Upcoming Shows

Mike Zito

FridayAugust 18, 20178:00pm $20.00

Born in South St. Louis, Mo. Mike Zito grew up in a working class home with a dire love of music. It was his escape and way out. After a decade working in a local guitar shop, Mike learned his craft from the ground up playing in clubs 7 nights a week. He fell in love with the Blues of St. Louis and the stories of the....

Current Swell, The Mike Benign Compulsion

MondayAugust 21, 20178:00pm $12 advance / $15 door

Shook Twins, Zach Pietrini

ThursdayAugust 24, 20178:00pm $15.00

Recently Added Shows

Larkin Poe, Trapper Schoepp

ThursdayAugust 31, 20178:00pm $15.00

The Huntress and Holder of Hands

WednesdaySeptember 27, 20178:00pm $15.00

MorganEve Swain uses only her voice and arsenal of stringed instruments to create music from experience. Informed not only by the loss of her husband and musical partner, Dave Lamb, to leukemia in April 2014 but also by their life together, Swain pulls from the Lamb/Swain duo Brown Bird’s pool of influence, determined to....

Cornell Thigpen

SundayOctober 1, 20177:00pm $20.00

Keyboard player, organ player, music producer and music director Cornell Thigpen's credits include working with legendary artists such as Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, Kenneth (BabyFace) Edmonds, Stevie Nicks, Patti Labelle, BeBe and CeCe Winans and many others. Cornell's extensive music career includes tours worldwide, as....

Trashcan Sinatras

WednesdayOctober 11, 20178:00pm $20.00

Jared James Nichols

SundayOctober 15, 20178:00pm $12 advance / $15 door

Dead Boys 40th Anniversary Tour feat. Cheetah Chrome & Johnny Blitz, The DUIs

MondayOctober 23, 20178:00pm $15.00

Bob Schneider

FridayNovember 3, 20178:00pm $20.00

Will Dailey

WednesdayNovember 8, 20178:00pm $10.00

Will Dailey is an acclaimed independent recording and performing artist. His sound has been described as having a rich vintage vibe while having a firm appreciation of AM rock, pop and big hooks leading famed Rock journalist Dan Aquilante to call him "the real deal". Dailey's latest album, National Throat, has been met....

JC Brooks, The Right Now

FridayNovember 10, 20178:00pm $15.00

Consider the Source

ThursdayNovember 16, 2017$10 advance / $12 door

Anthony Gomes

FridayDecember 1, 20178:00pm $15.00

Toronzo Cannon

FridayDecember 22, 20178:00pm $15.00

Local H

FridayDecember 29, 20178:00pm $20.00

Local H is known for their blistering live shows and for pioneering the two-man band set-up -- frontman Scott Lucas covers both guitar and bass through an extra pick up in his guitar and drummer Ryan Harding pounds out the rest of the sound. While they have earned praise in the past for their catalog of clever concept....

Alternative Concert Group Presents

Restless Heart

FridaySeptember 15, 20177:30pm $45 / $49 / $59

At the Eau Claire Regional Arts Center, Eau Claire, WI.

Tickets on sale at eauclairearts.com, by calling 715-832-2787 or at the box office Monday-Friday 9:00am-4:30pm (9:00am-7:00pm on Thursdays).

Arlo Guthrie

FridayOctober 6, 20178:00pm

At The Pabst Theater, Milwaukee, WI.

Tickets on sale at The Pabst Theater box office, online at pabsttheater.org, or by phone at 414-286-3663.

Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary

SundayOctober 8, 20177:00pm $49.50 - $75

At the Capitol Theater, Madison, WI.

Tickets on sale at overture.org, the Overture box office, or by phone at 608-258-4141 (Mon-Fri 11:00am-5:30pm, Sat 11:00am-2:00pm).

John Anderson

TuesdayOctober 24, 20177:30pm $45 / $49 / $59

At the Eau Claire Regional Arts Center, Eau Claire, WI.

Tickets on sale at eauclairearts.com, by calling 715-832-2787 or at the box office Monday-Friday 9:00am-4:30pm (9:00am-7:00pm on Thursdays).

John Anderson

WednesdayOctober 25, 20177:30pm $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).

The Marshall Tucker Band

ThursdayOctober 26, 20177:30pm $45 / $49 / $59

At the Eau Claire Regional Arts Center, Eau Claire, WI.

Tickets on sale at eauclairearts.com, by calling 715-832-2787 or at the box office Monday-Friday 9:00am-4:30pm (9:00am-7:00pm on Thursdays).

The Black Jacket Symphony

ThursdayNovember 2, 20177:30pm $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).

The Black Jacket Symphony

SaturdayNovember 4, 20177:30pm $35.00

At the Eau Claire Regional Arts Center, Eau Claire, WI.

Tickets on sale at eauclairearts.com, by calling 715-832-2787 or at the box office Monday-Friday 9:00am-4:30pm (9:00am-7:00pm on Thursdays).

Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real and Nikki Lane Stagecoach Spotlight Tour

SaturdayNovember 4, 20178:00pm $25.00

At The Rave, Milwaukee, WI.

Tickets on sale at therave.com, etix.com, by calling 414-342-7283 or at The Rave box office Monday-Saturday 10:00am-6:00pm.

Bruce Cockburn

TuesdayNovember 21, 20177:30pm $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).

King Crimson

SundayNovember 26, 20177:30pm $49.75 / $59.75 / $79.75 / $121.75

At The Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, WI.

Tickets on sale at The Riverside Theater box office, online at pabsttheater.org, or by phone at 414-286-3663.

Quick Calendar

Scott Stanton, vocals and guitar Dave Lang, vocals and guitar Ghosty Boy, bass and vocals Chris Petersen, drums

Every song has a story. With Current Swell's third Nettwerk Records release, When To Talk And When To Listen, these stories cut deep.

Grammy-winning producer Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, Norah Jones, Cold War Kids, Of Monsters and Men, James Bay) produced the album over four weeks in two vastly different locales: Nashville and Vancouver.

The former is where King lives and does most of his studio work; the latter is a ferry ride away from where Current Swell makes its home. Both cities have music at their core, which gave King and Current Swell common ground on which to build their new relationship.

Yet, tensions ran high early on. During the first night at Nashville's famed Blackbird Studios, King cut short the sessions and told the band to come back when they had something worthwhile to say. Current Swell was talking loud and saying nothing.

A blunt, band-only meeting quickly cured what ailed them. They went back to their first-ever phone call with King months earlier, when they discovered he had an extensive list of questions and ideas for each song -- long before they had ever even met.

The four friends returned the following day ready to create. "He said we had finally tapped into that spark he heard in the very first demos we sent him," recalls frontman Scott Stanton. "It helped create trust. He knew as much about the songs as we did. He pushed us because he knew we had it in us to make a really great record."

Like all good rock 'n' roll should, When To Talk And When To Listen touches on all facets of the human condition, from the heartbreak and spurned love of first single "It Ain't Right" to a pair of songs about loss that form the emotional core of the album.

"Marsha" is about the inner dialogue Stanton often has with his mother, a piano teacher who died at 46 of breast cancer when he was in Grade 9. "She is still part of me in a way, so I often talk to her when I need advice," he says. "I feel like my mom would be really proud of it."

Band member Dave Lang wrote title track "When To Talk And When To Listen" when his father-in-law was nearing the end of his life. Lang and his wife were getting ready to welcome their first child around the same time, which felt like a cruel twist of fate. After taking stock of the reality he was facing, Lang says the words came pouring out.

"We knew he wasn't going to be around when our daughter was born, and he was going to miss out on meeting her. And I started thinking: 'What if that happened to me? What would I want to pass along?'"
Current Swell's track record in its home country includes two No. 1 singles on iTunes Canada's rock chart and a Top 10 record on the commercial rock charts in Canada for 2014's Ulysses. But all signs point to When To Talk And When To Listen -- an album of rich songwriting and vibrant musicianship -- casting a much wider net.

That means more pressure will exist. Which is why this album has to be unlike any Current Swell recording to date.
"For Ulysses, we jammed all the songs, went in the studio and played them," Stanton says. "For this, we started from scratch. We dissected everything. Out of any album we've done, this one really captured what I was hearing in my head."

"It Ain't Right" is an apt example. Stanton infuses the album's lead single with a keen eye for relationship details, the band rumbling away beneath him as it reaches an apex. "I thought you were different," Stanton sings, highlighting the narrator's serious interconnectivity issues. "I thought you were cool, but it ain't right."

The group as whole found a new level of confidence on the recording. Some of that can be credited to King, who pushed Current Swell to find a new side of their artistic selves, Stanton says. "He would never say something just to say it. But he always wound up being right. He was like a coach."

A solid fanbase has taken the group across North America several times and into countries such as Brazil, where a pair of headline tours brought them to thousands of rabid fans. "We're very comfortable in certain parts of the world with our success," Lang says. "But I know this record is one that can take us to new places."

Stanton and Lang use one word - educational - to describe the process of recording seperately at Blackbird in Nashville and the Warehouse in Vancouver. They are studios with rich histories - not to mention a client list that includes Bruce Springsteen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, AC/DC, Taylor Swift and R.E.M.

Current Swell had developed a comfortable way of recording until King came along. He succeeded in propelling them to greater heights, pushing the band to realize its potential. Urging them to dig deeper.
"He was not afraid to share the hard truth that you know is in the back of your mind," Lang says. "And he was not afraid to bring it to everyone's attention. It was cool to be pushed like that."

Now, it is time for Current Swell to push back. Lang says the group will take its music to the world this year, showcasing the heart and soul it took to create When To Talk And When To Listen.

"Anyone can make an album," he said. "But we knew this record had to be good."

Melodic, well-crafted, driving, alt guitar pop that rocks.

Band members Mike Benign, Joe Vent, Paul Biemann and Mike Koch are veterans of acclaimed Milwaukee-based acts like Blue in The Face, The Yell Leaders, Arms & Legs & Feet and The Joker's Henchmen. Live shows have included opening slots for Squeeze, Neil Finn (Crowded House), The Lemonheads, Bob Mould, Black Francis, Rhett Miller, Marshall Crenshaw and others.

The band's fourth album, "Kid," was released in 2017. Powerpopaholic called "Kid" a "sweet (and harsh) look back at childhood...highly recommended." The Shepherd-Express wrote "Benign's songs are built from surprises--bridges in unconventional places, refrains that don't follow expectations, along with irresistible choruses, lyrics in the form of intriguing character sketches and distant echoes of '60s rock at its most concise."

The single "The Best Years of Our Lives" is in steady rotation on 88nine Radio Milwaukee.

Born and raised in Sandpoint Idaho, Shook Twins are an Indie folk-pop band hailing from Portland, Oregon. Identical twins, Katelyn and Laurie are the main songwriters, but they also back up their band member Niko Slice (electric guitar, mandolin and vocals) adding his uniquely compelling songs to the mix. Barra Brown is on Drums, vocals and Drum Pad, and Josh Simon is on Bass, vocals, Electric guitar, and synth. Central to Shook Twins' sound is their wide range of instrumentation: banjo, acoustic and electric guitars, electric bass, mandolin, electronic drums, face drum (beat-box), glockenspiel, ukulele, banjo-head drumming and their signature Golden Egg. Beautiful twin harmonies, layered upon acoustic and electric instrumentation, coupled with Laurie's inventive use of percussive and ambient vocal loops, and Katelyn's re-purposed telephone microphone, set their sound apart, creating a unique and eccentric blend of folk, roots, groove and soul.

Their eclectic style fluctuates from song to song; drawing from their life experience they write about being potters' daughters, the sway of the subconscious, imagined superpowers and a chicken friend named 'Rose.' Shook Twins also pull out unexpected covers on classic hits as well as their friends' songs. After releasing their first album You Can Have the Rest, the twin sisters moved to Portland where they released Window (featuring Bonnie Paine and Bridget Law of Elephant Revival). Both albums were recorded and produced in Santa Cruz, California, at InDigital Studios with Brody Bergholz and Mason Rothchild. Shook Twins recorded their third album, What We Do, with Grammy nominated producer Ryan Hadlock at Bear Creek Studios. They are currently recording new music at Hallowed Halls in Portland, OR with Justin Phelps.

After releasing their first album You Can Have the Rest, the twin sisters moved to Portland where they released Window (featuring Bonnie Paine and Bridget Law of Elephant Revival). Both albums were recorded and produced in Santa Cruz, California, at InDigital Studios with Brody Bergholz and Mason Rothchild. Shook Twins recorded their third album, What We Do, with Grammy nominated producer Ryan Hadlock at Bear Creek Studios. They are currently recording new music at Hallowed Halls in Portland, OR with Justin Phelps.

Shook Twins have shared the stage with artists including: Ryan Adams, Gregory Alan Isakov, Greensky Bluegrass, Mason Jennings, Blitzen Trapper, Railroad Earth, Keller Williams, David Grisman, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Sarah Jarosz, Laura Veirs, The Fruit Bats, Jonathan Brooke, JJ Grey and MoFro, The Indigo Girls, Crooked Still, Jason Webley, The BoDeans, Elephant Revival and more.

Spanning the spectrum from distinctive and genuine to amusing and whimsical, Shook Twins' laid-back and fun stage presence draws the listener in, allowing them to take the audience on an adventure. 2016 saw the band opening up for Greensky Bluegrass on a 13 show tour, supporting Keller Williams for several shows in Northern California, and playing Red Rocks Amphitheater with Gregory Alan Isakov and Ani Difranco. The band also embarked on a Spring tour to Europe where they played two festivals in Germany and six shows in the UK. Festivals for this year included WinterWonderGrass Tahoe (CA), Huckleberry Jam (ID), Safety Harbor Fest (FL), Apple Jam Music Festival (OR), Beaverstock (CA), Summer Camp Music Festival (IL), Revival Fest (MN), Northwest String Summit (OR), Fayetteville Roots Festival (AR), Summer Meltdown (WA), Oregon Country Fair (OR), Suwannee Roots Revival (FL) and more!

Shook Twins have never been sonically confined to the indie-folk world in which they've become well-known artists. Always harnessing an adventurous spirit, Shook Twins are never shy to incorporate beat boxing, banjo-head drumming, vocals using a re-purposed telephone microphone, and other ambient sources within their arrangements. On their latest single, "Call Me Out" (Release Date: August 19, 2016), Shook Twins once again take another leap from the acoustic music scene with a vibey, pop-infused soundscape with a poignant message ready to be embraced by the masses. Lush harmonies, delayed banjo pickin', deep drums, and multi-layered lead vocals draw the listener into this intimate breakout summer 2016 single.

Like their name, The Steel Woods are a hybrid musical force, part hard-edged, part Americana roots country folk, man-made, yet organic, rock but also bluegrass, R&B, blues, gospel, soul and heavy metal, "the materials which America is built on" according to co-founder Wes Bayliss. The Nashville-based band is also steeped in the ethos of Southern rock, with the music on its debut Woods Music/Thirty Tigers release, Straw in the Wind, both timeless and indefinable, sounding like it could've been recorded at any point during the past half-century. "That's kinda the idea," nods Bayliss. The Steel Woods trace an unbroken line from Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams through Willie and Waylon, then the Allmans, Blackfoot, The Band and Tom Petty up through contemporaries like Kings of Leon and the Avett Brothers.

"I grew up on Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Led Zeppelin," says Jason "Rowdy"Cope, who was born in Asheville, NC, in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where he heard some pretty impressive pickers, which inspired him as a kid. "Our music is like good bluegrass, with the electric guitars turned up to 11," he says.

There is a biblical, hellfire-and-brimstone morality at work on songs like the good-andevil parable, "Axe", the first song they ever wrote together -- which takes off on cofounder Rowdy's ominous, rumbling bluegrass guitar line -- or the galloping country rhythms of "Della Jane's Heart", a murder ballad about a spurned woman taking her revenge on a fickle lover, and immediately regrets her actions. "The Secret" goes back to the Garden and Adam's original heartbreak, equating the duplicitous Eve with the Devil himself. The musical melting pot ranges from the stark acoustic strumming of "Whatever It Means to You" and the thunderstruck drone of their speeded-up Black Sabbath cover, "Hole in the Sky".

The band's founders are two native sons of the south who both hail from small-town, Bible Belt backgrounds. The Alabama-born Bayliss played harmonica from the age of eight in his family's gospel band, eventually teaching himself piano, bass and drums. Rowdy turned his love of Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix into a career as a session guitarist/songwriter and producer, moving to Los Angeles then playing in Jamey Johnson's band for nine years. The two met in Nashville during a one-off gig, and immediately felt a connection. "We decided we were pretty much on the same page and wanted to do our own thing," says Wes. "We had an idea and a vision."

The pair spent a month fishing together, eventually bringing guitars along with their poles to the tiny hole and discovered an affinity. It was then they began to make music together. "It just worked, his voice and me doing my thing on guitar," says Rowdy.

The result was an EP, which, because they hadn't written anything together except for "Axe", included covers by hot Nashville writers like Rowdy's frequent collaborator singer/songwriter Brent Cobb ("Better in the Fall," "The Well," "If We Never Go", "Let the Rain Come Down") and revered artist Darrell Scott ("Uncle Lloyd").

With originals such as the acoustic ballad, "I'm Gonna Love You", the narrative title track, the philosophical "Whatever It Means to You" and the cathartic closer, "Let the Rain Come Down", the songwriting/production team of Bayliss and Cope is proving quite a formidable duo. The two, who co-produced their debut album, are committed to doing things their way.

"We're not murderers, we're just the messengers," says Bayliss about some of the songs' more gruesome scenarios. "We don't preach. We just want to play good songs with good stories. As long as they come back to hear us again, I'm happy."

"We're into this to heal people's hearts," explains Rowdy. "If you're given a talent that can shake plates in the earth, that can really change the world, you have a responsibility to use that for good. Music is the most powerful, emotion-driven art form in the universe because it transcends language. It's like a sharp blade. It can be used to kill, or in the hands of a surgeon, to heal someone."

The Steel Woods aren't in this for the money, the fame or the awards. For them, music is a matter of life and death, right and wrong, bad and good, with the sinners punished for their transgressions, and the noble achieving the kind of transcendence the man dying of thirst in "Let the Rain Come Down" receives.

"Everything has its price," says Rowdy. "You reap what you sow...We've poured so much into this band. I know how little sleep we've had, how many bad meals we've eaten. I just hope these songs can help people get things off their chest."

"We want to get good songs out to a bunch of people who need them," adds Wes. "We just want to make a living making music because it's the greatest job in the world. I don't mind working, but I prefer loving what I do."

Larkin Poe is a roots rock 'n roll sister duo comprised of Rebecca Lovell and Megan Lovell - descendants of tortured artist and creative genius, Edgar Allen Poe. At a young age, the girls were classically trained on violin and piano while being exposed to classic rock icons including Fleetwood Mac and Pink Floyd. Rebecca (lead singer) now plays lead guitar and Megan (harmony vocals) contributes on lapsteel. After experimenting with an array of musical styles, they found a way to blend together a sound that channels their distinct voice. The duo has previously hit the road as opening and backing bands for Conor Oberst, Kristian Bush (Sugarland) and Elvis Costello who praises that "they have a head start on the rest of us with the unique power and beauty of sibling harmony". Larkin Poe are currently working on their next album.

Trapper Schoepp is a young man who's befriended a strange and diverse cast of characters during his 24 years. That small army of rogues and rebels, drifters and dreamers, soldiers and schemers populate his songs, their tragedies and comedies, their lives and deaths recalled in his finely etched musical vignettes.

The Minnesota-born, Wisconsin-based tunesmith and teller of tales (both tall and true), returns with his second effort Rangers & Valentines (Xtra Mile Recordings). The record follows his critically acclaimed 2012 debut Run Engine, Run, with his band the Shades. That LP earned notices in Rolling Stone, American Songwriter and Paste, with the folks at Huffington Post calling him a "master storyteller" and PBS hailing his "story songs that explore and explode the conventions of rock and roll."

On Rangers & Valentines, Schoepp defies the limitations of the standard-issue Americana platter, hopping genres -- you'll hear lots of brass, backing singers and B-3 -- as the songs build to delirious musical highs. His narratives, meanwhile, find subjects in the narrow margins of society, the strange twists (literal and metaphorical) in the weather, and the vagaries of a troubadour's transient life -- with lyrics that flash a lacerating wit and humanist streak that's at the core of his craft.

Produced by pop polymath and Raconteurs member Brendan Benson at his Readymade Studios in Nashville, the record finds Schoepp handling vocals, guitar and harmonica. He's aided by an array of estimable musicians including his brother and musical-foil-since-birth Tanner Schoepp (providing bass guitar and vocal harmonies), Steve Selvidge (The Hold Steady), John Davis (Superdrag), the McCrary Sisters -- even comedian and WTF podcaster Marc Maron chips in on background vocals and lead guitar.

Schoepp shines up the well-worn clichés of singer-songwriterdom and renders them anew. Evoking a series of vivid protagonists and settings (fittingly, each track will have its own accompanying video, solidifying the cinematic quality of this set) his work variously recalls prime Prine (John, that is), the nuances of Newman (Randy, of course), the boozy bonhomie of The Replacements, and the unflinching language of someone well-versed in the Zevonian dialect.

Schoepp mixes fact and family lore to conjure the hardscrabble history "Ballad of Olof Johnson" and chides modern-day wannabes on "Lost Cowboy." The road story "Ogalalla" answers the question: what happens to your mind when you're snowbound in Nebraska with nothing but a bottle of Nyquil and The Hobbit at the local picture show for company? Meanwhile, the arch love song satire "Talking Girlfriend Blues" deftly explains how to preserve your dignity while hitchhiking to a date -- and what to do when your ride turns out to have eyes for the same girl.

Elsewhere, "Don't Go" offers a poetic post-9/11 story of love and war; while "Settlin' or Sleepin' Around" questions modern-day swipe right, hook up culture. Schoepp continues his affinity for songs set in hospitals with "Mono Pt. II" -- which explores the kissing disease and the institutional runaround of health care in America (unfortunately a familiar subject for the young man). And he pays tribute to old friends and outsized characters with "For Jonny" (dedicated to his longtime drummer Jonny Philip) and the heart-rending requiem "Dream."

Having released his debut on SideOneDummy, Rangers & Valentines is being put out by London-based Xtra Mile Recordings. Hipped to Schoepp's work by fellow singer-songwriter Frank Turner, among others, Xtra Mile honcho Charlie Caplowe quickly signed him to the label.

Schoepp -- who's already crisscrossed the country sharing stages with fellow travelers like The Wallflowers, The Jayhawks and The Old 97's -- will be back on the road throughout 2016 in support of Ranger & Valentines, starting with a 3-week run throughout the UK and Europe supporting Jesse Malin.

Like the album, it'll be another opportunity to catch a young journeyman at work.

Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto, the powerhouse bass and drums of the group King Crimson for a few decades, bring that tradition to all their playing. Levin plays the Chapman Stick, from which the band takes it's name. Having bass and guitar strings, the Chapman Stick functions at times like two instruments. Markus Reuter plays his self-designed touch style guitar -- again covering much more ground than a guitar or a bass. And Mastelotto's drumming encompasses not just the acoustic kit, but a unique electronic setup too, allowing him to add loops, samples, percussion, and more. New studio album Prog Noir was released in October 2016, and the band is touring the USA and Canada in August/September 2017, and in 2018 will perform at the Cruise To The Edge 2018 and in Central America and The Caribbean (with special guest David Cross, ex-King Crimson),, and in Europe in March 2018.

TONY LEVIN - Born in Boston, Tony Levin started out in classical music, playing bass in the Rochester Philharmonic. Then moving into jazz and rock, he has had a notable career, recording and touring with John Lennon, Pink Floyd, Yes, Alice Cooper, Gary Burton, Buddy Rich and many more. He has also released 5 solo CDs and three books. In addition to touring with Stick Men, he is currently a member of King Crimson and Peter Gabriel Band, and jazz bands Levin Brothers and L'Image. His popular website, tonylevin.com, featured one of the web's first blogs, and has over 4 million visits.

PAT MASTELOTTO - Very rarely does a drummer go on to forge the most successful career on the demise of their former hit band. Phil Collins and Dave Grohl have managed it, so too has Pat Mastelotto, a self taught drummer from Northern California, who has also been involved with pushing the envelope of electronic drumming. Pat has spent a lifetime jumping genres from pop, to prog, to electronica to world music with -- among others -- Mr. Mister, XTC, David Sylvian, The Rembrandts, Kimmo Pohjonen, and for the last 20 years with King Crimson.

MARKUS REUTER - Markus is a composer, guitarist, and producer. Initially trained as a pianist, he subsequently studied Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft and learned to play the Chapman Stick, later moving onto the U8 Touch Guitar. Reuter has released several solo recordings and worked extensively with other musicians. He is one of the core members of the experimental band Centrozoon, is half of the duo Tuner (with Pat Mastelotto) and was also a member of Europa String Choir. Reuter has collaborated with Ian Boddy, Robert Rich, No-Man singer Tim Bowness, and many others.

Winner of the Independent Music Award, in the Live Performance Album category for his latest triple live album "Encore" (2014), "Rose d'Or" of the Montreux Festival for his first album, "Près de Paris" (Switzerland, 1976), "Best World Music Guitar Player " by the readers of Guitar Player Magazine (USA, 2008), Pierre Bensusan is recognized as one of the premier musicians of our time.

If "World Music" is music that pays tribute to the spirit of a collection of human beings through distinct rhythms, traditional instruments and harmonic colors, French-Algerian guitarist, singer and composer Pierre Bensusan can be recognized as one of the most eloquent and world musicians today.

Born in Oran, French-Algeria, in 1957, when France was decolonizing its Empire, Pierre Bensusan's family moved to Paris when he was 4. He began formal studies on piano at the age of 7 and at 11 taught himself guitar. Influenced in those early days by the folk revival blooming in Britain, France and North America, Bensusan began first to explore his own diverse musical heritage and then moved to the horizons beyond.

At 17 he signed his first recording contract, and one year later his first album "Pres de Paris" won the Grand Prix du Disque upon his debut at the Montreux Festival in Switzerland.

Described by the L.A. Times as "one of the most unique and brilliant acoustic guitar veterans in the world music scene today", Pierre's name became synonymous with contemporary acoustic guitar genius, long before the terms New Age, New Acoustic Music or World Music were invented. He has the ability to make a single guitar sound like an entire band as he brings the audience on a mesmerizing musical journey. And yet, Bensusan is more than what any musician or music lover expects from a guitarist. He is a composer as well as a bilingual and a brave improvisational vocalist, melding whistles and resonant low notes with something like his own scat technique.

There is a sense of something both playful and serious in his work, an unparalleled sense of freedom in his compositions and his improvisations. His "manner" of playing defies classification - crossing world, classical, jazz, traditional, folk and more. None can be isolated as simply "Brazilian", "Arabic" or "French"; rather, they represent our world in its current state, a world sharing itself, fusing cultures together in ways we have never experienced. A great embassador of peace. Not to be missed!

As 2015 began, I had somehow been on the road for the fastest, longest two years of my life. I had kicked the tires hard touring in support of my album Traveling Alone. I had recorded and toured with classical pianist Simone Dinnerstein. My friend Andrew Bird asked me to be in his old time band the Hands of Glory, so I pretended I was a member of the Carter family on guitar, and I watched him like a hawk to make sure he felt fully free; singing harmony with Andrew is not unlike flying. Suddenly, I was turning 40, getting divorced, and scared out of my mind. So I decided to take a year off the road to see what would happen to me if I just stopped touring... On a friend's ranch in Marfa, Texas, in the middle of the high plains without a car headlight in sight, I did just that, and when I did, I started to do what I always do: the humble work of marking life by writing.

On the ranch, I wrote about the long straight roads in west Texas: the ones that make sense, that make you feel like what is behind you is indeed behind you and that good things are up ahead. 'Wait For Me' is a wish that life would run like that. Watching the ranch hands keep their daily routine, I wrote about keeping my own head down, pressing on, and the way that love persists and pushes forward no matter what happens, 'Love Soldiers On.' I watched birds learning to fly and bathe in the driveway dust at dusk in the front yard and wrote 'Icarus' about what they taught me. In my California cabin, I wrote every morning and hiked every afternoon, up the mountains to the East and along the rocky coast, farther than I had ever hiked, one exhausted foot after the other. 'Heartache is an Uphill Climb' began in the red mud on one particularly impossible incline. Once, having hiked farther than I realized, dark fell on me. The white lilies in a meadow began to glow like evening dresses as the moon rose in the changing light. 'Proclamation Bones' is a tribute to that unexpected beauty, to nature's secret nightlife. On return to NYC with Raymond Carver's All of Us: The Collected Poems in hand, his poem 'My Boat' leapt up like lightning; it wanted to be sung. In a hungover moment of joy coming out of a subway, 'Something Came Over Me' seeded itself. And the heavy sadness of memory washing over me as I looked out at the East River became 'Eastern Light'.

Look, everyone knows that album bios are usually full of crap. How about this: This album weathered no doubt, Marlon Brando's ghost played bass and a fire-breathing dragon co-wrote the songs! Let's be clear about something -- What made my time off special was that I had a regular writing routine. I was private. I followed my heart and my craft. The story of being a writer is the story of being devoted over a long time. What I hate most about bios is that they trade the small virtue of the writing life for pretending that artists and albums spring forth fully formed, trimming the tale to fit the spotlight. I'm more comfortable being real about things. I took my life and synthesized it through my writing with an intensity that no one but the birds saw but that hopefully you can feel. And life continued. Let the real story here be that there is love and beauty in the mess of dedication.

And life did continue. In Fall, my friend MC Taylor asked me to be a part of his new Hiss Golden Messenger album. About the same time, to my delight and surprise, I realized my boyfriend and I were expecting a child. I performed with HGM just as I began to show; MC and his band talked on and on about how North Carolina was a place you could actually raise a child AND be a musician. My roots and my friends pulled. In an airport, I bumped into my friend Sam Beam. He said I could send him my songs, and when I did and he said, "I can tell you've been working hard on your writing," I was filled with the gratefulness which comes from being heard. I couldn't believe he wanted in on the record making party, along with my favorite musicians, for four days because that was what I could afford. One long night before leaving for the studio, I stared at the ceiling of my NYC apartment. The leaves, the streetlights, and the sirens drew a shadow vine. I cried for dreams that were gone, and I gathered myself for those to come. I recorded in Los Angeles six months pregnant and then set off for home to figure out what a onesie was. I showed up back in my hometown knocked about a little by the world thinking maybe my life was a country song, but maybe it was a really good country song.

What strikes me most when I am writing these days is the changing nature of things. Sometimes sex matters deeply, sometimes family eclipses all; sometimes aloneness is hell, sometimes it is a refuge. Sometimes hometowns are constricting; sometimes they are a sight for sore eyes. We do our damnedest. For all the times we are watered down and compromise, we can become rigid and impossible just as easily. We right ourselves as best we can and carry on. It is a loose thread that holds us best together in this life. Not too tight, not too planned, enough give to stand what tangles us but ties us nonetheless. Ties us to each other in some unseen pattern, to our actions, to the songs that come out of us, to the seasons that pass through us. We press on, love persists, and we must trust the unknowable pattern we are making. My little daughter is sleeping beside me now, and what I hope for her is what I will tell you now. May these threads be joyful; not heavy chains, but light like wings, like starlight, like laughter. Empty your pockets of stones, that light-hearted you may go (for you must go), with the stitch of the world, into the stitch of the world.

Stiff Little Fingers were formed in 1977 in Belfast, Ireland. Along with the likes of the Clash, Sex Pistols, The Jam, Buzzcocks, Undertones, Sham 69, Stranglers, et al --Stiff Little Fingers were at the forefront of the punk movement. They wrote initially about their own lives, growing up at the height of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, in songs like "Suspect Device" and "Wasted Life". In November of '77, they released those two songs on their own Rigid Digits label, and sent a copy to BBC RadioOne DJ John Peel, who started playing it every night.

These were the first of what became SLF's signature style: lyrics that meld the personal and political, music that combines the energy of punk with infectious hooks, and delivery that rings of honesty and commitment. In 1979 they became the first band ever to hit the UK top 20 album charts on an independent label with their debut Inflammable Material. The album chronicles the band's anger and frustration at "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland, and calls on youth to create their own reality.

Over the years, their live shows continued to be special events of energy and power. Their studio albums demonstrate their passion and anger, each in its own way. In '94 they released the Get a Life LP. The album helped renew interest in SLF just as newer bands that sited them as a major influence, such as Bad Religion, Sugar, Rancid and Therapy, were coming to prominence. In August 2003, Stiff Little Fingers released their ninth studio album, Guitar and Drum, which includes a moving tribute to Joe Strummer, entitled "Strummerville".

After many studio albums and countless tours, Stiff Little Fingers find themselves more in demand than ever. They are currently working on a new album, and many of the new songs have been debuted at live gigs, with tremendous response from fans. With song titles like Trail of Tears, My Dark Places and Liar's Club covering topics such as the recent economic collapse, Jake's personal struggle with depression, and continuing racism in the west. Jake has said, "You've probably worked out by now, I don't do "comedy" songs !!" But the songs continue to inspire fans old and new. Countless people have already contacted Jake to say that "My Dark Places" gave them the strength to tell others about theirown bouts with depression.

Though focused on their new material, they always play the old favorites at gigs. Jake said, "You have to strike a balance. The difficulty with a band like ourselves is to try not make it sound like a cabaret band. Obviously, it'd be very easy to go, 'Hey, here's another old one you may remember.' A lot of the old songs the audience greet like old friends. I suppose it's the same as any band that's been around for any length of time. And yes, there are nights that we don't particularly want to play "Alternative Ulster" or "Suspect Device" because we've heard them 'til they're coming out our ears. But there's always the possibility that somebody out there has never seen the band before, never heard them.

"Using the band's rich musical foundation as a building block, the time has come to bring the newest chapter of the band's music to the world. The new songs, penned over the last decade, show a definite musical growth in the band. The result is the band's latest release --No Going Back was released in March 2014.

Bobby Whitlock represents the true southern blues/soul singer. Born in Memphis he was the first white artist to be signed to the Stax Hip label at the tender age of 16. Taken under the wings of Steve Cropper and Donald (Duck) Dunn at the time.

In 1969 Bobby left Stax and went to California to become the first "friend" in the group Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. For a short time in Europe, the guitar line up consisted of Eric Clapton, George Harrison and Dave Mason. It was during this time that Bobby became friends with Eric Clapton.

After leaving Delaney & Bonnie, Bobby joined Eric Clapton where they began to write together, becoming a formidable writing team and eventually recording Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs which is now celebrating its 40th year and is considered to be one of the most influential and great records in the history of rock-n- roll..The rest is of course music history.

Meanwhile CoCo had begun her career in London England. She took the road and played across Europe including Germany, Italy and France and back home in England. After nearly a decade in Europe, CoCo moved back to the United States residing in her home state of California, Los Angeles to be precise. She met and later married Delaney Bramlett.

During those years with Delaney, she produced and co/produced many records including her own solo record "First Fruit" which came out in 2010, with ex Delaney Bramlett featuring many songs written by the two. Bobby met CoCo Carmel after her marriage ended with Delaney in 2001. They immediately got to work and began writing and singing and recording and performing.

Beginning in the U.S., CoCo and Bobby played in New Jersey, New York, Alabama and Nashville, and a slew of radio stations. They have also toured various places around the world including Monaco, Geneva Switzerland, France and to Bangalore India to headline a Blues Festival. All the time CoCo producing record after record including the latest "Carnival". The live record comes complete with a red hot band, all top musicians hailing from Austin.

In 2011 Bobby's autobiography "Bobby Whitlock A Rock-n- Roll Autobiography" was released and has been a number one top rated book in rock music on Amazon.

With Bobby's incredible historical History, it is no wonder the past is constantly calling. In 2013 Light in The Attic re-released the newly mastered solo records of Bobby's appropriately titled "Where There's a Will There's a Way". It has been receiving great reviews worldwide and is available online and at stores around the world.

As 2015 rang in, so did a wonderful DVD/Blu Ray Documentary "The Road to Austin" featuring Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt, Stephen Bruton, Bobby Whitlock and CoCo Carmel. Their performance on the show with an audience of 20,000 ("Layla" and "Why Does Love Got to be so Sad" was superb, as is the entire DVD. The DVD is available online and some outlets in Texas.

This year Bobby will be releasing his first solo record in over fifteen years, produced by Rob Fraboni (The Last Waltz, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, The Band, John Lennon, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Cocker and more).

It is going to be a good year for Bobby Whitlock and CoCo Carmel.

Youth is a collection of captured moments... like moving photographs: late night drives, the limitless feeling of falling in love, the freedom of finding a true friend and co-conspirator in an immense world, the cool ocean meeting your toes on a hot summer's day. A simmering mix of bass, synths, drums, and frontman Keegan DeWitt's low and soft, yet urgent vocals, lead track "Shapeless" sets the evocative and cinematic tone that permeates the album. The taut dreaminess of "Straight No Turns" and "Hidden In The Night" evolve into sensuous, dancefloor-ready electro-pop, while "Jonti" -- with its soaring, cathartic chorus "I see it now, it's brighter when the lights are out" -- and "Wild Light" -- all quirky, staccato organ and lyrical guitar-led charm -- are playful art pop sing-alongs. The rich, melancholic soundscape of "Drive" highlights Youth's moody romantic atmosphere. Produced in collaboration with musician (Tallest Trees) and photographer Dabney Morris, and mixed with Ephraim Nagler (You Are Plural, The Velvet Teen), the album combines live takes and programmed sounds, and was recorded digitally before the files were run through a TASCAM 4-track tape recorder, often used for intimate home demos.

Formed in early 2012 by songwriter-composer Keegan DeWitt and multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Bullock, Wild Cub's debut LP 'Youth' was released last August in the US, and showcases the now five-piece band's dexterity in seamless transitions between infectious electro-pop, tropical rhythms, and quiet washes of cinematic reflection.

PASTE has called 'Youth' "full of small complexities that fill songs as they unwittingly slide into each other" and The Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy deemed Wild Cub one of '12 Acts to Watch' at the 2012 CMJ Music Marathon, while Entertainment Weeklyrecommended lead single "Thunder Clatter" as "clattering joyful noise." Press attention has continued with Nylon giving their 'Band Crush' stamp of approval, as well as video and track premieres on noted sites such as SPIN, PASTE, IFC, RCRD LBL, Refinery29 and more. A cover of Jessie Ware's "Running" & a remix of Atlas Genius' "Symptoms" brought increased awareness, the band's electrifying live show has established Wild Cub as a force.

Freshly into 2013, the band has seen the release of Youth in the UK, with notable press attention from Clash Music, The Guardian, The Line Of Best Fit ("Youth relentlessly offers up huge pop songs delivered with sheer gusto & intelligence"), and Top Shop ("sweet, tropically-tinged, dance-y pop"). Not ones to rest for long, the band recently performed at designer Rebecca Minkoff's NY Fashion Week show and burned through eight shows at this year's SXSW festival. Wild Cub's busy year will continue this summer with multiple festival performances -- including at the Hangout Fest in May -- and more touring to come.

Blazing soul-blues rocker Tommy Castro's musical roots run deep. As he unleashes his high-energy music to fans all over the world, Castro is inspired by the sounds he absorbed while coming of age on the rough and tumble side of San Jose, California. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, this was Castro's home turf--his stomping ground. It was a place where the street-tough Mexican Americans and the counter-culture hippies came together to drink, smoke, laugh, party and listen to tunes--the hippies with their blues and rock, the Mexicans with their soul music. Mixing the blues-rock he loved and the soul music he heard blasting out from the lowriders cruising the streets, along with the socially conscious message songs of the day, Tommy's own sound was born. He honed his guitar playing to a razor's edge on the city's competitive bar scene, where he learned how to capture an audience with his intensely passionate vocals, stellar musicianship and dynamic performances. Almost every major rock and soul act, from Ike & Tina Turner to Janis Joplin to Elvin Bishop to Taj Mahal, toured through the area, and Castro was at almost every show. He saw John Lee Hooker, Albert King and Buddy Guy & Junior Wells at the same local blues bar, JJ's, where he often jammed, dreaming of one day busting out.

Over the course of his career, Tommy Castro's San Jose DNA has always inspired his music, whether he's squeezing out the deepest blues or the funkiest soul grooves. He and The Painkillers--bassist Randy McDonald, keyboardist Michael Emerson and drummer Bowen Brown--have played hundreds of shows to thousands of music lovers, always leaving his audiences screaming for more. All of his albums are filled with original blues, soul and West Coast rock, each song showing a slightly different side of Castro's multifaceted musical personality. Billboard says the band plays "irresistible contemporary blues-rock" with "street-level grit and soul."

On his new album, Stompin' Ground, Tommy Castro opens windows into both his past and his always-evolving musical future. Produced by Castro and guitar wunderkind Kid Andersen and recorded at Andersen's soon-to-be legendary Greaseland Studio in San Jose, Stompin' Ground finds Castro letting loose on a set of 12 tracks featuring six originals and new versions of songs he learned and played as a young up-and-comer. He is simultaneously looking back with autobiographical originals and cover songs that inspired him, while forging a forward trail with modern lyrics atop blistering blues-rock. With The Painkillers firing on all cylinders behind him, Castro lays it all on the line from the opening notes of Nonchalant to the final, introspective Live Every Day. From the autobiographical My Old Neighborhood to the socially aware Enough Is Enough and Fear is The Enemy to versions of Elvin Bishop's Rock Bottom and Taj Majal's Further On Down The Road(two of his favorite songs from his earliest heroes), Stompin' Ground is pure musical pleasure. "As soon as we started cutting," Castro says, "we knew we were onto something."

In addition to the The Painkillers, Castro's friends Charlie Musselwhite (harp and vocals on Live Every Day), Mike Zito (guitar and vocals on Rock Bottom), Danielle Nicole (vocals on Soul Shake) and Los Lobos' David Hidalgo (guitar and vocals on Them Changes) add their talents to Stompin' Ground. "I heard each one of my friends' contributions to these songs in my head as I was working on them. Happily, when I reached out and actually asked, everyone said yes."

Born in San Jose, California in 1955, Tommy Castro first picked up a guitar at age 10. He fell under the spell of Eric Clapton, Elvin Bishop, Taj Mahal, Mike Bloomfield and other blues-rockers. As he got older, Castro discovered the bedrock blues of Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Freddie King, Buddy Guy, Elmore James and the deep-rooted soul of singers like Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett and James Brown. By his teenage years, he was regularly heading to San Francisco to see his favorite artists at legendary venues like The Fillmore West and Winterland. He began playing in a variety of Bay Area blues and soul bands in his early 20s, making a name for himself as a hotter than hot live artist. In 1985 he became lead singer and guitarist for the locally popular blues band NiteCry, and began gigging regularly throughout Northern California.

Castro joined Warner Brothers' artists The Dynatones in the late 1980s, gigging all over the country. He formed the first Tommy Castro Band in 1991, releasing his debut album in 1996 on Blind Pig. He hit the road hard, picking up new followers everywhere he went. In the mid-1990s The Tommy Castro Band served as the house band for three seasons on NBC Television's Comedy Showcase(airing right after Saturday Night Live), bringing him in front of millions of viewers every week. During the 1990s and into the 2000s, Castro released a series of critically acclaimed CDs for Blind Pig, Telarc and 33rd Street Records, as well as one on his own Heart And Soul label.

Castro joined Alligator Records in 2009, releasing Hard Believer to massive acclaim. He won four of his six career Blues Music Awards including the coveted B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year Award (the very highest award a blues performer can receive). His song Hard Believer took first place in the blues category of the International Songwriting Competition. His next release, 2011's Tommy Castro Presents The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue--Live!, was a boisterous and searing collection of highlights from a series of live performances anchored by Castro and an all-star collection of blues giants, including Rick Estrin, Michael "Iron Man" Burks and Joe Louis Walker. His relentless road-dog approach--gig after gig, night after night--has won him loyal, lifelong fans everywhere he plays. The Washington Post says Castro is "phenomenal and funky" with "soulful vocals and inspired blues-rock guitar."

Castro formed The Painkillers in 2012, creating a lean, mean four-piece lineup, capable of delivering soul-shaking, muscular music. The band released The Devil You Know in 2014 and Method To My Madness in 2015, with critics shouting praise and admirers cheering his every move. Castro had stripped his music down to its raw essence with the new, smaller band, sounding bigger than ever. On record and on stage, Tommy Castro & The Painkillers' road-hardened, seemingly telepathic musicianship bring an unmatched passion to Castro's blue-eyed California soul and hard-rocking, good-time songs. His hometown newspaper, The San Francisco Chronicle, describes Castro's music as, "funky Southern soul, big city blues and classic rock...silvery guitar licks that simultaneously sound familiar and fresh."

With months of tour dates across the U.S. and Europe, Tommy Castro & The Painkillers will be bringing the songs from their new album directly to their fans. No Depression says "Castro plays gritty, string-bending blues like a runaway soul train...a glorious blend that rocks the soul and lifts the spirits." Blues Revue says simply, "Tommy Castro can do no wrong." With Stompin' Ground, he is clearly, once again, doing everything right.

"Some artists are interested in being complicated, it's almost like they're speaking another language just to the connoisseur of the art," says Tristen. "I have no interest in that. My style is not to be exclusive. It's to be inclusive. I'm trying to be as clear as possible. I've always been interested in the purest form of the idea, so that it can communicate massively."That theme is at the core of Tristen's music -- music that is smart but accessible, meticulously constructed but undeniably infectious.

A native of South Side Chicago turned longtime Nashville resident, Tristen has released two critically acclaimed solo records -- 2011's Charlatans at the Garden Gate and 2013's CAVES -- and toured extensively as a member of Jenny Lewis' backing band. The folk-oriented Charlatans earned her praise as "Nashville's best-kept secret" (The Boston Globe), and the more synth-pop-oriented CAVES featured "tales of greed, alienation and heartache, made poignant but never saccharine by their electronically enhanced surroundings" (Nashville Scene).

Tristen has been singing since she could speak, and writing and recording her own songs since she was a teenager. Now an established touring musician with finely tuned chops and a knack for lashing exceptional melodies to her singularly poetic lyrics, she travels with a practiced backing trio of top-notch Nashville sidemen. Together, they bring Tristen's lush, expertly crafted arrangements to life, giving the singer room to brandish her outsized vocals and win audiences with her powerful stage presence -- performances that channel the rock 'n' roll eclecticism of David Bowie and the creative prowess of Dolly Parton.

"Performing is my favorite thing to do in the world," she says. "It's like meditation for me. I let go. Ultimately, performing is about the audience, the singer and the band, and the shared experience. And at the center is truth and beauty."

In 2016, Tristen released her first book of poetry, Saturnine, a collection of 18 poems that span from the "green carpet hills by San Francisco" to the "cold hard streets of Chicago" and brim with a kaleidoscope of characters. Her third album, Sneaker Waves, will be released July 7 via Modern Outsider Records.

New York-born singer-songwriter Jenny O. started her career in Los Angeles, California with her self-produced Home EP. Songs from this record were licensed for film and television, commercials for Subaru and Toyota, a video game called Rocksmith, and earned her tours with artists like Ben Harper, Leon Russell, and Father John Misty. Soon after, Jenny released her debut full-length album, Automechanic, and toured separately with Rodrigo Amarante and Mexican-American psychedelic musician Rodriguez across the U.S. and Europe.

Jenny appeared with her band on Last Call With Carson Daly twice in 2014 and recorded the theme song for ABC's Selfie, as well as a Coca-Cola commercial for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. She spent the past year writing in Nashville and has returned to California to record her second album with producer Jonathan Wilson.

Jenny is a multi-instrumentalist, performing mainly on guitar but in the studio often plays bass, piano and her own string arrangements on viola. She writes songs reminiscent of classic styles of the 60s and 70s and has been likened to songwriters like Harry Nilsson, Judee Sill, and J.J. Cale. In 2014 LA Weekly named her one of The 10 Best Young L.A. Singer-Songwriters and in 2015 she has won the Holly Prize/Song Writers Hall of Fame.

Over 5 weeks, late in 2017, Frank Reader, Paul Livingston and John Douglas from the Trashcan Sinatras will be touring the USA as a three-piece acoustic lineup. The band mates celebrate their 30th anniversary, having formed in Irvine, Scotland in 1987. "I've been in the band for thirty years now," says Livingston. "That's a long time to be in any relationship. It's a good time to take stock, see how far we've come, and think about where we're headed."

With six well-spaced full-length albums to their credit, starting with debut Cake in 1990, through last year's Wild Pendulum, the band has written and released just north of 100 songs. Over the course of the tour, they plan to play each one of those songs. "Now that we've reached a century of songs," says Reader, "it feels like a good time to meet up with them all again, like a high school reunion." He adds, "Those songs whose love and friendship we've nourished over the years will no doubt turn up most nights and show us why we've remained so close over the years, but it'll be most interesting to see how those with whom we've lost touch have aged." He expects that some songs will "turn up drunk and disheveled," while others "may now be dashing and distinguishing, more so than we all would have guessed. I can't wait to meet them all again and find out."

Every show will consist of two unique sets and fans can expect to hear some covers, too. Although the band often delves into its back catalog for obscurities, particularly during acoustic tours, many songs have never been played live. Others may never be played again. "We will be playing some songs live that we have never attempted before, so in some ways, it's a tightrope walk for us. But, these songs are what we have done with our lives, so I accept the challenge and will try to not look down," says Douglas.

Performing acoustically will transport many of those 100 songs back to their origins. "Most of our songs are written with acoustic guitars and voices in quiet, solitary rooms, so it will be nervy but exciting to bring that sound out of the backroom and into the light," says Douglas. According to Livingston, "touring with no rhythm section means you have to take your cues more from the vocal. You can bend time and create space for the emotion of the song to come through."

Thirty years on, this is a chance for the band to reflect on its past, take a look at the present and imagine where they might go next. Playing all of the songs they've written seems a good way of celebrating the journey so far. Come along early, join the band in celebration and see which songs the evening brings.

In a career that took flight in 1985 with commercial and critical acclaim, guitar virtuoso Stanley Jordan has consistently displayed a chameleonic musical persona of openness, imagination, versatility and maverick daring. Be it bold reinventions of classical masterpieces or soulful explorations through pop-rock hits, to blazing straight ahead jazz forays and ultramodern improvisational works--solo or with a group--Jordan can always be counted on to take listeners on breathless journeys into the unexpected.

Key to Jordan's fast-track acclaim was his mastery of a special technique on the guitar's fretboard. Instead of conventional strumming and picking, Jordan's innovative "touch technique"is an advanced form of two-handed tapping. While a handful of other players were using similar techniques, Stanley's fluid, multi-layered textures and sheer virtuosity raised the bar for excellence. But his technique, though impressive, is always a means to a musical end. His music is imbued with a warmth and sensitivity that has captured the imagination of listeners worldwide. A classically trained pianist before playing guitar, Jordan wanted greater freedom in voicing chords on his guitar, so he applied piano principles to do so. Jordan's touch technique allows the guitarist to play melody and chords simultaneously with an unprecedented level of independence. It also allows Jordan to play simultaneously on two different guitars, or even on guitar and piano. He says that "I think of it as a single instrument, but one with a wide range of tonal colors--that's why I do it."

To date Jordan has performed in over 60 countries on 6 continents. He has performed at many festivals, including the Kool Jazz Festival, the Concord Jazz Festival, and the Montreaux International Jazz Festival. During the 1980s he collaborated with a diverse array of artists, including performances with Art Blakey and Richie Cole and recordings with Stanley Clarke and Kenny Rogers. The track with Rogers, "Morning Desire", became America's #1 country song in 1986. Later Jordan became a frequent guest with Les Paul during Paul's legendary Monday nights at Iridium in New York. Today Jordan performs frequently as a soloist and with his band, as well as collaborating with other guitarists such as Kevin Eubanks, Sharon Isbin and Muriel Anderson. He's also a frequent guest with jam bands such as the Dave Matthews Band, the String Cheese Incident, Phil Lesh, Moe and Umphrey's McGee.

Jordan has received four Grammy nominations. His most recent album "Friends" was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Los Angeles Times jazz critic Leonard Feather wrote, "Genius is a word often tossed around in musical circles, but it has been rightfully applied to Stanley Jordan."Stanley Jordan was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He began his music career at age six studying piano, then shifting his focus to guitar at age eleven. He then began playing in rock and soul bands. In 1976, while still in high school, Jordan performed with Quincy Jones and tied for first place as a soloist at the Reno International Jazz Festival. In 1981 he earned a BA in music from Princeton University, where he studied theory and composition with composer Milton Babbitt and computer music with composer Paul Lansky. While still at Princeton, Jordan performed with Benny Carter and Dizzy Gillespie.

Jordan came to prominence with the release of his 1985 album Magic Touch, a revolutionary project that placed him at the forefront of re-launching legendary Blue Note Records into a contemporary entity in jazz and beyond, as also established the then-twenty- something Jordan as among the most distinctive and refreshing new voices of the electric guitar. Jordan had begun applying his unique technique to his already exemplary traditional playing ten years prior to the Magic Touch album. Though Jordan showcased the technique in a variety of musical styles from swing to rock, it was smooth jazz radio support for his singular versions of "The Lady in My Life" (first recorded by Michael Jackson) and the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" that sent Magic Touch to the top of Billboard's jazz chart for a stunning and record-breaking 51 weeks. The album became a gold-seller (over 500,000 sold in the U.S. alone) - outstanding for any jazz or instrumental CD.

Subsequent albums found Jordan ushering his audience into deeper levels of his artistry and stretching his music beyond stylistic boundaries. These projects included a solo guitar album titled Standards Volume 1 (1986) where Stanley made the bold statement that songs by the likes of Stevie Wonder and Jimi Hendrix deserved recognition as standards just as much as older chestnuts like Hoagy Charmichael's "Georgia On My Mind." He followed that with the dance- pop album Flying Home (1988) and the especially edgy Cornucopia (1990), which spanned the gamut from straight-ahead jazz recorded live to multi-dimensional originals recorded in the studio. Still later in 1994 after a move to Arista Records (then helmed by pop music maverick Clive Davis), he recorded the bracingly eclectic Bolero album, featuring covers of Herbie Hancock's "Chameleon," Jimi Hendrix's "Drifting," his original "Plato's Blues" and the CD's centerpiece, a 17-minute arrangement of Ravel's "Bolero", which flowed seamlessly between rock, African, Latin, "groove" and "industrial" sections. During this era, Jordan also made history by creating the seminal "startup" sound for the first generation of Power Macintosh computers.

In 2002, Stanley released the album Dreams of Peace with the Italian band Novecento. It was remixed and re-released in the USA in 2004 on Steve Vai's Favored Nations label. Independently, he recorded two CDs: Ragas (a collaboration with musicians from India featuring Jay Kishor on sitar) and Relaxing Music for Difficult Situations Volume 1, an audio extension of his interest in music therapy. In 2007 Jordan signed with Mack Avenue Records and released State of Nature in 2008 and Friends in 2011. For Friends, he invited musical guests including guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli, Mike Stern, Russell Malone and Charlie Hunter; violinist Regina Carter; saxophonists Kenny Garrett and Ronnie Laws; trumpeter Nicholas Payton; bassists Christian McBride and Charnett Moffett; and drummer Kenwood Dennard. The results proved truly outstanding on numbers ranging from a Bela Bartok piece to a Katy Perry pop smash, a heady original blues and three jazz classics spanning swing, cool, samba and modern.

Jordan has been known to TV and film audiences as well. In 1987 he made a cameo appearance in the Blake Edwards movie Blind Date, starring Bruce Willis and Kim Basinger. In the tribute film, Les Paul: He Changed the Music Jordan performed with a guitar supergroup including Les Paul himself, Eddie Van Halen, BB King, Steve Miller, David Gilmour, and Brian Setzer. In 1995 Jordan created the score for the short film One Red Rose, starring Hill Harper and Victoria Rowell, directed by Charlie Jordan. In 1996 he created the score for an ABC afternoon TV special Daddy'''s Girl, directed by Diane Wynter. Since the mid 80s he has performed on numerous television shows, including The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The David Letterman Show and the Grammy Awards. One notable appearance was a duet on the Tonight Show with the late rock superstar Robert Palmer.

Stanley is committed to music as an artistic, spiritual, and even health-promoting endeavor. He has been immersed for more than a decade in music therapy, towards which he is now working for a master's degree at Arizona State University. His involvement with music therapy leads him to do outreach in schools, hospitals and other venues wherever he tours. He is an artist- spokesperson for the American Music Therapy Association, and he has done numerous lectures and demonstrations on the healing applications of music.

Jordan has maintained an extensive and consistent international touring schedule. In between tour stops he is now at work on his next highly anticipated album from Mack Avenue Records, for release next year.

Jordan is currently a resident of Sedona, Arizona. He has one daughter, Julia. Julia Jordan is a singer/songwriter living in Lancaster, Pennsylvania who sometimes collaborates with her dad.

In Chicago, a city overflowing with unrivaled blues talent, world-renowned Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials have been standing tall for almost 30 years. The band's big sound, fueled by Lil' Ed's gloriously rollicking slide work and deep blues string bending, along with his rough-edged, soulful vocals, is as real and hard-hitting as Chicago blues gets. The Chicago Sun-Times says, "Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials are the hottest purveyors of bottleneck boogie to come out of Chicago since Hound Dog Taylor."

Lil' Ed Williams comes to the blues naturally. His uncle, Chicago slide guitar king and master songwriter J.B. Hutto, taught him how to feel, not just play the blues. Nine albums and thousands of performances later, Lil' Ed is now universally hailed as a giant of the genre. Lil' Ed and The Blues Imperials--bassist (and Ed's half-brother) James "Pookie" Young, guitarist Mike Garrett and drummer Kelly Littleton--have remained together for nearly 30 years (an extraordinary feat for any group), the band fueling Ed's songs with their rock-solid, road-tested, telepathic musicianship.

The Big Sound Of Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials is the musically electrifying, emotionally intense and downright fun new album from the band Guitar Player calls "a snarling boogie-blues machine...they blow down the walls." The CD features Lil' Ed's incendiary playing and playful, passionate singing, with the ragged-but-right Blues Imperials cooking like mad alongside him. Produced by Williams and Alligator president Bruce Iglauer, it is a tour-de-force of authentic, deeply rooted Chicago blues. Williams wrote or co-wrote all but two of album's 14 songs, the other gems written by Uncle J.B. The Chicago Reader says the band's music "is a soundtrack for dancing and celebration infused with a sense of hard-won survival. Williams attacks his lyrics like he attacks his guitar: with bare-bones intensity that makes each word sound like a matter of life or death."

Born in Chicago on April 8, 1955, in the heart of Chicago's tough West Side, Ed grew up surrounded by music. He was playing guitar, then drums and bass, by the time he was 12. Ed and Pookie received lessons and support from their famous uncle. "J.B. taught me everything I know," says Ed. "I wouldn't be where I am today without him." Ed and Pookie spent their teen years making music together, and in 1975 formed the first incarnation of The Blues Imperials. They played their first gig at a West Side club called Big Duke's Blue Flame, splitting the $6 take four ways. Over the next few years, the group played every club in the neighborhood. Even so, they still needed day jobs to pay the bills. Ed worked ten hours a day as a buffer at the Red Carpet Car Wash. Pookie drove a school bus. Night after night they played their roaring brand of blues in tiny clubs, and eventually the word reached Alligator president Bruce Iglauer.

At the time, Iglauer was looking for local talent for The New Bluebloods, an anthology of some of Chicago's younger blues musicians. "Ed and his band had a good reputation," recalls Iglauer. "I had only seen them live once or twice. I knew Ed was a hot slide player, but I had no idea what he and the band were really capable of. I just knew that their music reminded me of Hound Dog Taylor and J.B. Hutto, two of my favorite musicians. It seemed like having a band this rough and ready would be a nice change of pace for the anthology, so I asked them to come down to the studio and cut a couple of songs. I never expected what happened."

The band--never having been in a recording studio before--treated the studio like a club, playing live to Iglauer, the engineer, and all the people on the other side of the control room glass. After Ed recorded his two rehearsed songs quickly, there was still plenty of studio time left, so they just kept playing. After 10 songs were in the can, Iglauer offered the band a full album contract. The end result of the session was 30 songs cut in three hours with no overdubs and only one second take. Twelve of those songs became the band's debut album, Roughhousin', released in September of 1986.

The national press reacted with amazement to the blues world's new discovery. Feature stories ran in Spin, Musician, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune and dozens of other publications. The Village Voice declared, "Roughhousin' just may be the blues album of the year." The New York Times raved, "Raw-boned, old-fashioned Chicago blues has a new young master--Lil' Ed Williams."

But it wasn't until 1987, when guitarist Mike Garrett joined the band, and a year later, when Garrett recruited his Detroit hometown friend Kelly Littleton to play drums, that things really began to take off. Garrett's risk-taking rhythm guitar work and Littleton's unpredictable, old school drumming were the perfect complement to Lil' Ed's and Pookie's rambunctious playing. With their 1989 album Chicken, Gravy & Biscuits, doors opened and audiences poured in. Through relentless touring, the group crystallized, becoming tighter with each performance, more adept in their abilities to read each other's musical moves. Their spontaneous and unpredictable live show became legendary among blues fans worldwide.

They have played the Chicago Blues Festival multiple times, and have appeared at The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Portland's Waterfront Blues Festival, The Tampa Bay Blues Festival, The San Diego Blues Festival, The Pennsylvania Blues Festival and dozens of other festivals around the country. Satisfying worldwide demand, they have performed at festivals in Canada, Great Britain, France, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Japan, Australia, India, Turkey and Panama.

Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials released eight Alligator albums between 1986 and 2012. With each one, the band's national and international stature grew as their fan base--known internationally as "Ed Heads"--continued to expand. With 2006's Rattleshake, Ed and company reached a whole new audience. Die-hard "Ed Head" Conan O'Brien brought the band before millions of television viewers on two separate occasions. Success and accolades never stop pouring in. Living Blues called 2012's Jump Start "scorching and soulful" with "crafty, clever lyrics...joyous and stomping."

The group took home the Living Blues Award for Best Live Performer in 2011, 2012 and 2013. They won the prestigious Blues Music Award for Band Of The Year in both 2007 and 2009. The Associated Press says, "Williams fills Chicago's biggest shoes with more life and heat than anyone on stage today."

With The Big Sound Of Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials, the band continues to bring their blistering Chicago blues to "Ed Heads" new and old. Their infectious energy, joyful showmanship and masterful playing have been honed to a razor's edge by their many years together. Lil' Ed, Pookie, Mike and Kelly have seen sports stars and presidents, musical fads and fashion trends come and go. Meanwhile, their fiery music has more than stood the test of time. "We're not band members," says Williams, "we're family, and families stay together." Night after night, gig after riotous gig, the musical family called Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials bring their big, dynamic Chicago blues sound to fans across the country and around the world

You can't teach the blues. It's not something that can be codified in music books or learned on YouTube. It goes much deeper than that and it comes from the inside. It's about the way the guitar strings are bent and the sound gets transmuted directly from a player's soul. It's simple at the end of the day. Either you've got it, or you don't. JARED JAMES NICHOLS has definitely got it. The Wisconsin-born, Los Angeles-based singer, writer and guitarist's new EP Old Glory & The Wild Revival channels blues grit and gusto through bombastic arena-size rock 'n' roll. It's raw, raucous and righteously real. As soon as he got his first guitar at 14-years-old, the stage immediately called to Jared. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he grew up minutes away from The Alpine Valley Resort--where Stevie Ray Vaughan performed his last show. However, no divine coincidence could truly foreshadow just how adept at the six-string he would eventually become. He personally traces the beginning of his story back to a blues jam that his mother brought him to. "Two weeks after I got an electric guitar, I was on stage with all of these old cats from Chicago playing the blues," he recalls with a smile. "The music immediately resonated with me. It was all about the feeling and the soul behind it. None of these guys were music nerds. They were true blues guys playing what they felt. That power and reality struck a chord in me." Soon, he found himself practicing for twelve hours every day. Hitting up the local jams, he ended up sharing the stage with legends including Buddy Guy, "Honeyboy" Edwards, and "Big Jim" Johnson as well as opening for Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Derek Trucks. By his 21st birthday, he had logged over 500 gigs. After a short stint at Berklee School of Music in Boston, he headed out to Los Angeles where he garnered numerous accolades at the world-renowned Musicians Institute, winning the 2010 Jerry Horton guitar contest, the 2011 Les Paul tribute contest, and the 2011 "Outstanding Guitarist" award. 2012 saw him release his debut EP, Live at the Viper Room, gaining the notice of both Guitar World and Guitar Player and inking a deal with Sony/MTV's Hype Music Publishing. However, everything simply laid the groundwork for Old Glory & The Wild Revival. Teaming up with Aerosmith engineer Warren Huart, Jared began working on the five-song set in early 2013. Honing his voice as a guitarist, songs like the first single "Let It Go" speak through a delta-style soul with the right amount of rock bravado. "That one is a blues rock song about love and give and take," he reveals. "It's got its own style and it opens the door to what I'm doing". Elsewhere on the EP, "Blackfoot" charges forward with a riff as sharp as a tomahawk and a whole lot of spirit punctuated by Jessica Childress of The Voice's backing harmonies. "In Wisconsin, I was surrounded by Indian reservations and culture," he continues. "I'd do casino and reservation tours as a kid. When I wrote the song, I was reading about all of these badass tribes. I love that spirit and vibe inherent in Native American culture. The Blackfoot were truly bad motherfuckers. That lick is what I feel their culture represented." On stage, it truly comes to life. Jared's presence becomes amplified with guitar in hand. Audiences have experienced that everywhere from his performances at NAMM and SXSW to the iconic Sturgis Buffalo Chip Festival where he will play alongside ZZ Top and Kid Rock and the Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary in Milwaukee this summer. Ultimately, he lives up to that idea of Revival in the EPs title. "I want people to get excited," he concludes. "I want them to feel like anything is possible in this music. I want them to know great blues rock exists. If I can give someone the same inspiration I was blessed with, I've done something right."

With an undeniable voice and an arsenal of powerful songs, Martha Wainwright is a beguiling performer and a refreshingly different force in music. Martha began building a buzz with her well-noted EPs, prior to her 2005 critically and commercially successful debut LP, 'Martha Wainwright'. London's Sunday Times included the song, "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole" in their songs of the year and Rolling Stone called it "a blistering prelude to her debut album."

In 2008, Martha followed with her sophomore album, 'I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too', which showed her great musical maturity and talent as a songwriter. In 2010 she toured the world promoting her third album, 'San Fusils, Ni Souliers A Paris: Martha Wainwright's Piaf Album'. This extraordinary album, an homage to the great Edith Piaf, was received with glowing reviews, leaving audiences stunned by Martha's incredible range and talent. Her last album, 'Come Home To Mama', produced by Cibo Matto's Yuka Honda, was heralded by Mojo Magazine as a "substantial and brilliantly sung career best."

Now, four years later, 'Goodnight City' is poised to be her best record yet. This album returns to the rawness of her first release and includes songs by Martha, as well as songs written by notable artists to highlight her incredible voice. These songs are written by her friends and other great songwriters such as Beth Orton, Glen Hansard, her brother Rufus Wainwright, Michael Ondaatje, and Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs.

'Goodnight City' was produced by Thomas Bartlett (Sufjan Stevens, Glen Hansard) and Brad Albetta (Angus and Julia Stone, Teddy Thompson) to create a poignant album that covers a dynamic spectrum in a fluid and cohesive manner. The album was recorded in Montreal, where Martha and her husband have resided for the last couple of years with their two children. 'Goodnight City' will be released November 11th worldwide.

Martha was born in New York City to folk legends Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III. She is Rufus Wainwright's sister and they often collaborate in shows and on records. Martha is also half-sister to Lucy Wainwright Roche and they recently made a record together, 'Songs In The Dark' to much acclaim including a JUNO nomination. Martha tours her music around the world to sold out audiences on several continents. She has spent time on the silver screen playing characters in Martin Scorsese's "Aviator" and more recently in the HBO special "Olive Kitteridge" alongside Frances McDormand. Currently Martha is finishing up a book titled "Stories I Might Regret Telling You" which, like her songs, is a window into her life without artifice, pretension or fakery.

Nick Moss and his band have been featured performers at blues festivals across the globe, but it's at home in Chicago -- the capital city of the blues -- where he and his band get the ultimate stamp of approval from one Hall of Famer and blues icon Buddy Guy. Music fans the world over come to his famous club where they'll often find Moss playing that prestigious stage, booked by the icon himself because "Nick is a favorite at my club, Legends. He always works hard to please the audience." Other luminaries are equally effusive in their praise, rare in the competitive world of guitar gods, as none other than former Roomful of Blues bandleader and distinguished solo artist Ronnie Earl declares "Nick Moss is my favorite guitarist," high praise from one of the greatest practitioners of the instrument.

It's that ability to please, entertain, and amaze audiences with his staggering guitar skills that make the 16-time Blues Music Award nominee one of the top draws on the blues circuit and most exciting, dynamic performers working today. Noted author and historian Bill Dahl has praised Nick's "mastery of the classic Chicago sound" and declared him "a prolific songwriter, and the most exciting blues guitarist we have around here." That's quite an accolade from a man who has interviewed icons like Bo Diddley, written liner notes and overseen massive retrospectives of giants like Freddie King and Sam Phillips' historic Sun Records label, and written a respected book about the history of Motown.

Nick Moss demonstrates his mastery of the classic Chicago sound and so much more onstage -- and has also been recognized by the International Songwriting Competition for his ability to add amazing new songs to the venerable blues canon. His creativity, which has advanced his sound to incorporate new styles and ideas, has made an impression on blues master Jimmy Thackery, who says, "Nick is at it again, pushing the evolution of his music, stylistically as well as sonically." His recording career has brought him numerous accolades and his albums have been staples at blues radio nationwide, but he crosses boundaries now, and his songs have scored at rock and jam band stations as well. As a result, 2011's release Here I Am debuted at #2 on the Relix/Jambands.com Radio Chart.

Moss' aptness to please purists and cross boundaries that have helped him connect with audiences worldwide, winning fans and making friends every night in every city when he and his band take the stage. All the great ones make their mark onstage and that's where Moss is at his best. His superior talent is evident on his studio albums but it's his live albums and performances that put him in the rarified territory with the greats. Discovery for yourself what Bill Dahl, Ronnie Earl, Jimmy Thackery, Hall of Famer Buddy Guy, and audiences the world over already know: an evening with Nick Moss is an unforgettable experience and one not to be missed!

The Stone Foxes are San Francisco's rock band. They bear the torch of their predecessors with the knowledge that rock 'n roll can move a new generation. They’ve played in front of thousands at festivals like Outside Lands and Voodoo Fest, they’ve headlined the legendary Fillmore Theater in their hometown and they have supported acts like The Black Keys, Cage the Elephant and ZZ Top. Now, with the release of their fourth album, Twelve Spells, they have solidified a place in their City's rich rock 'n roll history.

Founded by brothers Shannon(vocals/drums/harp) and Spence Koehler(guitar/vocals), who came from the Sierra Nevada foothills near Tollhouse CA, The Stone Foxes started back in the Koehler’s SF State days in the Sunset District of San Francisco. Two weeks before they went on tour in 2011, they decided they needed a keyboard player and they added Elliott Peltzman from Fairfax CA to play for a couple months...but he never left. They needed another drummer who could also play bass and guitar for tour in 2013, so Shannon called his high school friend Brian "The Buffalo" Bakalian...he never left either. Their old friend Vince Dewald came in to jam one day later on that year, and after the Indiana kid started singing, playing his lefty guitar, and his brother's right handed bass upside down, it was a done deal. Finally in 2014, after convincing(basically begging) Vince's old bandmate to move back from his home town of Boston, Ben Andrews came out to play guitar and violin. After their first practice with Ben, the circle was finally complete and they had beers at the Lone Star tavern on Harrison Street to celebrate their new found brotherhood.

The Stone Foxes are an experience to dive into, to get wild with, to sweat with. "The Stone Foxes have an energetic style that's rooted in swampy, foot-stomping rock...ambitious arrangements with diverse moods ranging from acoustic twang to thunderous electric-guitar riffs."
– NPR/WXPN "WORLD CAFE"

Invoking the audience with their commanding stage presence, even jumping down into the crowd if the mood strikes. Their fans know they are in for something action packed and they light a fire in the band, just as the band spreads fire back into them. Guitarists digging in, lead vocals changing between two unique voices with impassioned nuance, and keyboard and organ sounds that fill the space with smoke and burning embers. There are crunchy drum tones, wailing harmonica draws and violin cries that can silence even the most raucous of rooms. But this is not a sit-down-and-watch kind of event. Like Elvis once said about rock n roll, “If you feel it, you can’t help but move to it.” The Stone Foxes' live show brandishes this kind of dynamic passion on stage. It's impossible not to feel it.

With the release of Twelve Spells, the band has chronicled their new beginning.

The Tangent is a Progressive Rock Band from Northern England. based around keyboards player, composer and idiosyncratic vocalist Andy Tillison Diskdrive. Their music is cinematic and lyrical, full of narrative, often telling stories or making observations about the world we live in - often choosing subject matter more associated with Anarcho-Punk bands than with the genre in which the band choose to base themselves. "No Hobbits or Orcs in our songs" The band have, for 12 years now, released a steady output of well regarded albums through their record label Insideout Music At the time of writing, the band's eighth studio album "A Spark In The Aether" is just weeks away from release.

The band has changed personnel many times and has used this fluidity to keep ideas fresh and lucid. The debut album released in 2003 The Music that Died Alone was often referred to as a "supergroup" project, though Tillison has always eschewed this title, preferring to go for the less obvious "a good idea".

In twelve years the group has had close affiliations with Swedish progressive legends The Flower Kings, and Jonas Reingold (bass) from that band remains in the Tangent to this day despite the departure of Roine Stolt from the Tangent ten years ago now. David Jackson (Van Der Graaf Generator) was heavily featured on that debut album, Jakko Jakszyk (now of King Crimson) has been a frequent collaborator along with Theo Travis (Steven Wilson Band, Soft Machine Legacy, Gong etc). Guy Manning, Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree), David Longdon (Big Big Train) have all played key roles in the band's development and the band was instrumental in bringing the talents of the astonishing young guitarist Luke Machin (Maschine) to the world for the first time.

Karmakanic kicked off their career in 2002, and now, 14 years, four studio albums and two live albums later, they are back with their fifth full-length album, DOT.

The band's founder, bassist Jonas Reingold says: "I got my inspiration to start writing DOT when I stumbled upon a text by the famous American author and astronomer Carl Sagan. He was talking about how small and insignificant we are in this vast universe.

Of course that can sound like a cliché and a lot of things have been said about our existence, universe, why are we here, where are we going, when will it end, when did it start, whats the purpose of it all? And so on. But he put it really elegantly in this rather short text, so I never looked at it as a cliché. The inspiration for him was actually a picture of the earth that Voyager 1 took 1990 from the outer areas of our solar system. The earth appeared in the picture as a small pixel, like a pale blue dot suspended in a sunbeam."

"Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every 'superstar,' every 'supreme leader,' every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam." -- Carl Sagan

"It's fascinating to think that this little dot is all we are and all we´ll ever be," says Reingold. "It gives us perspective. And I think perspective is a great tool for making good choices. Honestly, is it worth fighting over country borders, go to war, choose hate instead of love when you look at life from this perspective? So I decided to write a song about it: 'God - the universe and everything else no one really cares about'."

This song, presented in two parts, forms the centerpiece of DOT and clocks in just shy of 30 minutes' total playing time. Other songs are the short rocker "Steer by the Stars," co-written with Jonas's old buddy and colleague from The Tangent, Andy Tillison. Andy also contributes with some roaring Hammond organ on the aforementioned 30-minute epic.

Also featured on the album is "Higher Ground," a "mini epic" where Jonas writes about his upbringing and the good and bad off growing up in a small Swedish town; and "Traveling Minds," a majestic symphonic piece that brings us back to the vibe of the Yes classic "And You and I."

Karmakanic 2016 includes prominent members such as Morgan Ågren, a Grammy-winning musician on both sides of the Atlantic and known from his work with Frank Zappa, Kaipa, Steve Vai, Tony Iommy, Terry Bozzio, and was voted No. 1 in Modern Drummer's Readers Poll in 2010.

Göran Edman worked with Swedish stringbender Yngwie Malmsteen between 1990-1992, touring the world and recorded the album Fire and Ice and Eclipse.

Lalle Larsson is a leading star on the Progressive Rock scene, having recorded with artists such as Agents of Mercy, Jon Anderson, Gary Willis, and Randy Brecker. He has also released three albums with his own Lalle Larsson´s Weaveworld.

Binding together this fine cast of performers is the artwork of the legendary Hugh Syme, known best for his work on so many of those classic Rush album layouts. With Syme's unique approach, the current Karmakanic circle is complete.

Punk rock pioneers and provocateurs, the Dead Boys, celebrate the 40th anniversary of their landmark first album Young, Loud and Snotty, with a worldwide tour and a special re-recording of the classic record. Still Snotty: Young, Loud & Snotty at 40! on Nashville-based Plowboy Records is hitting the streets and available online on September 8 with a major US tour kicking off in Dallas, Texas on September 7.

Formed in Cleveland in 1976, the Dead Boys were one of the first American acts to combine the proto-punk fervor of bands like the Stooges and the New York Dolls with a new level of intense energy. 1977 debut LP, Young, Loud and Snotty, was a landmark album in the birth of hardcore punk and produced one of the first great punk anthems, "Sonic Reducer." After one more album, the band split in 1979. They reunited for a few gigs in the 1980s, but following the death of lead vocalist Stiv Bators in 1990, the band members went their separate ways except for two brief reunions in 2004 and 2005. The return of the Dead Boys began with guitarist Cheetah Chrome.

"I've had my solo band for the last ten years, and Dead Boys songs have always been included in my shows and over time the right mix of people came together to pull off and at times enhance the Dead Boys sound. With the 40th anniversary of the Dead Boys on the horizon and a solid band that could interpret and deliver the performance and sound needed to maintain the authenticity of the Dead Boys, I reached out to Johnny Blitz about an anniversary tour and he said yes and we began the journey of what would become Still Snotty: with Jason Kottwitz on guitar, Detroit punk legend Ricky Rat on bass and vocalist Jake Hout from 'zombie' Dead Boys tribute band, the Undead Boys, the Dead Boys 40th anniversary tour started taking shape. I've been singing the Dead Boys songs myself for 20 years because I couldn't find another singer I trusted enough to hand it to," Chrome says. "The first gig with Jake, it was like, 'You got it, man!' I think Stiv would be very proud of our choice."

With the line-up in place, the group brought the house down at a showcase performance at this year's South by Southwest music fest in Austin, Texas. Writing in Paste Magazine, music critic Robert Ham named their set as one of the 10 Best Sets at SXSW 2017. "The group played the entire LP (of Young, Loud and Snotty) with sweat and fire, wiping away all four decades of the past in the process."

Fresh from that success, the urge to capture a new take on the classic album was a natural next step.

"The original album was actually a demo," Chrome says. "None of us had been in a studio before, and we figured we would go back in and do it right, but the label said no. It has stood up, but 40 years later we can do a 'What if?' What would it have sounded like if we could have gone back in? So that's what this is about. It's not better. It's just different."

Produced by Plowboy Records head Shannon Pollard and cut in just three days of sessions in Nashville's historic Creative Workshop Studios, Still Snotty: Young, Loud & Snotty at 40! is an exciting chance to revisit a classic album. Think of it as a "Sonic Expander."

"When Blitz and I are playing it's like we're 20 years old again, of course I feel a lot worse the next morning," Chrome says with a laugh. "It's still just as loud and snotty, we're just old now."

With deep feeling and top-shelf talent, houserocking blues masters The Cash Box Kings play tough, real deal classic Chicago blues with boundless energy. They also deliver raw, passionate Delta blues, jumping proto-rock 'n' roll, and steamrolling "bluesabilly," their original mix of Chicago blues and Memphis rockabilly. As anyone who has ever been to one of the band's raucous performances will testify, The Cash Box Kings know how to throw a party. They're fueled by the powerhouse harmonica work of Madison, Wisconsin-based songwriter Joe Nosek and the huge, gritty vocals of Chicago bluesman Oscar Wilson. Their original songs range from humorous stories of Internet love to harrowing tales of Chicago's violent gun epidemic. Every song they perform--be it a striking original or a scorching Chess, Sun or Vee-Jay cover--explodes with contemporary authority and radiates old-school authenticity. According to Grammy Award-winning blues legend Charlie Musselwhite, "The Cash Box Kings play with real taste and feel. Not only is it good blues but it's a jumping good time, too! I ain't lyin'!"

Joe Nosek founded The Cash Box Kings in Madison, Wisconsin in 2001 and, since 2007, has co-led the band with the charismatic, larger-than-life vocalist Oscar Wilson. Over 20 years apart in age and coming from vastly different backgrounds, the two form an unlikely pair, combining Wilson's indisputably authentic inner city Chicago blues vocals with Nosek's harmonica, songwriting and singing talents. The music they create is brilliantly displayed on The Cash Box Kings' Alligator Records debut, Royal Mint. According to Wilson, "The Cash Box Kings is a throwback to the golden age of blues with some kickin' fresh young blood. Joe is my best friend in the music world--the band is a marriage made in heaven for both of us." "Oscar is godfather to my oldest son," says Nosek. "We have each other's backs. We're family."

Royal Mint features 13 hard-hitting songs, including six impressive originals. From the wry, politically-charged Build That Wall to the chilling Blues For Chi-Raq to the funny and too true If You Got A Jealous Woman Facebook Ain't Your Friend to the timeless versions of songs by Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Clifton Chenier, Amos Milburn and Jimmy Reed, Royal Mint shuffles, jumps and gets down and dirty, fueled by the band's unmatched musicianship. According Nosek, "Royal Mint is our strongest album. The band is at its absolute best."

Nosek refers to the group of top-notch traditional players who comprise The Cash Box Kings as "a blues collective." Live and on record, members of the "collective" appear in different combinations for different performances, creating an anything-can-happen experience. In addition to co-leaders Nosek and Wilson, the full ensemble includes world-class guitarists Joel Paterson and Billy Flynn, drummers Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith and Mark Haines, bassist Brad Ber with newest member Lee Kanehira (replacing their longtime pianist, the late Barrelhouse Chuck) rounding out the band.

In their first six years, The Cash Box Kings won a large and loyal audience across the Midwest. Wilson joined the band in 2007, bringing with him an instantly commanding stage presence and an authoritative vocal style that gives fire-breathing power to the music. A self-taught musician and singer with an encyclopedic knowledge of almost every blues song known to man, Wilson--standing 6'1" and weighing over 300 pounds--is a natural-born entertainer and a perfect foil for Nosek and the band. Born in 1953 on Chicago's 43rd Street (aka Muddy Waters Drive), Wilson grew up in the company of many famous blues artists. Junior Wells, Elmore James, Big Smokey Smothers and close family friend David "Honeyboy" Edwards were all regulars at weekly Friday night fish fries/jam sessions at the Wilson home. Throughout his adulthood, Wilson held regular jobs but was always welcome sitting in with Chicago blues mainstays Melvin Taylor and Johnny B. Moore. His vocal inspirations range from Muddy Waters, B.B. King and Albert King to Jimmy Reed, Jimmy Rogers and Little Walter but he mostly sings like Oscar Wilson. Award-winning harmonica giant and vocalist Rick Estrin (leader of Rick Estrin & The Nightcats) says, "That guy can really sing."

A self-described blues fanatic, Nosek, born in Wisconsin in 1974 and raised in Chicago, spent his youth soaking up as much blues music as he could hear, both live and on record. In his teens, he began sneaking into blues clubs to watch Junior Wells, James Cotton, Otis Rush, Jimmy Rogers, Sunnyland Slim and others. Nosek recalls, "Seeing those guys work made a huge impression on me and propelled me into wanting to learn how to play the blues." He took up harmonica, quickly cultivating his own aggressive, fluid style.

After moving to Madison in the early 1990s, he began sitting in with artists such as Clyde Stubblefield and Luther Allison. Finding like-minded musicians hell-bent on playing raw, rough-edged, hard-charging blues, Nosek formed The Cash Box Kings. They released their first album, Live! At The King Club, in 2003, instantly earning praise from critics and fans, and gaining a reputation as one of the hottest live bands on the circuit.

The Cash Box Kings have earned devoted fans in both Chicago and Madison, the two cities where band members live. They regularly headline Chicago venues like Buddy Guy's Legends and Rosa's Lounge, and have played major festivals across the U.S. and Europe. They've blown away audiences at the Chicago Blues Festival, the Tampa Bay Blues Festival, the Doheny Blues Festival, the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Cincinnati Blues Festival, the Cambridge Folk Festival (UK), the Moulin Blues Festival (Netherlands), the Lucerne Blues Festival (Switzerland), the Baltic Blues Festival (Germany) and the Edmonton Blues Festival (Canada). They have also performed in Belgium, France, Spain and Uruguay.

With eight previous releases to their credit and hundreds of live performances under their belts, The Cash Box Kings have won widespread acclaim throughout the blues world. Their 2013 release Black Toppin' won the 2013 Blues Blast Music Award for Traditional Blues Album of the Year. It was also nominated for a 2014 Blues Music Award in the same category. Their last release, Holding Court, was nominated for two 2016 Blues Music Awards (Best Traditional Album and Album of the Year) and the band was also nominated for the Band of the Year Award. They've been featured on NPR Music as well as in the pages of No Depression, The Chicago Tribune, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Living Blues, Vintage Guitar, Blues Blast and many other publications. Living Blues said, "This accomplished band of musicians captures the vibe of traditional blues and flawlessly spins it in innovative ways."

According to Alligator president Bruce Iglauer, The Cash Box Kings are a natural addition to the label. "I love this band because they combine the classic Chicago blues style with contemporary lyrics, true blues vocals and terrific musicianship. Oscar Wilson's voice is a soulful roar like Muddy Waters' and Joe Nosek plays powerhouse harmonica in the James Cotton tradition. Billy Flynn and Joel Paterson are world-class blues guitarists. The whole band can deliver jumping party shuffles or down-in-the-alley gritty blues. Their fresh songs bring wry humor to subjects like current politics, the pitfalls of social networking and life on the tough streets of Chicago."

Nosek agrees, saying, "We're very happy about finding a new home with Bruce Iglauer and the good folks at Alligator Records. As blues musicians who grew up in Chicago, becoming a part of the Alligator roster is a great honor for us. It's the label that has released some of our all-time favorite blues records."

With blasting harmonica, soul-deep vocals, original songs and sizzling guitars, The Cash Box Kings boast an array of talent to satisfy blues lovers of every shape and size. On Royal Mint they make old blues new as they continue to create new blues classics, with, according to Elmore magazine, "just the right amount of juke joint grit." Living Blues says The Cash Box Kings are "straight from the golden era of the blues," boasting "an impressive line-up of A-list players. Joe Nosek feels Little Walter and Slim Harpo in the essence of his soul. Singer Oscar Wilson could be right out of [Chicago's famed] Checkerboard Lounge in its glory days. The Cash Box Kings are a dancing and listening pleasure."

Bob Schneider has reigned as a de facto king of the Austin music scene for a couple of decades
now, and while no one stays on top forever, the man shows no signs of decay in quality or
creativity. Schneider is the city's genius chameleon, mixing pop, hip-hop, folk and biting humor
with essential melodies and bloody brilliant lyrics. His joys and heartbreaks, laid bare in song,
help us understand our own.

Schneider has been a recording artist for 25 years, putting out his first record ("Party Till You're Dead") in 1991 as frontman for Joe Rockhead, a funk-rock combo in the vein of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. That band was followed by his best-known group, Ugly Americans, which toured with the Dave Matthews Band and Big Head Todd and the Monsters. Ugly Americans was a kind of alt-rock supergroup, with former members of Cracker, Poi Dog Pondering and Mojo Nixon's band.

Schneider also fronted a full-on funk ensemble that played around Austin in the late 1990s called The Scabs, at the same time he was establishing himself as a solo artist. His first solo project, "Songs Sung and Played on Guitar at the Same Time," came out in 1998, and he's gone on to record an almost inconceivably diverse and eclectic array of songs since then, with his work making it onto the soundtracks of seven major motion pictures (and one indie film).

All told, Schneider has been the singer and main songwriter on nearly 30 studio albums, and he has been named Musician of the Year six times at the Austin Music Awards. Considering the renowned strength of the music scene in Austin, that's saying something. His artistry coupled with his movie-star looks and boyish charm makes it a wonder he's not a household name around the rest of the country the way he is in Austin.

His prodigious musical output is a result of a songwriting challenge group he started 16 years ago while touring. At first, the challenge was to write one song a day, and the people doing the writing were on the tour bus with him. They'd come up with a title each morning and at the end of the day play the songs they came up with for each other.

The pace of the songwriting challenge has eased up substantially since its beginnings, going to one song a week, but the scope of the participation in the group has widened to include a lot of widely known musicians.

"We've had lots of famous folks in the game from time to time, but they usually don't last very long," Schneider says. "The exception would be Jason Mraz, who has been in the game on and off for six or seven years and is one of the most consistent songwriters in the group. Very talented and will always turn a song in. At the end of the day, though, I really only have the group as a motivation to get me to write a song each week. Otherwise, a month might go by without writing anything and that would be a shame."

The past few years, Schneider has grouped the songs he's written in a year under an album title, just to kind of keep track of when they were written. Titles for recent years have included
"Here's the Deal," "The Ever Increasing Need to Succeed," "Into the Great Unknown" and "Mental Problems." This year's theme (and the name of his current concert tour) is "The Practical Guide to Everything."

Schneider has a fantastic website where fans can listen to all of the songs from the three five- song "King Kong Suite" EPs he released last year, with humorous commentary from Schneider himself between songs. The website also has the 10 videos he created for "King Kong" songs using public-domain found footage, including the menacing "Black Mountain" video that culls scenes from Francis Ford Coppola's directorial debut.

The website also offers a chance to stream his regular Monday evening shows at Austin's Saxon Pub.
"The Saxon Pub shows are unique in the fact that I play a lot of material there that I don't play anywhere else," Schneider explains. "New stuff that I wrote that week or in the last few weeks. Really old material that we haven't played in a while. I hardly play any of the stuff that you'll hear on the road, which is a mix of the best of everything. The best new material alongside the best of my last 20 years of writing songs."

...He has an almost Dylanesque reputation for keeping things fresh, with shows so different from one another that for years he [has] recorded every show and...[sold] copies for people to purchase right after the show.

"I play a lot of cities twice a year, and I like the fact that a lot of my fans will come see me play every time I come to town, knowing that I'll be playing material they've never seen me perform and might not ever perform again," Schneider says. "I don't have any of the banter planned either, so that stuff is usually unique to that night as well. It keeps things fresh for me and allows me to play crowd favorites that I've been playing for years, but still makes the whole thing feel new overall for me and hopefully for the audience."

JC Brooks makes soul-infused, genre-bending music that is energetic and kinetically charged. The grab-the- listener-at- all-costs mashup manifesto has been captured to a T on the band's new joint, The Neon Jungle, which is set for an April 7, 2017 release via Rock Ridge Music. Their soul mashup version of Wilco's "I'm Trying to Break Your Heart" was a nationwide jam released by Bloodshot Records as JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound, but with the new album The Neon Jungle, they have dropped "the Uptown Sound" but continue as one powerful live band. Brooks himself describes The Neon Jungle as an album-length depiction of "one crazy, incredible night out." JC Brooks has made a career out of delivering the goods, from club stages to the biggest festivals in US and Europe. The live version of the The Neon Jungle will be flowing from a stage near you.

The Right Now's pop-meets-soul sound is more than a vehicle for Stefanie Berecz's captivating voice. The celebration of thoughtful, catchy songwriting and intricate arrangements evokes a subtle sophistication in the tradition of Quincy Jones' 70s and 80s masterpieces. Since 2009 the band has toured much of the United States and released two acclaimed albums, racking up placements in television, national commercials, and the multi-million-selling video game Watch Dogs.

The Right Now's Chicago roots permeate their music and performances: breezy horn lines sit atop soul grooves old and new, all while Berecz elevates one audience after another with her "classic yet contemporary voice" (Philadelphia Inquirer). College radio stations from Asheville to Seattle put 2012's Gets Over You on the CMJ charts, and critics nationwide have championed TRN as "the real deal" (Pittsburgh City Paper). The seven-piece band landed an official Record Store Day release in 2012--all 750 copies sold out immediately--and collaborated with New York label Deep&Disco on a remix project. The Right Now has opened for Fitz & The Tantrums, George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic, Bettye LaVette, Lee Fields, and many others along the way.

The newest album Starlight examines a complicated world through the eyes of the fighter, the lover, the philosopher, the addict, the mother. It covers musical ground as diverse as the city that spawned TRN: dance beat elation, synth-pop grandeur, intimate ballads, and gritty soul. Buoyed by fuzzed-out guitars and a menacing drum beat, Berecz relates a tale of corruption and innocence lost in "Everything is Broken:"

No one ever told him
No one ever showed him
Underneath the gold trim
Everything was broken

Both on Starlight and in their acclaimed live shows, Berecz and The Right Now confront the darkness of modern times head on, utilizing their music as a beacon to navigate to safer ground. The band tours behind Starlight in 2017.

NYC trio Consider the Source defy easy description. If intergalactic beings of pure energy, after initiation into an order of whirling dervishes, built some kind of pan-dimensional booty-shaking engine, powered by psychedelics and abstract math, it'd probably just sound like a CTS tribute band. Drawing from progressive rock, fusion and jazz, with alien sounds soaked in Indian and Middle Eastern styles, CTS blends disparate parts into a striking, utterly original whole. Dubbed "Sci-Fi Middle Eastern Fusion", the band's music strikes a rare balance between cerebral and emotional, intellectual and primal. A relentless touring schedule has won the band a fervent following from California to Israel, with fans ranging from jam-band hippies and jazz cats to corpse-painted headbangers and prog geeks.

Formed in 2004, Consider the Source features Gabriel Marin on fretless double-neck guitar, bassist John Ferrara, and drummer/percussionist Jeff Mann. Called "the guiding light for his generation of six-stringers", Marin channels the mystical fury of McLaughlin and Coltrane into wailing melodies, kaleidoscopic soundscapes and boneshaking riffs. With a background in classical musics both Eurpoean and Indian, and an instinct for avant-jazz and destructive metal, Marin's hypnotic fusion of styles is ever unpredictable. Ferrara's propulsive, percussive attack, equally suited to simple grooves and impossible chords, can ground the music or launch it into space. His madcap gumbo of slap bass, Indian rhythms, earthy minimalism and complex tapping constantly pushes into strange new worlds, whilst still dropping thick booty-clap beats. Underneath them lies Mann's rolling thunder; dense rhythmic architecture built from pure swagger and bounce. Half double-bass prog-metal, half crackle-pop Buddy Rich swing, with African and Balkan swirls, Mann's muscular, freewheeling polyrhythms are the engine fuel for Consider's multiversal mischief. Even when not improvising, Consider's music is always a conversation, a roiling stew of dynamic interplay. Each member of Consider the Source alternately leads and follows, spars and assists; in any single song, alliances are made and broken, bargains struck and divorces finalized.

Touring from coast to coast, as well as Europe and the Middle East, has not only earned the band thousands of fans, but has allowed them to perform with a wide variety of well-known artists, including Victor Wooten, Wayne Krantz, King Crimson Projekt, Kris Myers (Umphrey's McGee), Wyclef Jean, Andy Statman, Matt Darriau (Paradox Trio), Oteil Burbridge, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Dumpstaphunk, Keller Williams, George Porter, Jr., Jeff Sipe, Panzerballet (Germany), Eatliz (Israel), Freak Kitchen (Sweden), Morglbl (France), and many others. They have performed at numerous festivals and events, including Burning Man, Gathering of the Vibes, the NYC Fretless Guitar Festival, Catskill Chill, Sun Seekers Ball (Canada), Aura Music & Arts Festival (Florida), Jazz Fest (New Orleans), Head For The Hills Festival & SXSW (Texas), Rootwire (Ohio), and the NYC Gypsy Festival. The band's latest release, "World War Trio (Parts 2 & 3)" (2016) is available at considerthesourcemusic.bandcamp.com.

Although The Steepwater Band got their start as devotees of delta blues, they have since been expanding on their influences taking on everything from psychedelia to Americana, and of course, rock and roll music. Formed in Chicago in 1998, the band's signature sound is at once a nod to earlier rock n' blues combined with a raw and gutsy musical approach. Founding band members Jeff Massey (vocals & guitar), Tod Bowers (bass) and Joe Winters (drums) have a synergy that comes from years of playing together. In early 2012 the long-time trio have been joined by Eric Saylors (guitar & bk vocal), from Indianapolis, IN. Mr. Saylors brings an added depth to the TSB LIVE sound, where the foundation laid by Bowers & Winters leaves the space for the guitars to soar and vocals to shine. Massey always performs with a passion that can belie his virtuosity, while being true to the song at hand.

The band's infectious energy is equally evident in their live performances, as critics and fans hail their shows as forceful and intoxicating. It is their humble devotion to music, and a commitment to achieving their musical goals without compromising the integrity of their musical vision that make The Steepwater Band such a refreshing find. In 2010, the band released the highly lauded live record entitled "Live at the Double Door" which contained tracks from their previous two LPs, "Revelation Sunday (2006)" and "Grace and Melody (2008)."

The Steepwater Band has maintained a grueling schedule throughout the last 10 years, averaging about 125 shows per year. They have toured and shared the stage with acts such as Gov't Mule, Buddy Guy, Wilco, Taj Mahal, Marc Ford, ZZ Top, T-Model Ford, North Mississippi All Stars, Leon Russell, Drive-By Truckers, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Cheap Trick, Bad Company and Heart. In 2005, the band made its European debut, performing at the Azkena Rock Festival in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. In the following years, the band has returned to the United Kingdom and Europe for multiple club and festival tours, increasing their loyal overseas fan-base.

THEM VIBES BLEED ROCK N' ROLL.

Formed in East Nashville's underground rock scene in 2013, the band quickly shook the foundations of Music City with their blitzkrieg live show and soulful songwriting. Influenced by the rhythmic sway of The Faces and T-Rex and infected with the raw energy of the Rolling Stones and the Black Crowes, Them Vibes have injected new life into the anemic arm of what currently passes for mainstream rock n' roll.

Co-founded by singer-songwriters Brother Love and Alex Haddad, Them Vibes released their debut record, Shine On, independently and began hitting the Nashville and Austin scenes as a five-piece band playing coveted gigs at the High Watt, The Basement, The Mercy Lounge, The Continental Club, the Blue Bird Café, to name a few. Their wild, high- voltage revival of a live show was brought to festival crowds at Austin's SXSW; they were the headliner atThe Tomato Music And Arts Fest; opened for the Flaming Lips at the Sound Harvest festival; and, in front of thousands of onlookers, they have opened for such classic artists as Lynyrd Skynyrd and Molly Hatchet.

Them Vibes' sophomore release was the heavy hitting EP TV. Grammy award-winning producer and engineer Richard Dodd (Tom Petty, George Harrison, Counting Crows, The Civil Wars, Kings of Leon and Wilco) took the helm as producer. The result was a five song cliff dive of psychedelic, hard driving, slinky grooving, swamp-howling rock n roll.

The single "Mammas Gotta Secret" took radio by storm, with national radio play on over twenty stations nationwide. Network television began to taken notice, as well. Both album's respective cuts garnered placements on ABC's Nashville, NBC's Grimm, Fox's Cooper Barrett, and CMT's Redneck Island and Dude Perfect, and the Netflix Original series The Ranch. Their biggest commercial success was led by their raucous song Crying Shame, which was chosen by T-Mobile to lead their spring campaign.

Off the heals of their strides stateside the band turned their attention across the pond embarking on a month long European tour. Playing sold out shows in Germany, France, Belgium, Slovakia, and Spain, gaining critical acclaim, radio play and most importantly throngs of new fans.

When they returned to the U.S the band went right to work writing and recording their new album Electric Fever. Larry Florman (Brother Love), Alex Haddad, lead guitar player Kyle Lewis, and the prodigious, up and coming Nashville producer Bobby Holland wanted to make the most ambitious rock n roll record to come out in the last decade. With the help of the rhythmic fury of drummer Sarah Tomek and bassist Judd Fuller, Them Vibes did just that. Recording everything full band and live at Addiction Studios in Nashville, Electric Fever is a kaleidoscope of sound and sonic ecstasy. The twelve side LP is colored in Muscle Shoals soul, hip shaking beat break funk, southern rock harmony guitars, tribal heavy rhythms injected with rock n roll ferocity, broke down acoustic delight, and all and above driven by harmony and groove full speed ahead.

The self titled single Electric Fever has already been leaked to the number one independent radio station in the United States, Nashville's WRLT Lightning100, and in its inception has caught quite a buzz. The single, due to popular demand, has been officially released on iTunes and every major music streaming platform, and the album Electric Fever is due out late spring. The band will be hitting the US interstate in support of their new record.

The R&B Cadets played their first gig shortly after New Year's in 1980 and their last in the summer of 1986. In that time they got a lot of folks out on the dance floor, playing a distinctive mix of of deep soul cuts from Paul Cebar's massive record collection and some sparkling originals, written by John Sieger, often in tandem with Michael Feldman, a friend and now longtime host of Public Radio's Whad'ya Know?

Splitting lead duties with Sieger and Cebar was the lovely chanteuse, Robin Pluer. Owner of one the lovelier voice heard in the midwest, Ms. Pluer was a dollop of sweetness at the top of the band's deep range. Rounding out the lineup was Mike Sieger, John's brother and vocal doppelganger, who played bass. Original drummer Cy Costabile, was later replaced by Bobby Schneider and the saxophonist Juli Wood was replaced by keyboard/sax man Bob Jennings.

In it's prime, the band had a large following in Milwaukee, where they were pretty much the house band at the late, lamented Century Hall. They travelled well too, with fans in the Twin Cities, Chicago, Madison and even New York where they played legendary clubs like CBGB's, The Knitting Factory and The Lone Star. Their only record, Top Happy, came out in 198-. It featured a song produced by Nick Lowe, a fan who had stumbled across them after playing a show in Milwaukee. The record got great reviews and could have been the start of even bigger things, but like many bands, people were pulling, and being pulled, in different directions.

The positive result of their breakup was two, then three very vital and entertaining acts. There was Semi-Twang, which concentrated on John's songs and did a record, Salty Tears for Warner Brothers that gathered more love than sales. John later moved to nashville and had many of his songs recorded by artist like Dwight Yoakam, Flaco Jimenez and The Bodeans.

Paul and Robin continued with the beefed up and ever-popular Milwaukeeans, releasing a record in the 1990s on Shenachie that got radio play around the country. That lineup stayed around until Robin bid adieu. Tired of touring and now married, she headed to New York for a while, before returning. She has carved out a special niche between soul, swing, standards and the French chanson that she loves, and is still performing today.

In 2009 Semi-Twang reunited and have released two CDs, both of which garnered raves. Paul has continued non-stop, his latest was out last year with his most recent moniker, Tomorrow Sound. The three headed beast has been in rehearsal, tightening up songs old and new. The crowd at their first reunion gig in many years was up and dancing at the first down beat, you probably will be too.

Anthony Gomes, #1 Billboard Blues Artist, is a triple threat force as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. Blues Revue Magazine recently declared that, "Gomes' formidable guitar chops and authentic singing place him in the forefront of modern blues." This, along with his high-energy shows and dynamic stage presence, make him one of the top draws on the Rock/Blues circuit today. Gomes has headlined concerts in 17 countries and has had the honor of sharing the stage with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Robert Plant, Joe Bonamassa, Heart, Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

Word of Gomes' electrifying performances has reached Eric Clapton, Morgan Freeman, John Goodman, Toby Keith, Jonny Lang, Ron White and Vince Vaughn who have all attended Gomes' concerts. After experiencing Gomes live, John Goodman referred to him as "a pure soul brother" and comedian Ron White declared his official endorsement of Anthony Gomes. Perhaps the greatest complement was offered by Morgan Freeman who jokingly professed that Anthony was, "not bad for a white boy."

In addition to performing, Gomes is an award winning blues history scholar, earning the University of Toronto's C.P. Stacey Award for the highest overall academic grade point average by a history major. Anthony completed his master's degree thesis on the racial and cultural evolution of blues music, graduating with high distinction.

Believing that music can inspire the human spirit, Anthony founded the Music Is The Medicine Foundation in 2010. This non-profit organization is dedicated to changing the lives of others through the healing power of music. Through private donations and winning sizable grants from State Farm Insurance and CVS Pharmacy, the foundation has funded songwriting scholarships, offered music education programs, and donated musical instruments to those in need.

Born in Toronto, Canada to a Portuguese father and a French-Canadian mother, Gomes began playing guitar in his early teens and was drawn to the blues sounds of B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix.

He relocated to Chicago in the late '90s to learn from the blues masters. During his brief stint as a sideman for Magic Slim and the Teardrops, Gomes put together his own group and won the first annual Buddy Guy's Legends "Best Unsigned Blues Band" competition in 1998. Later that year, Gomes released his debut CD, Blues in Technicolor, which introduced him as a guitar-slinger loaded with impressive firepower.

On 2002's Unity, he accomplished the album's title with a heavy mix of styles leading Bandit Blues Radio to name it one of the "Top 30 Essential Blues CDs" of all time. Gomes was elevated to the top of the blues field just one year later when BluesWax Magazine named him "Artist of the Year," an award he would claim for several years in a row due to his endless commitment and touring. Music Is the Medicine (2006) peaked at number four on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart, only to be outdone by LIVE (2008) debuting at number one. In 2012, Gomes received critical acclaim for his release of Up 2 Zero. The album was named the "Best Blues CD of 2012" by A1 Blues.com and the Blues Underground Network voted the album "Best Blues Rock CD of 2012." The accolades continued in 2013 with the release of Gomes' gusty acoustic album ...Before The Beginning. Blues 411 honored the release with the "Jimi Award" for best Blues/Rock CD of 2013 and it continues to make many "Best Albums of the Year" lists.

Gomes shows no signs of slowing down. 2015 will see the release of Electric Field Holler, a guitar driven blues infused rock 'n' roll album that showcases Gomes' blistering six string work and whiskey soaked voice. "I feel like this will be our pinnacle year in terms of creativity and artistic achievement," says Gomes, "it's time to turn it up."

Once Vinnie Moore picked up his first guitar (a Kay) at the age of 12, he became, as he describes it, a "guitar freak." His earliest influences included - among others - Jeff Beck, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Queen.

Vinnie took lessons with a private instructor and at 14, he joined his first band, jamming on cover tunes with drums, bass, 2 guitars and vocals. After a few years of playing with different bands, Vinnie decided it was time to make the jump from covering songs to creating his own music. He quit the band, got a 4-track tape recorder, and began experimenting by recording his ideas and building them into songs. It was evident that he had found his calling; this was the start of his journey as a songwriter.
After many hours of creating tunes with his 4 track, Vinnie sent a demo to Guitar Player magazine, and came to national attention via its "Spotlight" column, written by Shrapnel Records exec Mike Varney. This led to Vinnie's first professional work in the music business which was writing and playing the music for a national Pepsi TV commercial. In 1987, Shrapnel released Vinnie's breakout album, Mind's Eye. Vinnie was quickly heralded "best new talent" in Guitar Player, Guitar, and Guitar World magazines, and Mind's Eye sold more than 100,000 copies.

In 1988, Squawk/Polygram released Vinnie's second effort (and major label debut) Time Odyssey, which solidified his reputation as a musical innovator. His third release was Meltdown, in 1991 (on Relativity/Epic Records); the song Meltdown received national radio airplay on both album-oriented rock (AOR) and hard rock formats. In 1996, Mayhem Records released Out of Nowhere, with Brian Tichy (Billy Idol) on drums and Dorian Heartsong (Powerman 5000) on bass.

On The Maze (in 1999), Vinnie was joined by former MSG drummer Shane Gaalaas, bassist Dave LaRue (The Dregs and The Steve Morse Band) and renowned master musician Tony MacAlpine on keyboards. The Maze was stunning, rooted in the progressive neo-classical style that had already generated legions of loyal fans. Vinnie also displayed a new-found maturity in his songwriting; now, many of his diverse and exotic musical influences, including Latin, Jazz, and the Blues, began finding their way into his signature sound.

Other albums followed: Live (in 2000), with Shane Gaalaas (drums), Barry Sparks on bass, and Wayne Findlay on keyboards, and Defying Gravity in 2001 with Dave LaRue (bass), Steve Smith on drums, and David Rosenthal on Keyboards.

As a performer, Vinnie Moore's resume is impressive. A member of Alice Cooper's band, he toured the U.S. on the Operation Rock'N'Roll tour, and also performed on Alice's album Hey Stoopid. Vinnie's own band has toured extensively as a headliner and also was chosen as opening act for legendary rockers Rush on the Northeast leg of their Roll The Bones Tour. Vinnie also toured Japan as a member of the T.M. Stevens' band, which included Bernie Worrell (Parliament Funkadelic) on keyboards, Wil Calhoun (Living Color) on drums, and Al Pitrelli (Megadeth) on guitar.

Vinnie has done hundreds of guitar clinics all over the world including such places as, Japan, Scandanavia, Italy, Poland, Mexico, Canada, New Zealand, England, Germany and Australia.

In 2003, Vinnie joined the legendary group UFO (Phil Mogg, vocals; Pete Way, bass; Jason Bonham, drums; Paul Raymond, keyboards). Their first effort together as a band was the SPV Records release You Are Here (in 2004); Vinnie was a major songwriting contributor on this record. The band followed You Are Here with a worldwide tour which spanned from March 2004 to August 2005. A LIVE DVD from this tour was released in Nov 2005. Titled UFO Showtime, this two-DVD set also includes bonus footage of the band. The band's second studio effort called The Monkey Puzzle came out in 2006 and marked the return of original UFO drummer Andy Parker. The boys toured Europe and Russia and the USA in April and May 2008. The third UFO studio record with Vinnie in the band is called The Visitor and was released in June 2009 on SPV Records. The band has toured the UK, Europe, and USA, and will continue in Europe in the spring of 2010!
Vinnie's latest CD To The Core (2009 Mascot Records) was released in May 2009 and has received critical acclaim worldwide.

Over many years, Vinnie's 4-track recorder has grown into a home studio, where he's recorded his last two solo CDs, and parts of the UFO CD. Vinnie's home studio is the place where he writes new music.

As well as songwriting and playing, Vinnie is dedicated to teaching. He's conducted guitar clinics around the world, and has released two instructional videos on the HotLicks® label (see the Music page for more information). Vinnie joins his fans at clinics worldwide for, Engl Amplification, and Dean Guitars.

On doing clinics: "I like talking to the fans firsthand and learning from them. It's insightful to hear what they like about what I'm doing, and what they think about the guitar genre...and the whole music scene in general. I definitely feed off of their energy. It's cool to be part of a global guitar community, and it's an honor to know that I can sometimes inspire others to get excited by music and guitar. It always amazes me to me to hear that I have touched someone else by doing something that I love doing so much. I consider it a gift to be playing guitar and writing songs, and feel like one of the luckiest cats in the world to have fans."

On songwriting and musical influences: "I hope to keep growing and learning as a songwriter and as a player, and to explore different musical directions, kind of following the inspiration wherever it leads. I don't plan ahead musically, which keeps things interesting for me. I want to continue following my muse into areas that inspire and excite me. I am basically a rock guy...but love many different styles of music, and am often inspired by - and learn from - all of them. Music is so vast, and there are so many things to pick up from all the different styles. I've kind of always been like this, drawing on different musical influences, partly because I like lots of different things and partly... because I get bored easily! Exploring different directions is fun, and it keeps me excited as both a writer and a player."

On having his own studio: "I love having a studio environment in the house so I can turn my ideas into songs. It's really like my own little space in the universe and I love being there and being creative."

On songwriting: "In other parts of the house, I mostly sit around and play, and I always keep a Walkman cassette player close by, because you never know when an idea for a song is going to pop out. Musical ideas usually happen when you least expect them. I don't consciously try to write; my ideas just come from playing. I record stuff; I never write it down."

On playing: "I have pretty much always considered myself a melody and feel guy. Regardless of which style of music I am playing, the essence of what it is all about for me is definitely the melody and expressing myself emotionally. I love creating melodies that are memorable and can be sung, and if I can make a listener feel emotion when they hear my stuff, it is the highest reward I could ever get."

Gus G. has spent the past decade quietly affirming his place as one of metal's reigning guitar virtuosos. He has recorded more than a dozen studio albums, performed around the world as a member of acts ranging from Arch Enemy and Dream Evil to his own band Firewind, and has been Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist since being personally handpicked by the heavy metal legend in August 2009. Now, with the release of his first-ever solo album 'I Am The Fire' on Century Media Records, the fleet-fingered Greek fret-shredder will embark on the next chapter of his history-shaping career.

"People have been asking me for a solo record for years now, but I didn't want to do an album that sounded like something people have heard from me before," says Gus G. of his solo debut, an album that blends the metal histrionics that fans have come to know and love with a passion for classic hard rock and metal's vintage roots. "Apart from a few instrumentals, this album isn't traditional heavy metal or power metal, it's got more of a classic rock vibe. It's stuff that wouldn't fit on a Firewind record, and I didn't want to push that band in this direction. I consider myself a songwriter as well as a guitar player, and this album allowed me to experiment and explore that different side of me."

That doesn't mean that guitar solos are in short supply -- quite the contrary, they're plentiful throughout the 12 tracks that comprise 'I Am The Fire'. Also plentiful is the roster of friends that help bring Gus G.'s vision to fruition. The aforementioned instrumentals "Vengeance" and "Terrified" feature guest bassists Dave Ellefson [Megadeth] and Billy Sheehan [David Lee Roth, Mr. Big], while the rest of the album features either Gus or Marty O'Brien [Tommy Lee, We Are The Fallen] holding down the bottom end alongside main drummer Jeff Friedl [A Perfect Circle, Puscifer, Devo] and Daniel Erlandsson [Arch Enemy], who guests on the two instrumental tracks.

"The main difference in this recording and album experience is that there was no band, nobody to check with or please and nobody to consult with, it was just me doing whatever I wanted and playing with a lot of my favorite musicians, friends and people I admired," says Gus, who also produced the record and recorded all the keyboards on the album. "When you've been in bands forever, it's liberating to be able to do whatever you want without worrying about living up to the standards of a back catalog. It's a fresh start, and in a lot of ways it's more relaxing -- it's like starting from scratch."

Vocal guests include Devour The Day singer Blake Allison ("I Am The Fire"), Steel Panther's Michael Starr ("Redemption"), Eyes Set To Kill's Alexia Rodriguez ("Long Way Down"), former Journey frontman and current Trans-Siberian Orchesta vocalist Jeff Scott Soto ("Summer Days"), Evergrey frontman Tom S. Englund ("Dreamkeeper"), Adler frontman Jacob Bunton ("Just Can't Let Go") and Yngwie Malmsteen/Therion alum and current Candlemass singer Mats Levén ("My Will Be Done", "Blame It On Me", "Eyes Wide Open" and "End Of The Line") -- and the results are as varied as the names suggest.

"The inspiration for the album started when Mats filled in on a Firewind tour -- I've always liked him and wanted to work with him since he did Yngwie's 'Facing The Animal' album, and I also had other songs that I heard different types of vocals on when I wrote them, like Jeff's voice on 'Summer Days'," Gus explains of the vocals. "Jay Ruston mixed the album, and he also really played a key role in this project -- I wanted to work with him because he made the album by The Winery Dogs sound so big and warm and not digital, so he was one of the first people I played the songs for and he really played an important role in helping pick the perfect people to bring out the details and colors in every song."

'I Am The Fire' was mixed by Jay Ruston [Anthrax, Stone Sour, Steel Panther], produced by Gus G., and recorded between Los Angeles and Gus' home country of Greece through the latter half of 2013. In a career highlighted by a Grammy nomination for his performance on Ozzy Osbourne's 'Scream' album in 2010 and accolades including Guitar Player Magazine's Best Metal Guitarist, the Dimebag Darrell Shredder award at the Metal Hammer UK Golden Gods Awards, and Metal Hammer Greece Best Guitarist on four separate occasions, 'I Am The Fire' serves as a whole new benchmark for Gus G.

"I already have an established band, so there's no pressure on me as a solo artist," he explains. "This is a whole different journey and a brand new adventure..."

An unsung guitar hero from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he grew up just a few miles from the Waukesha birthplace of the late, great guitarist-inventor Les Paul, Greg Koch has established himself within six-string circles as a masterful technician, accomplished clinician (for Fender) and general bad-ass guit-picker. No less than guitar virtuoso Steve Vai noted Koch's six-string prowess and promptly signed signed him to his Favored Nations label in 2001. Tom Wheeler from Guitar Player magazine hailed him as "fiendishly talented" while other critics have called him everything from "a twisted guitar genius" to "the best kept secret in the guitar firmament."

On From The Attic, his 12th release overall as a leader and third for Germany's ZYX/Peppercake label, the veteran guitar virtuoso joins bassist Tom Good and drummer Del Bennett for an eclectic, hard-hitting program full of incendiary licks and audacious fretboard tricks. Recorded remarkably quickly ("We did the ten tracks in roughly 11 hours," Koch explains) in the attic of guitarist-engineer Chris Hanson's Victorian home on Milwaukee's East Side, these rockin', bluesy originals are imbued with Koch's trademark searing licks and typically clever lyrics. From the blistering, Magic Sam-inspired boogie "Leg Up Foot Out" to the urgent blues inflected "Nova Scotia Cold," from the elegant fingerstyle instrumental ballad "Sleep Tight" to the wild chicken-picking romp "Picked On," Koch and his crew wail with uncanny tightness and authority. "Trouble" is a growling funk-blues number written about Koch's first encounter with his wife-to-be ("Her middle name was trouble, her last name is mine") while "Agree To Disagree" addresses the guitarist's ongoing conflict with the staunch point's of view of loved ones. "Here We Go Again" is a rich, r&b flavored ballad featuring some lyrical, legato guitar work by Koch and the aggressively funky "Happy Versus Right" recalls classic Red Hot Chili Peppers slamming down a thick groove. Koch flaunts some wicked wahwah-inflected slide guitar licks on the mellow "Twice the Man" and they close out the collection with the anthemic, classic rock jam "You'll Rock and Like It," which sounds like an encounter between Jeff Beck and AC/DC."

"The whole gist of this record is kind of where I started from in my career," says Koch of From The Attic. "It's basically tunes with cool guitar things. And I fi nd that if you can have nice little blasts within the confi nes of a short tune, it's much more digestible." And though Koch may be consciously trying to simplify his six-string onslaught on this trio recording, his natural fretboard fusillades ultimately come to the fore. In its 2001 feature story, Guitar Player magazine described Koch's inherently pyrotechnic approach this way: "An impossible stream of riffs jumps off of Koch's fretboard like clowns spilling out of a VW bug -- and when you're convinced that there can be no more, out pops another one."

Born in Milwaukee in 1966, Koch got his earliest musical infl uences from his older brother and later became infatuated with Jimi Hendrix, who remains a profound infl uence to this day. After studying jazz guitar for four years at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Koch won 1st Prize in the 1989 Bluesbreaker Guitar Showdown judged by legendary bluesman Buddy Guy. Shortly after, he formed Greg Koch and the Tone Controls, which became one of the more popular acts of the region. The band went on to win fi ve Wisconsin Area Music Awards for Blues Artist of the Year ('93, '95 through '98), and Koch personally took in seven WAMA awards as Guitarist of the Year ('92, '94 through '99).

Koch soon found himself as a clinician for Fender, the world's largest and most prestigious guitar and amplifi er manufacturer. Bringing together world-class chops and a humorous ability to articulate sounds and techniques with a genuine devotion to all things guitar, Koch has developed an exceptionally effective approach to conducting guitar clinics. Greg's relationship with music publishing giant, the Hal Leonard Corporation, has also resulted in a string of top-selling guitar method books, including "Guitar Clues: Operation Pentatonic," "Lead Licks," "Rhythm Riffs" and Koch's popular Hal Leonard instructional DVDs -- two on the style of Stevie Ray Vaughan (approved by Jimmie Vaughan), one on Lynyrd Skynyrd, another celebrating revered blues stylists like Albert King, Albert Collins, Elmore James and Guitar Slim and one on his own twisted take on guitar called "Guitar Gristle" -- have revolutionized video guitar instruction with a combination of humor, effective instruction and inspiring musical performances into a package that can only be described as "edu-tainment."

In his self-penned liner notes to his 2001 recording, The Grip, Koch described his guitaristic approach as "Chet Hendrix meeting the Kings (BB, Albert and Freddie) at the first annual Zeppelin-Holdsworth Coffee Guzzlers Hoedown." He would subsequently showcase his over-the-top chops and wicked sense of humor on 2003's Radio Free Gristle, 2004's 13 x 12, 2005's 4 Days In the South and 2007's Live on WMSE, which showcases his fiery fretboard work in the company of bassist Roscoe Beck (longtime sideman to guitarists Robben Ford and Eric Johnson), drummer Tom Brechtlein (a former member of Ford's Blueline band and a frequent collaborator with Chick Corea) and the charismatic Austin-based soul singer Malford Milligan (formerly the frontman for Storyville and Double Trouble). Last year's Nation Sack had Koch teaming with Milligan and his current rhythm tandem of Good and Bennett for a collection of Koch originals (including some co-penned with Milligan) along with a cover of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy."

Koch continues to channel all the right people on his most recent collection of blues, funk and R&B, including Jimi Hendrix, Albert King, Albert Collins, Jeff Beck and Roy Buchanan with touches of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Danny Gatton and Richie Blackmore thrown in for good measure. And he fi lters all those killer infl uences through his own slightly bent prism that is tinted with grunge, gristle and good clean fun.

Throughout the history of Chicago blues, the intensely competitive local club scene has served as a proving ground for the musicians, where only the best rise to the top. Iconic blues artists from Muddy Waters to Howlin' Wolf to Koko Taylor to Hound Dog Taylor to Luther Allison all paid their dues in the Chicago blues bars before leaving their mark on the world. The same holds true today, as newcomers look to legends like Buddy Guy, Eddy Clearwater and Lil' Ed Williams for inspiration in taking their music from Chicago to fans across the globe. Now, Chicago-born and raised blues guitarist /vocalist/ songwriter Toronzo Cannon is ready to write his own story as he emerges as one of the city's most popular and innovative blues musicians.

Cannon's unofficial launch from local hero to national star took place on June 13, 2015 at the world renowned Chicago Blues Festival, where he performed as a festival headliner for the massive crowd. After announcing that he had just signed with Alligator Records, he delivered a riveting set, instantly earning tens of thousands of new fans. Original songs filled with razor-sharp solos rained from the stage, as Cannon melded the deepest Chicago blues with contemporary lyrics and soul-tinged vocals. The Chicago Tribune lauded his performance, saying, "Festival headliner Toronzo Cannon's extroverted, compelling guitar style and forceful singing won over a new audience."

His upcoming Alligator CD "The Chicago Way, set for release on February 26, 2016, was recorded in Chicago and produced by Cannon and Alligator president Bruce Iglauer. The album is filled with Cannon's original songs -- from searing blues anthems to swinging shuffles to soulful ballads to blistering rockers -- which tell timeless stories of common experiences in uncommon ways. "I've never worked harder," Cannon says. "I challenged myself at every step, writing each song to connect with someone in my audience at any given show. I try to write songs that will be both up-to-the-minute and timeless."

With his Alligator Records debut, Cannon knows more and more people will be hearing his message: The future of Chicago blues is in good hands. According to Cannon, "To be from Chicago and be signed to Alligator is unreal. To be part of Alligator's history...I'm at a loss for words."

According to Iglauer, "I've watched Toronzo grow as a singer, player and songwriter over the last ten years. He's now become a major blues talent, using the Chicago blues tradition as a launching pad to create his own unique, contemporary, vision. His music comes right from the heart of the city."

Cannon was born in Chicago on February 14, 1968, and grew up in the shadows of Theresa's Lounge, one of the city's most famous South Side blues clubs (and a place where Iglauer was a regular patron). As a child, Cannon would stand on the sidewalk outside the door, soaking up the live blues pouring out while trying to sneak a glance inside at larger-than-life bluesmen like Junior Wells or Buddy Guy. He also heard plenty of blues growing up in his grandfather's home, and listened to soul, R&B and contemporary rock on the radio.

Cannon bought his first guitar at age 22, and his natural talent enabled him to quickly master the instrument. Although his first focus was reggae, he found himself increasingly drawn to the blues. "It was dormant in me. But when I started playing the blues, I found my voice and the blues came pouring out." He absorbed sounds, styles and licks from Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Hound Dog Taylor, B.B. King, Albert King, Freddie King, Al Green, Jimi Hendrix, J.B. Hutto, Lil' Ed and others. Although influenced by many, Cannon's biting, singing, guitar sound is all his own. As a songwriter, he writes about shared experiences with a keen eye for detail. "Blues is truth-telling music," he says, "and I want my audience to relate to my stories." As a singer, his impassioned vocals add muscle and personality to his already potent songs.

From 1996 through 2002, Cannon played as a sideman for Tommy McCracken, Wayne Baker Brooks, L.V. Banks and Joanna Connor. But he was determined to prove himself. In 2001, while continuing to work as a hired-gun guitarist, he formed his own band, The Cannonball Express. By 2003, he was working exclusively as a band leader. Cannon's first three albums -- 2007's My Woman (self-released), 2011's Leaving Mood (Delmark) and 2013's John The Conqueror Root (Delmark) -- document his rise from promising up-and-comer to star-in-the-making.

Toronzo Cannon has become one of Chicago's most recognized and most popular bluesmen through the sheer force of his music, his soul, his songs, his live charisma, and maybe most impressively, his passion for what he is doing. He's played the Chicago Blues Festival on nine separate occasions, either as a sideman, a special guest or, most recently, as a main stage headliner. When he's home, Cannon drives a Chicago Transit Authority bus by day and performs by night. Using every vacation day and day off and working four 10-hour shifts a week, Cannon arranges his schedule to gig out of town as much as possible. He's performed in a number of U.S. and European cities and continues to build his audience one roof-raising show at a time. It isn't easy, but, like all of the Chicago greats who have come before him, blues is his calling. "I am proud to be part of a movement," he says, anxious to hit the road and bring his music to new fans in new places. "I'm proud to be standing on the shoulders of every great Chicago blues musician who came before me."

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