring of 1995. Supporting the album with a tour, the group made some waves but it was their second album, Hot, that provided SQZ with a breakthrough. Released in June 1996, Hot gained momentum in early 1997 after "Hell" became a hit on such influential radio stations as Los Angeles' KROQ. Shortly afterward, MTV made the video into a buzz clip. By the spring, "Hell" and Hot had become hits, with the single earning heavy play on modern rock stations. Hot climbed to 27 on the Billboard charts and was certified gold in May; after its summer single "Put a Lid on It," it was certified platinum at the end of the year. Also in 1997, Squirrel Nut Zippers released the Sold Out EP.

Perennial FavoritesPerennial Favorites, the full-length sequel to Hot, followed in August 1998 -- it peaked at 18 on the Billboard Top 200 and was certified gold the month after its release -- with Christmas Caravan appearing in October of that year.

Bedlam Ballroom Following 2000's Bedlam Ballroom -- a record that went no further than 195 on Billboard's Top 200 -- Squirrel Nut Zippers entered an extended hiatus. Mathus and Whalen divorced, with each singer pursuing their own solo musical projects, while Chris Phillips played with the Dickies and formed a band called the Lamps. In 2007, Squirrel Nut Zippers reunited with a lineup featuring Mathus, Whalen, Phillips, Stuart Cole, Will Dawson, and Je Widenhouse for a tour that extended into 2008; the 2009 album Lost at Sea was taken from a December 2008 date in Brooklyn.

Another hiatus followed, with Mathus assembling a new version of the band to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hot in 2016; he was the only original member, although Phillips did serve as the group's manager. Happy with the new roster, Mathus and Phillips took the band into the studio to cut a new album. The resulting Beasts of Burgundy appeared in March 2018.

Martha Cannon is hardly the first songwriter to note that romance is complicated, but few of her peers capture the ugly particulars of those complications with quite as much nuance. As the singer/songsmith behind Lady Cannon, she subjects her relationships to a vicious post-mortem, holding the mirror to herself as she details self-doubt, codependence, infidelity, deception and sunsetting love with unflinching candor. Raised on a Pacific Northwest farm largely secluded from pop culture, married by 19 and a single parent by her 20s, the Milwaukee musician has lived a singular life of tragedies and triumphs, and she channels those experiences into dreamy Americana that plays her lacerating lyrics against her honied voice.

After Lady Cannon's first album, 2012's impassioned Whiskey Dear, Cannon pulled the plug on the project and retreated from music. "I lost a taste for it," she says. "My divorce kind of broke up the band and I struggled with performance anxiety and self-doubt." It was drummer Devin Drobka who encouraged her to begin playing again and helped her shape the band's unusual new direction and lineup, which includes some of Milwaukee's most distinguished jazz and experimental musicians, including upright bassist Barry Paul Clark (who plays in Field Report along with Drobka), cellist Pat Reihholz and guitarist Andrew Murray Trim. The band's new sound is softer around the edges thanks to those strings, yet as tough as ever at its core--a stately complement to Cannon's sweet/sour songwriting.

Recorded with Shane Hochstetler at Howl Street Recordings, Lady Cannon's album Fortune's Darling is an account of driftless men and determined women that documents the toll that trying to play it cool takes on the psyche of even the most resilient pragmatist. It features some of Cannon's most barbed songs yet, and conversely, some of her most romantic, too. No matter how often she's burned by relationships in these songs, she never loses her resilience.

Band of Dust is an indie-rock band based out of Milwaukee, WI. Their sound evokes both rustic afternoons and urban nights where suspenseful storytelling and anxious confessions intersect. It's a sound that's both contemporary and classic, informed by the energies of artists like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Replacements, and The Gaslight Anthem.

The group's debut album Whispers Are Roars (2017) and follow-up EP Songs For All Blood Types (2018) has led them on a midwestern excursion, with singles like "Blue Flame" rocking the radio waves. Energetic and adventurous, the band supplies an infectious fusion of guitar and organ within a collection of songs that pack an emotionally swift punch.

Fuzzysurf is a surf pop indie band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The group is composed of Sean Lehner (vox/guitar), Corey Murphy (keys), Ben Giddens (bass/vox), and Mike Roy (drums). Citing The Beatles, The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Blur, Weezer, and Talking Heads as early musical influences, the group goal has always been the creation of a catchy song.

Fuzzysurf is releasing their new album, "Fuzzy & The Surfs", on May 11th. Mixing melodic British Invasion pop sensibilities, Classic American surf, and a splash of psychedelia, the upcoming album showcases the band doing what they do best.

As most artists will attest, the most unexpected circumstance can spark artistic inspiration. That's a fact that hasn't been lost on singer, songwriter and guitarist extraordinaire Albert Castiglia. With his latest album, the aptly named Masterpiece, he celebrates an unforeseen triumph -- a connection with a daughter he never knew he had. The result is a work that's both personal and provocative all at the same time.

Castiglia calls this the most meaningful album he's ever made. "My daughter finding me and opening up my world to an additional family, including two grandchildren, brought out the deepest material I've ever created," he notes, "along with my wife, they were my muses." Indeed, songs such as "Keep On Swinging", "Masterpiece" and "Bring on the Rain" address the unexpected emotions that infused his psyche with the discovery of a family he never knew.

"Prior to my daughter finding me, my entire adult life felt incomplete," Castiglia reflects in the song "Bring On the Rain." "I never knew why I felt that way. I could never put my finger on it. Then when I discovered my daughter, my heart was suddenly overflowing."

The title track echoes the same sort of sentiment. "After my daughter and I connected for the first time, I submitted my DNA sample to the lab to confirm that I was indeed her father," Castiglia recalls. "I knew she was my kid the second I saw her picture, but my daughter wanted closure and by me taking the test, it would put all the speculation to rest. On the day my results came up positive, I wrote a letter to my daughter telling her how happy I was to be her father. At the end of the letter I wrote, 'I've been an artist for thirty years, but you're my masterpiece!' I ran with that line and made it the perfect song to express my love. As the lyric says, I loved her before I even knew her."

Co-produced by longtime friend and colleague Mike Zito, and released on Zito's own label, Gulf Coast Records, on May 24th, the album also finds Castiglia reflecting on the disappointment and disconnect that's gripped the nation in the past several years. Several songs, "Heavy" and "Love Will Win the War", deal with the dilemma that has impacted the those forgotten as the result of this modern malaise. "Heavy" brings those ideas to the fore. "It was inspired by people who live in this country and feel alienated, unappreciated, demonized and shunned by society," Castiglia reflects. "The homeless, the vets, immigrants, people of color, teachers, the LGBT community...they were on my mind the whole time I wrote this tune." "Love Will Win the War" goes even deeper into the horrors and violence that have shaken the very pillars of the nation's faith and fortitude. Castiglia says it was inspired by the mass shootings that were all too prevalent in recent years. "Those horrific events got me thinking, 'What goes through my daughter's mind when she drops her kids off at school? Does she think the worst or hope for the best? I really have a hard time playing this song without choking up, because I have my grandchildren in mind when I play it. It's sad, but I believe it's also hopeful."

The tone of the album underscores both its mood and its message, from the forthright stance of "Bring on the Rain," the frenzy and fury of "Keep On Swinging" and the driving determination of "Catch My Breath," "Thoughts and Prayers" and "Red Tide Blues," to the rustic reflection of "Love Will Win the War," the confidence and contemplation of the title track and the somber and sobering "I Tried To Tell Ya." By Castiglia's own admission, the sound is raw and unfiltered, little wonder since he and Zito play all the instruments between them.

"I think blues is a wide open net," Castiglia once told a reporter. "There are a lot of different ways to do it...I've taken a lot of heat for what I do. Some people think I'm too edgy to be considered a blues artist. On the other hand, I don't think that people like Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf would have wanted me copying them and redoing their stuff. There's no point in doing that. They would want me to do my own stuff."

Of course, Castiglia should know. The Miami-raised musician served an apprenticeship while backing legendary blues musician Junior Wells. He later went on to work with singer Sandra Hall. Never content to allow himself to be confined to any particular category, he embarked on a solo career that's yielded eight critically acclaimed album and consist kudos for his exceptional instrumental prowess, his searing vocals, and live performances that have dazzled audiences from coast to coast. It's little wonder that Miami's New Times lauded him as South Florida's "Best Blues Guitarist" or that USA Today was inspired to remark "It's a revelation to discover the thrilling retro-electric blues from this astonishing young guitarist."
Likewise, BluesABout.com called Castiglia "one of those mid-tier artists that is just one album away from breaking big and becoming a household word in the blues world." Or, as M Music & Musicians once noted, "His back-to-basics approach follows in the footsteps of those who fostered the blues in the Mississippi Delta and the smoky late-night haunts of Chicago."

For now anyway, Castiglia is content to celebrate a new chapter in his life and what has become an added incentive for making music. That philosophy is perhaps best expressed in another song on the new album, a track called "Keep On Swinging." "It's about advice I would have given my daughter had I been around when she was a kid but which I'm now able to give to grandchildren," Castiglia says."'Keep on swinging, don't let the haters get you down.'" I always try to remind them that they are special and can accomplish anything their heart desires if they only put their minds to it. They're the ones that give me hope for the future."

Gulf Coast Records to release Masterpiece on May 24, 2019

Stephane Wrembel is quite simply one of the finest guitar players in the world. The breadth and range of his playing and compositions are unmatched. To say that Wrembel-- who learned his craft among the Gypsies at campsites in the French countryside-- has already had a remarkable career would be an under-statement. This prolific, virtuoso guitarist from France has been releasing a steady stream of music since 2006 and has truly made his mark as one of the most original guitar voices in contemporary music.

The New York Observer said, "Stephane Wrembel represents the living face of Gypsy jazz." Rolling Stone Magazine has called him "a revelation".

Since last January, The Stephane Wrembel Band has been promoting two new recordings on Water Is Life Records, The Django Experiment I and II. Both albums primarily feature The Stephane Wrembel Band's own interpretation of the songs of legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, as well as Wrembel's original compositions, and those of other writers of the same vein of music. The Django Experiment I and II were released in conjunction with the Wrembel-produced Django A Gogo concert held at Carnegie Hall on March 3, 2017. The event received rave reviews and included guitar masters Al Di Meola, Larry Keel, Stochelo Rosenberg and other gifted musicians all celebrating the music of Django Reinhardt. The Stephane Wrembel Band will release The Django Experiment III on January 23, 2018.

Stephane Wrembel is widely known for "Bistro Fada", the theme song from the 2011 Woody Allen Oscar winning film, Midnight In Paris. Subsequently, Wrembel was hand-selected by award winning composer/producer Hans Zimmer to perform at the 2012 Academy Awards® as part of his "All Star Band." Then, Midnight in Paris won a Grammy Award for "Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media".

He has toured around the world, and is very active on the musical scene in many countries including USA, Canada, France, Israel and India. Recently, Stephane has performed as a headliner at the legendary Carnegie Hall in New York and at the Festival Django Reinhardt in France. Wrembel has also headlined at Lincoln Center, played major festivals, recorded with mandolin legend David Grisman, toured with master violinist Mark O'Connor and shared stages with everyone from Elvis Costello to Patti Smith to The Roots. The Gitane guitar company has even named a model after him. To say that Stephane Wrembel-- who learned his craft among the Gypsies at campsites in the French countryside-- has already had a remarkable career would be an under-statement. This virtuoso guitarist from France has truly just begun to make his mark as one of the most original guitar voices in contemporary music.

The Stephane Wrembel Band includes long-time collaborators Thor Jensen (guitar), Ari Folman Cohen (bass), and Nick Anderson (drums).

Much has changed for singer-songwriter Alice Peacock since her last solo studio album, 2009's Love Remains. She's had three kids, moved to Cincinnati and...gotten 10 years older. "Feel the weight of the world on my shoulders / Am I wiser or am I just older?" she sings on "Dry Spell," from her new collection, Minnesota. The record suggests that despite her "wondering what all is yet to be," she has indeed attained a measure of wisdom.

She uses the word "midlife" but does not follow it by "crisis." She views her current outlook more as an awareness of life's fragility and an appreciation of its sweetness. "Being a parent, I don't know that I could love any more than I do right now," she says, "so I've also never been more vulnerable. I have everything to lose."

Further evidence of this contemplative spirit can be heard on album closer "God Be Near Me," about which Peacock says, "I wrote a hymn out of nowhere! I was sitting at the piano one day going, 'Am I completely screwing this all up?' And I found myself thinking, 'Help me to stay focused on love.'" The lyrics ask, "Help me to surrender / And love the world the way you do / Now and ever after / And live in love the way you do."

On Minnesota, Peacock explores an understanding of love, in particular, that transcends hearts and flowers, Sturm und Drang. "Resting in the Quiet" acknowledges "a glimpse of the divine" in unspoken eloquence: "We don't have to talk about it / We don't have to say a word / We can wrap ourselves in silence / Cause I've already heard / Everything your eyes are saying."

A departure from romantic love, "Free and Wild" is a lullaby sung from the point of view of someone "with a love so fierce" it hurts. Peacock likens parenthood to "going through life with your heart outside your body."

The album's title track is a love song to her home state, where her family spends their summers. "I've lived in Illinois and Tennessee and now Ohio and I love them all, but there's something about home.... As soon as I get back to Minnesota and hear the birds and smell the air, I feel, 'This is mine; this is me.'" In the song she recalls sitting in "sacred silence," watching "the electric light show playing wide across the sky."

The song "Minnesota" was written in 2018, but some of the album Minnesota was written in 2015, the year Peacock took the third annual Real Women Real Songs challenge -- which meant writing 52 songs in 52 weeks. Among them were "Resting in the Quiet," "Free and Wild," "In Your Own Backyard" and "Paranoid." Their appearance on the new record reflects the songwriter's love of -- and commitment to -- songwriting itself.

She says of that period in her life: "I was momming full time. The twins were about three, my first-born had just started school, and it was busy. Before they came along, inspiration would strike and I'd go with it. I used to write in the middle of the night. But now...I need my sleep! I can't pursue the muse whenever she decides to arrive. I have to just show up and say, 'OK, here I am. Time to write!' It's less romantic but still satisfying."

The writing of Minnesota thus progressed at its own pace, but recording an album was another matter. She was able to collaborate on "Dry Spell" with Wayne Kirkpatrick (author of Eric Clapton's Grammy Song of the Year "Change the World"), on "Isn't That Me and You" with Minnesotan Jon Vezner (cowriter of Kathy Mattea's Grammy Best Country Song "Where've You Been"), and on "Your Own Backyard" with Dirk Freymuth (Kottonmouth Kings, John Gorka, Peter Ostroushko). Getting in a room with musicians and a producer, however, was a heavier lift. The timing had to work.

She credits Grammy Award-winning producer/keyboardist Phil Madeira, guitarist Will Kimbrough, bassist Chris Donahue and drummer Bryan Owings -- AKA Emmylou Harris' Red Dirt Boys -- for helping the stars align: "I got a call. They said, 'Hey, we're in town if you want to do some recording.' And I said, 'Why, yes, I do.'"

The town was Nashville, where Peacock and the Boys cut the basic tracks for Minnesota in four days. "They've played together so much," she says, "that they have this easy musical conversation, so the process was effortless. We didn't do more than two takes. I didn't even overdub any lead vocals, which was a little terrifying. Sometimes I'd listen to my vocal and say, 'I might have been able to sing that a little better,' and Phil would say, 'No, actually, that was a pretty great performance.' Or one of the guys would say of his own part, 'That take didn't make me mad.' We just went for it."

Peacock, Kirkpatrick and James Hollihan (Bill Gaither, Mighty Clouds of Joy) played acoustic guitar on the record, though John Mark Painter (Brandi Carlile, Kings of Leon, Ben Folds) played the lion's share of acoustic and also played horns, notably on "Paranoid," which finds Peacock in a New Orleans musical setting, ever the storyteller, channeling Tom Waits on one of the album's not-so-autobiographical outings.

Minnesota was recorded at the Butcher Shoppe with engineer Sean Sullivan (Beck, Sturgill Simpson). Derri Daugherty, lead singer and guitarist for the Choir, mixed the disc and sang harmonies with Peacock on several songs, including the title cut, which she calls "an almost-duet."

Peacock had not been in the studio since recording 2011's Myrick / Peacock, her duo project with fellow "preacher's kid" Danny Myrick. (2014's Live From Space was recorded live at Space, the intimate Evanston, Illinois venue Peacock played regularly in her Chicago days.)

But now that she's done having babies, she intends to return to the studio at regular intervals, having already started writing songs for a follow-up to Minnesota. "When all the focus was on me, on my music, I'd think, 'I'm looking forward to putting the focus on something else; I'm really tired of thinking about myself.' These days, as much as it possibly can be, the focus is back on my work."

During her tenure as full-time mom, Peacock did manage to "keep a toe in the water" with one-off shows. "Not just for me, not just for my fans," she says. "It's good for the kids to see me connecting with audiences, to see the passion I have for music." With the release of Minnesota, she plans to jump back in with both feet, hitting cities on tour she hasn't visited in years.

She acknowledges how lucky she is to have a co-parent holding down the home front, her husband of 21 years. "We're staying together for the math homework," she insists. "It takes both of us to figure it out." Like many couples with young children, she admits they don't have much time alone together. They fall into bed exhausted. But she also relates: "We ran into each other recently. He was driving his car; I was driving mine. He pulls around and rolls down the window, and he somehow caught me off-guard. I just looked at him smiling at me and thought, 'Did I really win this prize?'"

That recognition recalls a line from "Your Own Backyard": "Before your life goes slipping by you / Open up your eyes."

"Things feel very sacred to me at this time in my life," Peacock confides. "You reach an age where you begin to lose people. The beautiful moments we have, like being out in nature up in Minnesota -- 'the moon waxing over the water, the loon calling to her lover' -- I keep telling myself, 'Take it in because this is it.'"

It is a true, and nowadays rare, musician who writes lyrics so vulnerable and authentic that an audience is irrevocably captured by the powerful experience of sharing the journey. An album that is essentially an autobiographical account of personal mistakes, change, and growth, offers listeners a chance to reflect on their own experiences and connect with another's story.

With Griffin House's upcoming album, So On And So Forth, it is clear the artist digs deep and offers up his narrative after much reflection. House is now a young family man and artist who is choosing sobriety and celebrating the path to his success, through songs which share his perspective on how people remember the past with rose-colored glasses, how we grow up and realize what we deeply need, and how we must find happiness in ourselves in the present.

"The record has a lot to do with recognizing the ego in one's self and letting it die. It can feel like your whole identity is being wiped away, and you don't even know who you are anymore. For the person singing these songs, holding on to one's own individuality in order to remain special or important in the world has started to became far less important than being content with being a good, decent, and loving person. But old habits die hard," adds House.

The project was tracked last summer at Lakehouse Recording Studios, in Asbury Park, New Jersey. House's ties to Asbury Park go all the back to 2004, when he was invited to tour with Patti Scialfa. His first show in the boardwalk town was opening a show for Scialfa at the Paramount Theatre. It was there that Griffin met her husband, Bruce Springsteen, and all the wonderful characters in their crew and band. Those memories and experiences made returning to Asbury Park over a decade later to record So On And So Forth feel like a full circle moment in his career.

House recorded the essentially live project with no click track and very little overdubbing. Lakehouse owner, Jon Leidersdorff, helped assemble the band. Prior to walking into the studio, House had never met the musicians and had no idea how the songs would turn out. He adds, "The experience ended up being one of the most fun and positive of my career. The process was stress-free and freeing." The resulting album reflects this journey -- a leap of faith with triumphant results.

Recording and performing for over a decade, House has toured with Ron Sexsmith, Patti Scialfa, Josh Ritter, John Mellencamp, Mat Kearney, and The Cranberries. He received early critical acclaim on the CBS Sunday Morning, and his songs have since been featured in countless films and television shows such as One Tree Hill, Army Wives, and Brothers and Sisters. He has also appeared on Late Night with Craig Ferguson. Most recently, CNN Newsroom invited House to perform "Paris Calling," from So On and So Forth, live on the air, and the song has been picked up by radio prior to being serviced. House has released ten albums and continues to headline his own national tours. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his wife Jane and their two daughters.

Doug Stone, a contemporary country star, found his mark in music as a lonesome baritone balladeer, although he was very adept at hard-up-tempo country. Doug began at age five learning guitar from his mother an avid singer and guitarist. At age seven he was given the opportunity, by his mother, to open for Loretta Lynn. Life presented Doug a drastic change with the divorce of his mother and father. Doug, as result, moved in with his dad. As his youthful years past, Doug played at skating rinks, local bars or any money making project to help his father make ends meet. In the daytime Doug worked as a mechanic, something else that came to him naturally.

Doug had already past the age of 30 when a Nashville manager paired him up with Epic, his first record label. He debuted in 1990 with the single, "I'd Be Better Off (In a Pine Box)," the first release from his 1990 self-titled debuted album "Doug Stone" for Epic records. This album produced a handful of chart-topping singles. Following these songs was his first number one, "In a Different Light". In addition, the single was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Song. Both this album and its successor, 1991's I Thought It Was You, earned a platinum certification from The Recording Industry Association of America for U.S. shipments of one million copies. Two more albums for Epic, 1992's From The Heart and 1994's More Love, were each certified gold. Stone has charted --twenty-two singles on Hot Country Songs, with his greatest chart success coming between 1990 and 1995. In this time span, he charted eight Number Ones including: "In a Different Light", "A Jukebox and a Country Song", "Too Busy Being in Love", "Addicted to a Dollar, and "Why Didn't I think of That" to name a few, plus fifteen more Top Five singles.

In early 1992, Stone found that one of the arteries in his heart was almost entirely blocked. He underwent quadruple bypass surgery and took time off to recover, just as his third album, "From the Heart," was released. With a gold certification for shipments of 500,000 copies, "From the Heart" included two Number Ones among its four singles: "Too Busy Being in Love" and "Why Didn't I Think of That." The other two singles were "Warning Labels" and "Made for Lovin' You," at No. 4 and No.6 respectively. One month later Stone released an album titled "The First Christmas."

In June 1994 Stone discovered that he was having breathing problems, which were affecting his singing. Doctors at Vanderbilt University's medical center failed to find any problems in his throat. A second consultation revealed a lump in his nostril but amazingly it was not cancerous. While Stone was undergoing treatment, his Greatest Hits, Vol.1 compilation was released in late 1994.This album included the new song "Little Houses, "which debuted on the charts in October 1994 and peaked at No. 7 in early 1995.

Stone made his acting debut in the 1995 film "Gordy." "Gordy," a heartwarming story featured Doug as Luke McAllister, a struggling musician. Gordy paved the way for stone's acting career and as well featured several of his songs. In 2011 Doug moved on to another movie role, "When the Storm God Rides," a Thomas E. Kelly film.

Always the adventurer, in 2000 Doug suffered a broken ankle and a cracked rib after crashing his ultra light plane in Robertson County, TN. An experience that would put him back in the studio recording the self-inspired single "Caught Dead Living", based off of Doug's "larger than life personality", and love for living life to it's fullest.

In April 2012 Doug Stone and Dr. Gerald Murray of Muscle Shoals, Alabama signed a management contract. Murray is the former manager of George Jones and the late Vern Gosdin. In 2014 Doug released the album "Doug Stone 'The Demo's': 20 Years of Life".

Now- 28 years, 8 #1 singles, 15 Top 5 singles, and millions and millions of album sales later- the singer of timeless country hits like "A Jukebox with a Country Song" and "In a different Light" is still running the roads hard performing to dedicated fans all across the nation. With a new record slated for release in the Fall of 2018, Doug Stone continues to produce pure country gold.

For a long time, singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Matt Gilmour didn't take life very seriously. He didn't have to. He was in love, young and healthy, and music was in his genes. However, a series of painful and transformative events found him heartbroken, fighting for his life, and facing some serious realizations.

"After I was diagnosed with cancer, something in me changed," Matt shares. "I was fed up with who I was, and I knew I needed to start many things in my life from scratch."

Today, through brave introspection and hard work, Matt has emerged triumphant with his life reclaimed. The English-born, Austin, Texas-based artist is now making music on his own terms with his band of brothers in The Matt Gilmour Band. He's forging his own legacy with a distinct cinematic psych-rock aesthetic and a ground-breaking live performance streaming series.

The Matt Gilmour Band is an interstellar vehicle that plays psychedelic rock with touches of prog, blues, indie, folk, and funk. The band is a collaborative effort under the banner of The Matt Gilmour Band. "There is no way I could do this without the guys. They're amazing musicians and amazing friends," Matt says. In addition to Matt, the band features AJ Vincent on keys, and Danny Coco on drums. The Matt Gilmour Band gigs regionally and nationally, often performing with dazzling light show accompaniment.

Matt was born and raised in England where he grew up watching his father--Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour--from the side of the stage as he captivated arena crowds. Eventually, Matt began to solidify his musical chops and forge his own path discovering his identity through traversing a myriad of musical influences. As a signature sound coalesced, and Matt's talents shined through, he began to write compelling compositions. One track he posted online caught the ear of legendary producer/engineer and Steppenwolf guitarist Danny Johnson who invited Matt to Austin to record a solo album. That album, The Grey, snapshots Matt in an intimate bluesy folk setting.

His early time in Austin was humbling for Matt. He found himself a small fish in a big pond. Totally out on his own, he struggled to make a living. And the various bands he put together kept imploding.

Another trying time for Matt occurred when he was diagnosed with cancer at just 26, and he had to move back to England for chemo treatment. In a way, the whole experience galvanized Matt. Upon his full recovery, he returned to the US with a renewed sense of purpose. His clarity of mind showed in his lyrics which became less coded, his band lineups became steadier, and his personal musical vision became more unique.

The Matt Gilmour Band represents a culmination of these profound times of personal and artistic growth. Standouts in the band's current body of work are "Dear" and "Push." The track "Dear" patiently unfolds from an airy piano-driven ballad to a majestic rocker with soaring melodies, cathartic hooks, and a fleet-fingered bluesy guitar solo. The grandly ethereal "Push" boasts an imaginative arrangement that feels like a spiritual journey offering a rousing uplifting message. "That song is about those times when we think can't go any further, and we want to stop or give up. During those times of doubt, I think about my past, and how far I've come, and I feel a second wind. I just push through" Matt says.

These tracks, and others, are produced and recorded in collective collaboration with producer, and close friend, Chris "Frenchie" Smith from Bubble Studios. Chris lives with Matt and some of the guys, and, together, they revel in an intuitive creative consciousness. The recordings are live-band-to-recording-device--with no Pro Tools editing--and favor groove and humanness over sterile quantized perfection.

Up next, The Matt Gilmour Band are concentrating on its innovative series of streaming performances, the band's recorded output, and performing live regionally and nationally. At the moment, Matt says, the band is enjoying a wellspring of creativity. "It feels really like everything is taking off now. There is this wonderful unspoken energy and excitement that's unqualifiable. I am looking so forward to the future," he says.

Ian Noe draws on the day-to-day life of Eastern Kentucky on his debut album, Between the Country. Recorded in Nashville with unhurried production by Dave Cobb, these 10 original songs introduce a number of complicated characters, diverse in their own downfalls but bound together by Noe’s singular voice.

“I’ve always thought that Eastern Kentucky had a certain kind of sound, and I can’t really explain it any better than that,” he says. “What I was trying to do was write songs that sounded like where I was living.”

The lead track, “Irene (Ravin’ Bomb),” sets the tone for the album, telling the story of an alcoholic woman who fails to conceal her addiction from her family. Throughout the remaining tracks, family relationships are tested, bad decisions are inevitable, and more than a few people meet an untimely end. Titles like “Junk Town,” “Dead on the River (Rolling Down)” and “Meth Head” capture the dramatic situations faced by people in the region.

However, Between the Country is not necessarily an autobiographical album. Instead, Noe absorbed these harrowing experiences through people he’s met or stories he’s heard. Not yet 30, Noe was raised as the oldest of three children in Beattyville, Kentucky, where his parents still live in the house he grew up in. His father is a longtime youth social worker, while his mother has been employed by the same local factory for more than 20 years.

Noe learned to play guitar from his father and grandfather. As a young boy, he adored Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” and spent years trying to emulate Berry’s way of playing guitar. Before long, Noe could pick country standards like “I Saw the Light” and “Wildwood Flower.” By his teen years, he gravitated to Bob Dylan and John Prine after discovering them through his family’s music collection. Neil Young soon became another favorite, along with Dwight Yoakam and Tom T. Hall, who hail from the same part of the state.

Noe says, “There’s a silence about Eastern Kentucky. It’s quiet, at least where I was raised. There are a lot of places you can go and write and listen to music and not be bothered.”

All through his childhood, his great aunt often asked Noe if he’d written any songs yet. By 15 or 16, he decided to try. A family friend, who was also a manager at the Dairy Queen where Noe worked in high school, offered to help him book a few shows and get some songs recorded. Although Noe considers them just bedroom recordings now, the discs gave him something to sell when he started playing coffee shops and other small stages around Winchester and Lexington, Kentucky, and a little bit in Ohio.

“For me it was a turning point just getting a few songs that I was happy with. I didn’t understand anything about making a record, or what that meant, when I was 15 or 16,” Noe admits. “It was the farthest thing from my mind, but once I got a couple of songs that I was satisfied with, I just kept going.”

After high school, Noe took an office job close to home instead of enrolling in college. In his early 20s, he relocated to Louisville, hoping to get a band together and write music, but he had to constantly work odd jobs as a subcontractor to make rent. After a year, he briefly returned to the office job back home before finding work on an Eastern Kentucky oil rig – which he considers the best job he’s ever had, outside of music.

Soaked with oil after his 12-hour shifts, Noe never once considered what a career in music would look like. Yet through a mutual acquaintance, his original songs attracted the attention of an artist manager. Impressed with his raw talent, she sent him an email of encouragement, which ultimately led to a working relationship. Since that time, Noe has opened multiple dates for kindred spirit Colter Wall, tapping into an audience that appreciates the sincerity and austerity in Noe’s original songs, too.

Noe received another stamp of approval in February 2019 after singing at a John Prine tribute concert at the Troubadour in Los Angeles – with Prine himself in the crowd. Staged the night before the Grammys, Noe’s performance led to an offer to open three shows for his musical hero. As Noe puts it, “I’ve sat around my whole life thinking about what that would be like.”

Although touring is imminent, Between the Country serves as a potent snapshot of home. The black-and-white cover photo alludes to a lyric in the title track but Noe believes it also illustrates the album as a whole. It’s the same approach that Lucinda Williams employed on her landmark 1998 album, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, which Noe cites as one of his all-time favorites. “If you have a collection of songs where the subject matter is pretty much the same, and it’s coming from the same place, I think it’s important to have some kind of picture that reflects that. I’ve always felt that way,” he says.

Noe now lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky, about an hour north of Nashville, where his bandmates are based. After years of writing songs alone and playing solo acoustic sets, he now prefers touring with a band, making it possible to carry the overall mood of Between the Country out on the road as well. After all, he and Cobb recorded the album live on the floor, completing the sessions in two days. Amid these uncluttered arrangements and a relaxed vibe, Noe’s evocative voice truly stands out.

“I wanted a warm sound – that analog sound,” Noe says. “When we were getting the rough mixes going, that’s how it sounded, and that’s the direction it went in. You want people to be able to hear what you’re saying and what you’re singing about, and I think analog makes a good song stand the test of time.”

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Trashcan Sinatras were formed in 1987 in the coastal town of Irvine, Scotland, by John Douglas, Paul Livingston, David Hughes, Stephen Douglas and Francis Reader. Quickly signed to esteemed British indie label Go!Discs, the group used its label advance to set up their own recording studio, Shabby Road, in nearby Kilmarnock, where they settled in to create three critically- acclaimed albums.

The first of these, Cake, was released in the summer of 1990 and featured debut single "Obscurity Knocks" and its follow-up "Only Tongue Can Tell", both of which became alternative radio hits in the USA, and introduced the group to what has become a loving and loyal fan base around the world. Their beloved second album, I've Seen Everything, came along in 1993, preceded by the lauded single "Hayfever." The group's next album, 1996's self-produced A Happy Pocket, featured four singles, including the band's much-loved cover of "To Sir, With Love".

After leaving Go! Discs in 1998, the group kept a low profile until the release of their fourth album, Weightlifting, in the autumn of 2004. Extensive touring in support of that album followed, with shows in the UK, Europe, USA, Japan and Australia. In winter 2007/2008, they record a fifth studio album, In the Music, at Stratosphere Sound in Manhattan and on Martha's Vineyard. The group celebrated the album's release in 2009 with concerts and promotional appearances over the next two years in the United States, Japan and the United Kingdom. It was during the In the Music tours that the band began playing "house parties" for fans, which have since become a staple of their touring schedule.

In early 2015, the group set up camp with producer Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, Justin Townes Earle, First Aid Kit, Rilo Kiley) at his ARC Studios in Omaha, Nebraska to record their sixth LP. Released in April 2016, the album, Wild Pendulum, received a warm welcome from music critics and fans. The A.V. Club said "Wild Pendulum is lovingly crafted, with layers in all the right places," while Allmusic exclaimed the album is "quite likely the best sophisticated guitar pop album anyone is likely to hear in 2016." The band returned to the road for the first time in five years, supporting the release with concerts in the United States, Scotland, England, Ireland and Japan.

Paul, John and Francis hit the road as a three-piece unit in September 2017 for a six week acoustic tour of North America, playing nearly all of the 100+ songs they had written together over the last 30 years. The tour included sold-out shows in New York City and Los Angeles, amongst others, and was capped off with a second sell-out in Los Angeles, where the group filmed the show for a live CD/DVD, All Night In America (released in October 2018).

Trashcan Sinatras toured again in 2018, in both their acoustic and full-band configurations. A 30 date North American acoustic "One Night, Two Albums" tour, where they played Cake and I've Seen Everything in their entirety, was followed by a full-band supporting slot in the UK with Del Amitri, as well as their own headline shows in the UK and elsewhere.

In 2019, the band is beginning the creative process for a new album, while its acoustic lineup reprises the "One Night, Two Albums" tour concept. Spanning North America for six weeks in the Fall, the band will play both A Happy Pocket and Weightlifting (celebrating its 15 year anniversary) in their entirety.

Pioneers in the use of cello as the sole instrument within a rock band, Rasputina has been inspiring young string players to commit a number of musical sins since 1996. The group's concept was written as a manifesto, and manifested accordingly by directress Melora Creager as a wily subterfuge for a plot to open audiences to adventure. The funny, the sad, the heavy, the tender-- it can all exist together. Employing elaborate costuming spanning a number of historical periods, Rasputina brings marginalized historical female figures and stories to light in the pop form, using archetypal characters such as Indian princesses, Hawaiian handmaidens and Medieval queens. Melora last performed in Europe with Nirvana, on their final tour in 1994. Over the years, Rasputina has performed/recorded with Marilyn Manson, Porno For Pyros, Cheap Trick, Goo Goo Dolls and many others. Hardened road-dogs, and with more than 7 albums under their belt, Rasputina continues to amaze and amuse.

About 'UNKNOWN'- the new Rasputina album:
Melora says, "Unknown' is 14 new songs recorded alone in a dank basement studio. I quite liked it though, that dank basement studio. I didn't feel at all alone. Using only one microphone, the whole album poured out of me in just 3 weeks- writing, recording, the whole thing. "Unknown is a CD only release- non-digital. Why? At one level, this album is about trauma, Melora's trauma at being hacked- silently and anonymously observed through the Cloud. Conceptually, this album doesn't exist on the Internet. It's a real and physical thing. Anyone who purchases it is known to her.

MELORA CREAGER - voice, cello, banjo
Kansas born & raised, she moved to NYC in the 1980s. Melora received classical music training as a child, but her performance career began with rock bands and East Village drag/performance artists. She founded the alternative/ historical cello ensemble Rasputina in 1991 as a way to meet like-minded girls- girls that wanted to rock out on the cello and wear fine costumery. The sound and visual concepts that began in Creager's Rasputina manifestos presaged and influenced movements and trends such as Modern Victorians, Steampunk, freak-folk, corsetry, and crafting. In 19 recordings, and countless public performances, Creager has led a 20 year exploration in cello amplification, recording, and performance.

LUIS MOJICA- piano, beat-boxing
Luis uses the piano to cast, wild narrative spells. His eyes are that of an androgynous monk with rainbow tentacles. Luis loops words, chants, and sounds through a loop pedal AKA beatboxing, 'Beat-Boxing Baroque'. Luis brings his musical madness to Rasputina today.

CARPELLA PARVO- cello, voice
Cello-fingers in flight and with the voice of a bird, Carpella is from another country, but keeps it a secret which one. She played on Rasputina's debut album, Thanks for the Ether (1996), then succumbed to the very condition from which she takes her name- carpal tunnel syndrome. Having healed over 20 years, Carpella jubilantly returns to Rasputina in the 21st century.

Blues is not for the faint-hearted. Since the genre first drew breath, its greatest practitioners have embraced the darkness, spinning tales of hardship and death, hellhounds and devilry. If the sleeve of Witchy Feelin' suggests that Kim Simmonds, too, has a tendency towards the macabre, then Savoy Brown's iconic leader is happy to confirm it. "Blues has always dealt with themes of the Devil, witchcraft and so forth, and I've always written along those lines. At least three of the songs on Witchy Feelin' have that hoodoo vibe..."

Released in 2017 on Ruf Records, Witchy Feelin' proves the Devil still has all the best tunes. From the thrillingly brittle guitar riff that opens Why Did You Hoodoo Me, we are in the hands of a master, with Simmonds reigniting the seismic vocals and searing fretwork that established Savoy Brown as linchpins of the '60s British blues boom. "On this album, I tried my best to get my voice in its power zone," he explains. "I'm a baritone singer. I like listening to singers I can relate to, such as J.J. Cale, Mark Knopfler, Tony Joe White and Tom Rush. For my guitar playing, I still get inspiration from Otis Rush, Buddy Guy and all the Chicago players I grew up listening to back in '63... but I always listen to new music too."

Recording alongside Pat Desalvo (bass), Garnet Grimm (drums) and engineer Ben Elliott, Simmonds leads us into a world of dark nights, wild weather, women and whiskey: all perennial themes given a modern twist by this ageless bluesman. "The songs on this album have been two years in the making," he reflects. "I tried to write songs that had a personal point of view yet can be relatable to everyone. On Vintage Man, I wrote about being the type of guy who doesn't change as he gets older. I wrote about the power of love on Why Did You Hoodoo Me. And with Guitar Slinger, I wrote a song about seeing a great guitar player in an old country bar -- as I did when I first saw Roy Buchanan in '69."

Anyone who witnessed Savoy Brown leave the blocks in 1965 would speak of a similar epiphany. Back then, the band were the spark that ignited the blues-boom, signing to Decca, opening for Cream's first London show and boasting a lead guitarist who was being namedropped in the same reverential breath as peers like Clapton and Hendrix (with whom Simmonds jammed). Already, the guitarist was emerging as the band's driving force. "I had a vision," he reflects. "When I started the band back in 1965, the concept was to be a British version of a Chicago blues band. And the exciting thing now is, that vision is still alive."

Soon, Savoy Brown had achieved what most British bands never did -- success in America -- and became a major US draw thanks to their high-energy material and tireless work ethic. "There's far too much said about sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll," Simmonds told Classic Rock. "It's a cliché. We were all extremely hard-working guys. When we came over to America, we were like a little army. I look at that time as being filled with incredible talent."
Times changed, of course, and by 1979, Simmonds had moved from a London he no longer recognised -- "The punks were everywhere!" -- to settle permanently in New York. The Savoy Brown bandmembers came and went, and the music scene shifted around him, but the guitarist stuck thrillingly to his guns and reaped the rewards, performing in iconic venues like Carnegie Hall and the Fillmore East and West, releasing thirty-odd albums, and later enjoying a well-deserved induction into Hollywood's Rock Walk Of Fame.

Even in the post-millennium, while his peers grow soft and drift into semi-retirement, Simmonds retains a vision and an edge, spitting out acclaimed albums that include 2011's Voodoo Moon, 2014's Goin' To The Delta, 2015's The Devil To Pay -- and the emphatic new addition to Savoy Brown's catalogue, Witchy Feelin'. "I'm amazed that I still have the energy inside me to play guitar, create music and write songs," he considers. "I've been blessed in my life and I thank God for that. I've never been a believer in holding on to the past -- I don't look over my shoulder and congratulate myself. I always want to climb the next mountain -- and I'm very pleased with this new album..."

KICK - The INXS Experience is the USA's most captivating salute and tribute to the internationally acclaimed rock band, INXS.

Formed in 2014, two years after INXS stopped touring, KICK - The INXS Experience has beautifully managed to capture the spirit of INXS in both its sound and live performance, bringing the highest level of musicianship to the audience while showing a true passion for the music of INXS. Vocalist, guitarist, and singer-songwriter Cory Massi is the founding frontman of KICK, and has long held a respect and admiration for the late great Michael Hutchence. Massi even auditioned for the reality TV show, Rockstar: INXS, in 2004, where contestants competed to become the new lead vocalist for INXS. What convinced him to audition? "I loved Michael's singing and his personality," notes Massi. "I saw INXS when I was a teenager in '88 and '89; they were great, and the people were just gaga over them. Michael left a big impression with his star power; he really had it, that guy. Our range is similar and I just went for it. I had to sing "Mystify" acappella so I was kind of nervous because I didn't have a band behind me. There was a camera a foot away from my face and it was out of my comfort zone; I would probably still feel uncomfortable today. I didn't get the gig: I was one of the last people to try out and I think by the time I auditioned they had already made their selection. No excuse: it was a good experience. We include "Mystify" in our set and when I sing it, I have my band with me and we love the music, so we play it with a lot of heart."

KICK is already garnering the attention, admiration, and accolades of well-seasoned "ears" in the music industry. Radio personalities in several markets have been quick to offer praise; WZXL / Atlantic City program director Steve Raymond, a longtime fan of INXS, raved after listening to only part of one song, "Wow! These guys have got the vibe down. Really impressive!" 107.1 The BOSS (WWZY)'s midday air personality Michele Amabile concurred, "I had to go back and listen again with my eyes closed.... I could have sworn I was hearing Michael Hutchence!"

Sounding like legendary frontman Michael Hutchence is no easy task. "I guess the hardest thing, the most challenging thing when I started KICK," acknowledges Massi, "was capturing the great variety in Hutchence's voice. He can sound sensitive and soft and he can be super strong and really belt it out and sometimes that all happens within one phrase or even a word. It took a lot of self-control to capture how he projects his lyrics and the music. It's impossible to really sound and look like him; he's an Adonis, another Jim Morrison, Morrison in a pop sense. I can't mimic that; all I can do is do my best to capture his spirit."

The focus has been on faithfully recreating the music in its most powerful sense; an in-the-pocket bottom end from bass player Don Leslie and drummer Johnny Dee, a brilliant combination of piano and synth by Mark Goodnough, the signature guitar tones produced by guitarist Todd King and Jason Taylor, the saxophone by Nottingham, England's Tom Wheat, and the spot-on lead vocals by Cory Massi, all lend to a powerful high-energy show. KICK - The INXS Experience will take you back. It will reignite your passion for INXS. It will introduce you to music that is still as fresh today as the day it was written; from "Original Sin" to "Elegantly Wasted" and everything in between, including (but not limited to) "Need You Tonight," "New Sensation," "What You Need," "Don't Change," "Listen Like Thieves," "The One Thing," "Bitter Tears," "Suicide Blonde," "Not Enough Time," "Beautiful Girl," and "Devil Inside." The band hears it, time and time again.

More than four decades have passed since Steve Forbert made his way to New York City from his Meridian, Mississippi birthplace in quest of a career in music. It was the most unlikely time and place for a folk singer to leap into the fray in a burgeoning scene where new wave and punk were emerging while he took the stage as a the archetypal folkie, armed with just an acoustic guitar and sheaf of very personal songs. After busking on the street for change from passers by, he rose to sharing bills at CBGB's with the likes of Talking Heads, The Shirts and John Cale as well as headlining more traditional venues such as The Bitter End and Kenny's Castaways. Against staggering odds, he found blazing success early on with a string of critically acclaimed and commercially accepted albums including Alive on Arrival (1978), Jackrabbit Slim (1979), and Little Stevie Orbit (1980) and a most unlikely smash hit single, "Romeo's Tune."

His career had its share of triumphs as well as stumbles and disappointments as did his private life. Through it all, over the course of a marriage, divorce, raising three children, writing and recording 18 studio albums and fronting an ever changing line-up of supporting musicians, he persevered and stayed true to his roots and the folk ethos.

Now, those life-changing experiences have been chronicled by Forbert in Big City Cat: My Life In Folk Rock, co-written with Therese Boyd, that will be released September 14 by PFP Publishing. The memoir, originally conceived as a stage play, offers a uniquely introspective view of a life and career during a period of cultural upheaval and the author's emerging self-awareness. Sharing reflections and journals he kept at the time, Forbert weaves an absorbing narrative that fully addresses the trials, travails and triumphs that would eventually play out over the course of his prolific 40+ year career. With a colorful cast of characters that includes managers Danny Fields and Linda Stein, along with such music legends as Doc Pomus and John Simon, it offers a revelatory look at his personal life and family, as well. Big City Cat: My Life In Folk Rock features first-person commentary from those who worked with Forbert on the road and in the studio.

The book will, in a manner of speaking, be accompanied by its own soundtrack. Simultaneous with the release comes an evocative new Steve Forbert album from Blue Rose Music entitled The Magic Tree. Produced by Karl Derfler (Tom Waits, No Doubt, Two Gallants), it offers a series of songs gleaned from previously recorded acoustic demos, augmented with new backing tracks. The collection rings with the verve and vitality that Forbert's fans have always come to expect. It takes on special meaning in light of the recent health scare that sidelined him for several months while he recovered from kidney surgery and chemotherapy with the help of his girlfriend of 17 years. Consistently upbeat and optimistic, the album's songs recorded in Meridian, Nashville, New York, and New Jersey and Virginia convey a firm sense that age ought not diminish a lust for living. Big City Cat and The Magic Tree underscore what revered critic the late Paul Nelson wrote about Forbert in Rolling Stone almost 40 years ago: "..Nothing, nothing in this world, is going to stop Steve Forbert, and on that I'll bet anything you'd care to wager."

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